Hot Stone Therapy?

[Helicreature]

I have found a hot stone course being offered next month. I have debated taking the course, mainly for financial reasons. For those of you who offer hot stone massage, did you find that it was something that clients liked? Do they book for just hot stone massages? Did it change your practice or your clientel at all?

I started the Active release technique courses, and did the upper body one, but the cost is way too prohibitive this year for me. I have started down the road of therapeutic massage, rather than relaxation. I'm a little nervous that if I start offering too many things I may end up stretching myself too thin, and would be better to focus on one or two things.

Thanks for the input in advance

Myrrha

 

[Arm the Homeless]

It's nice to offer, and you can charge more for the service. It's nice cuz it gives your hands a break, because the stones are like tools!

you can vary it- you don't have to offer full body hot stone either, you could just incorporate a few stones for $X more a session.

It may be nice to draw people in during the winter months?- you could do specials during that time- maybe get your regulars to try the new service then?

The only downside is set up and clean up are a PAIN!

Sorry for the rambly stream of thought reply, hope it made sense

Oh! and it's better to take a hot stone class than try to learn it from video or book, at least in my opinion

 

[Jac]

Not rambling at all. It is a modality that would be well suited for the cold winter months here. Unfortunately I cannot do specials, or haven't figured out how to do specials and discounts that are in line with my regulatory body's guidelines. Thanks for your input moose_goose.

 

[Schwarma]

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[oden13]

Hey, GrateLakes!

Just curious -- with your method of clean-up and only changing the water once or twice a week -- does that mean you use a glove or scoop to remove new stones for use? Otherwise your hands (which have also been in touch with the client's skin) would contaminate the water, wouldn't they? And can you tell us what product you use in the water itself? I just completed my first Hot Stone Workshop and would love to make the clean-up easier. Any other input out there?

TIA

Sherry

 

[Desi Chef]

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[johnsvolt]

Hot Stones?

I, too, use hot stones in almost every massage. And I don't charge for them. When someone comes in who's really tense or has particular sore, achy muscles, I use the stone as a tool to warm and open the muscles.

I don't even do a full hot stone massage. I have a beautiful set that cost me a pretty penny and then some, but I don't use all my stones.

I use my point stones a lot, but not always for point work. I find that running them down the spine to work really well. I just move out laterally with each new stroke. I have a big, curved point stone (I love this stone) that I use for sacrum work. I also have a large and heavy sacrum stone that I lay on the lower back of many of my clients. It retains a lot of heat for a long time. I also use my belly stone for back proplems. I use my scapula stone a lot. They are a fantastic aid. I even have to sets. I use small stones to get to the neck muscles and larger, round stones to get to the rest of the back and the legs. Actually, I don't ususally do more than the upper body (no arms or hands though) and the legs. The thighs are a perfect, meaty place.

I never took a class, although I should have. I have a video and manual from Stone Spirits, and although they have been extremely helpful, I really should have taken a class. Too cost prohibitive for me, too, though.

I use my stones as something to set me apart from other therapists. Many clients tell me that they've had hot stones used in a massage before, but they were just placed on their bodies and not worked with. I work with them and don't charge them any extra.

I also include some other things to set me apart. Things that others charge for but I don't. I charge by the length of time, not by what's included in the treatment. I like the variation and so do my clients.

 

[Brianna J]

I also use hot stones in every massage. Whether they want a full body hot stone or just spot treatment for the problem areas, I charge the same--the hour-long sessions are about $5-10 more than the going rate in my area, but my $90 1.5-hour sessions are right on par with the prices in my market. I find that it helps me because it loosens the muscles a lot in a very short time and I can get a lot more work done without having to work as hard.

I took a 12-hour class. ABMP required that I send them a copy of the paperwork involved before they would insure me for hot stone. But that's not why I took the class--I wanted to learn how to do it correctly, and I learn kinesthetically. (Which is not to dog the videos--the physical class was just how I chose to learn--I do have videos for other things, though )

I use a metal spatula with a wood handle to scoop my stones out. Try as I might, I can't get those anymore--I've looked everywhere. I hold a small towel in the other hand to put the stone into when I scoop it out. Works great I keep a small bucket on the workbench beside my stone warmer (which is NOT a turkey roaster) and as I use each stone I put it back in the bucket. I then take the bucket to the bathtub (or kitchen sink (afterward and scrub my stones with soap and water.) This way, the used stones never go back into the water. And this way, I can change out the warmer water once a week without worry, and without chemicals. Our water quality is bad, and sometimes it gets a little stale odor toward the end of the week. A small spritz of some pure essential oil does the trick nicely. For me, setup and teardown are never a problem. I just have to make sure to be home/awake/whatever a half hour before the first appt so that I can turn the warmer on so the stones are hot by the time the appt starts. I purchased 2 great sets of volcanic stones from a mom-&-pop online business (RubRocks), and this way I can do about 3-4 massages in one day without running out of stones. (I don't use a full set in any session, even a full body one.) Since I wrap the big sacral/spinal stones in a towel, those stones never touch the client's skin and can be put back in the clean water and reused.

That's just how I do it, and it's work well for me. My clients like it, btw, even in the oven-like Texas summers--even my more heat-sensitive male clients and menopausal female clients.

Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[pezza]

I am amazed that some of you use hot stones in every massage. Everyone of my coworkers, me included, hate doing hot stone massage! We are always so sad when we get booked with one, and I even claimed that my doctor said due to my excema I couldn't do it. It makes your room so hot, they are a pain to clean, and I hate breaking contact to fumble around in the dark for a stone, plus, it burns your hands. I work in a spa where we do 6-7 hour long massages in a day, so any extra clean up and set up is a pain, but stones especially. I always feel like a mad scientist trying to get the temp just right so they are hot enough, yet don't burn the crap outta me. But, ours are kept in a turkey roaster, so it's near impossible to get the right temp. I am just amazed that someone would choose to use them, guess you have better equipment.

 

[Zallarion]

it burns your hands.

One thing I was taught while learning how to do hot stone massage is that if it's hot enough to burn your hand then it's hot enough to burn your client. That's a big rule of thumb to use. Yes, the stones should feel hot and at the end of doing a stone session my palms are pink from the heat but it should never be hot enough to burn you. If it's that hot, you could easily burn your client.

Perhaps the reason you and your co-workers hate doing hot stone is that you were not properly trained?? I know that many spas just expect that if you're an LMT then you should be able to do anything on their menu and if you've never been trained....well.....then just "fake" it.

As for the room being hot....yes it will be hot. I sweat profusely but then again, I love being in a steam room. I just think of it as being cleansing for the body and great for the complexion.

Angie

 

[flybishop]

As in the training dept., you are right about that one. I think my training consisted of the front desk saying, "um, you have a hot stone massage in one hour, you might want to grab the book and read over it"
But even with proper training, I still don't like cleaning up. They have to book me more time to allow for the clean up to where if I were just doing basic massage, I would make more money and not have to clean anything. Guess it just all boils down to my lazziness

 

[Yeoman Prince]

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[Luann]

yeah, I have a meat thermometer, but it is quite fickle

 

[I <3 Pomeranians]

I had a thermometer when I 1st started and used it maybe once or twice. I honestly do better with my fingers. If it burns my fingers when I put them in the water......it's too hot.

After a while, you know where to put the setting for your heating unit...whichever type of heater you use.

Angie

 

[brooklincook]

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[sugar dust]

I use a digital meat thermometer with the probe at the end of a cable. The probe sits in the heater, the display sits on the counter, no picking it up to check the reading, nice big display, easy to read, doesn't move around because it is not floating in the water. The more you stick your hands in hot water the less sensitive they become, that's why I still use a thermometer, rather than trusting my hands - the client hasn't been putting their body in and out of the hot water all the time, they are still sensitive to the heat.

Using the right heater you shouldn't have to worry about it getting dangerously too hot - that's only a concern when you are using things designed to heat up higher than hot stones should be (eg crock pots, rice cookers, fry pans)

 

[isitevil]

thanks for all the great advice...
one question though, how do you keep from breaking contact so much? That is my pet peeve

 

[Jena]

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[AALIA-NAF]

As GrateLakes said, there is just no way to avoid breaking contact. It really bothered me at first because our school had grilled it in to us that you never, never break contact. However, with the stones you just have to accept that it's ok to do so.

I use layout stones so there are always lots of stones on the client. That keeps the "contact" going and I think that the stones just feel so great that clients don't mind that you break contact.

Angie

 

[aomf]

Stone massage..... either you love em or hate em (doing it that is).

I was actually trained twice. Once on my own, second time at the Spa I worked at. A 2 day class. It was great. They had a great method to which you could totally clean the stones and cooker, fresh water and all, in 15 minutes. The water could reheat in another 15.

I am very particular about cleaning the water and stones. And because I know some don't, I don't get hot stone massage.

mostly though, at this private office, it get SO hot in the room, I don't offer stone massage anymore. I do have a small Conair stone warmer for a handfull to use on backs and such. That was a great investment, $15.00! I don't think they make em anymore but it heats to a perfect temp. everytime.