Is there a cooling massage therapy for the summer?

[Monkey Cheese]

I'm wondering if there is any therapy I can give to my clients for the summer. It can be very hot here and people want cooling those days, not hot stones or warm hands flowing over their body. Only therapy that has some cooling is Lastone therapy but I'm not a big fan of it. Anyone know some good therapy for the summer?

With kind regards,
Leo

 

[Fido Steik]

Not a fan of LaStone, or not a fan of massage with cold stones? You don't have to do a full body routine using the stones. I have got LaStone training, but I will use stones without doing the full LaStone routine, cold stones on the legs, a big cold stone pillow behind the neck. Chilled jade/rose quartz/clear quartz spheres for "crystal massage"on the face, also using chilled crystal palm stones or soap sized stones (they're a lot cheaper than most of the chilled facial stones available out there) http://www.lapolarstones.com/ has some marble stones (the pillow stone is GREAT, the eye half moons are also great for placing under the eyes)

Pretty much anything involving aloe vera is usually pretty cooling, and great for sunburnt skin. I sometimes use Creative's Marine Gel on the feet and lower legs, it's mainly menthol, aloe vera and a couple of other cooling oils, quite a few of the cooling things like wintergreen should not be used over the whole body, but on a small section it's usually ok (taking into consideration the contraindications)

If no contraindications to peppermint, just a quick misting with a peppermint hydrosol either when they arrive or just at the end of the massage can be very refreshing, even rose water for female clients. Using warmed towels then a cooled towel leaves the feet really refreshed and tends to cool people down quickly.

How spa-like are you prepared to go? Sheets straight out of the freezer for a body wrap? (that wrap could be an aloe vera wrap). More info, other than don't like LaStone

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hey Melb, very intresting reply! Thank you very much. Is it possible to do a massage therapy only with marble stones? Without any basalt? (especially in the summer).

Anyone have any other therapy's/tips/comments?

 

[ThatBoyThamer]

I thought there was something mentioned before about cool towels that were soaked in cucumber water. Applied to the face, neck, etc.

Might be a nice summer addition.

 

[jinenglish68]

Is there a name for that technique or how does it go?

 

[Kellzs]

Is there a name for that technique or how does it go?

Not as far as I know, just something to add to your session for a cooling effect. Maybe at the end for a few minutes or once you are done a specific area. It hasn't been something I have tried, but might.

 

[Sam Da Man]

I offer a cool stone facial massage. It's something that is taught on the video from stonetempleinstitute.com

It's a 1/2 hr treatment to the head, neck and face using chilled "moonstones" but you can use any type of stone that can be cooled. I offer it as a stand alone treatment or combined with an hour massage.

There's also many leg treatments out there such as cooling peppermint, aloe, cucumber, etc...... I know that there have been some posted on the board over the years. Try going through the spa section, I believe there are some there.

Good luck,
angie

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hey Melb, very intresting reply! Thank you very much. Is it possible to do a massage therapy only with marble stones? Without any basalt? (especially in the summer).

I wouldn't want a whole session of only cold stones, but in some sessions when I am not doing a full stone treatment, I will sometimes just use cold stones - usual for pregnant or menopausal clients, but sometimes for anyone when they are a bit hot. That marble pillow stone gets quite a bit of use during summer behind anyone's neck when face up, even if I don't use any other stones at all

What actually is used for "cold stones" can vary quite a bit - marble is the one that's been used in stone massage for the longest, but the cold stones from http://www.amlstonesource.com/ are now mainly sardonyx, for actual massage and knocking the stones around a bit, it copes a bit better - it isn't as porous, so doesn't discolor with oil, it reportedly has more healing properties, I think it's easier to work with when carving the stones, it doesn't get little blemishes if it hits other stones, and it does feel lovely I got my cold set back in the day when cold sets were marble, and it works well, but it is a bit more grey than when it started, and there are a few blemishes on it from drops etc. But I'm not letting anyone take my marble pillow stone away Jade is also an option, but those sets are even more expensive then the marble! You can even use basalt as a cold stone - it's not generally promoted as such, because it does help when using hot and cold to have a color differentiation! It doesn't hold cold quite a swell as some stones that feel much cooler than room temp at room temp (like marble), but basalt holds the cold well enough for a client not to care
You can use crystal spheres chilled to - about 1.5-2" are a good size and feel great rolled around the face, or on the back in figure eights. They can be used hot or cold. Orange calcite or blue calcite are usually the cheapest and work well. Clear/rose/smokey quartz, pretty well any crystals available as spheres are OK. If you want you can go into the healing properties of each stone and select according to that, or you can just get a pair and work with them - depends how you want to work with them, and how new agey you want market it to your clients. I have found the crystals are a lot easier to purchase because any new agey book/crystal/candle shop seems to have some crystals or at least able to tell you where somewhere with a bigger range may be, so you can just start with one pair of spheres and then decide if you want to take it further.

 

[marybeth!]

Thank you very much Melb!!! Been very intresting reading your reply.

 

[Spicy Taco Breath]

You could always do ice massage. But that might be going overboard. And you would have to have a freezer at your disposal. Plus, you might end up tightening the tissue if you did too much.

We were taught this technique for people in severe pain, so I guess it wouldn't really be used for a "cooling summer experience"

 

[Mace [Is The Stig]]

I am offering a salt glow massage this summer. It is great for dry summer skin and leaves your body feeling like a baby's butt. With it, I am also using cooling essential oils, like peppermint and spearmint. Clients love spearmint!

 

[reynwater]

cool idea

Hi,
I loved reading all of the ideas. Another idea-put a fomentek bag with cold water or ice in it or several ice packs under the bottom sheet before the client arrives. I take the packs out before they get on the table. Sort of the opposite of a heating pad.

I also spray clients with hydrosols, especially peppermint, before, during, and/or after massage. Water used to distill essential oils ends up containing a minute amount of essential oil, as well as other healing components. You might find them available under other names such as floral waters, hydrolats, or florasols. For this purpose, be sure you are not buying water with essential oils added.

 

[Steve-O]

I do the same as Sharon: chill the sheets with three large-size "Grandma's water bags" for the men that can never get cool enough. These bags are ridiculously cheap and last a very long time, with many surprising uses.

My room temperature is low enough to need to heat the table year-round, but for the men I pre-cool very high thread-count sheets and keep the chest and legs undraped throughout. The sheets have a silkier, lighter feel than what most men are used to and they just love them.

I'll also mist client's feet with diluted tea tree oil and then wipe with a cool, damp cloth before starting the session, partly for refreshing cooling and partly for cleaning during stinky feet and sandal season (they don't know that part!)

Because I'm pregnant I'm avoiding any other essential oils for the duration. And yes, my formerly cool-enough room is a roasting pit from hell anymore t004 ; 90 minutes just completely wipes me out. When it's 107 outside, you can only A/C to a certain point...

 

[1993]

Since it's summer-time again.....................

 

[zsiuj8j8]

Hi Guys

How hot is it in your part of the world? What sort of temps are you getting in summer? Sounds like it's a heat wave!! If you tell me in Farenheit I'll have to convert it to Celsius-sorry we're metric here.

Cheers
Oz

 

[Deadhead Incognito]

It does not get very hot here for most of the summer -- high 70s (maybe 30-35C?) for some days. But to us that feels hot! And my office is way up on the 6th floor, hot some days though some days catching an unobstructed breeze off the bay.

I haven't done much specific to summer before, mostly just wrung out towels in cool water for the feet, and I have that nice chillable gel pack that goes under the facecradle cover. I guess now that I have a bunch of stones I could toss some in the fridge and add them in too -- almost no one around here has air conditioning so between the 3 I could advertise a Summer Cool-Down!

 

[Ray G]

For us, summer time highs are pretty much in the 90s every day. What's so bad for us is that summer is here by April and lasts through November. So, by the time July/August gets here you're pretty much tired of the hot weather. Most "natives" stay inside in the air conditioning and the tourists go stand in line at DisneyWorld.

Angie