Cold Stone Massage
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is cold stone massage?
Cold stone massage is a form of cool ice treatment that works with different massage techniques, such as trigger point and cross-fiber friction. This type of physical therapy is similar to the more popular hot stone massage, with the essential difference that the stones it employs must be chilled on ice. When giving a cold stone massage, you must move very slowly, to allow the cold to penetrate warm muscle tissues and remove the heat from the body.
What are the benefits of cold stone facial massage?
A cold stone massage on the body can speed up healing from sports injuries, ease menstrual symptoms, and boost energy levels. When using a cold stone massage kit on the face, the small marble pieces can soothe sinusitis and allergic rhinitis symptoms, reduce eye puffiness and skin redness, and relieve pounding headaches.
What kind of stones are generally used for a cold stone massage?
A cold stone massage set usually contains several white marble stones of different shapes and sizes, like the 9-piece marble stone set from Master®. This material is essential for cold stone massage because marble retains cold very well thanks to its calcium content. Some sets also include sedimentary marine stones and can be used together with hot basalt stones to alternate hot and cold stone massages for maximum benefits. While larger cold massage stones are usually sold separately from hot ones, smaller ones can be acquired together, as a 45-piece hot and cold facial massage stone set. Their small size makes them suitable not only for facial massage but also for hot and cold alternative therapies for the hands and feet.
What temperature should a cold stone massage be?
When stored at room temperature, marble stones need about 10-15 minutes in an ice bath to reach the optimum temperature for a cold stone massage and the lowest recommended temperature is 30°F. Since cold stones can cause burn or frostbite, you should never apply them directly on the client's skin. Instead, use a sheet or towel as a protective layer. Also, make sure the client doesn't have any heart conditions, poor kidney function, hypothyroidism, or hypersensitivity to cold.
How do you prepare for a cold stone massage?
Since you can use cold and hot stones together and with various massage techniques, it is best to always have some handy before a therapy session. You can either keep your stones in the fridge at the salon, transport them in a small cooler with ice packs to the client's home, or pop them in an ice bowl before the session begins. A special tool you can use is the Med-Stone chiller, which comes with one earthen stoneware stone and two freezer packs. Besides the cold stone massage set and the appropriate cooling medium, other massage treatment supplies to keep on hand are a high-quality carrier massage oil and several towels. Be extra careful with cold marble stones, as they can chip and break when dropped, and remember to wear closed-toe shoes whenever you use hot or cold massage stones — the oil can make them quite slippery.
What are the main effects on the body of using hot and cold stones?
Hot stones make the blood vessels dilate, increase blood flow, and help muscles relax, whereas cold stones absorb the excess heat, constrict blood vessels, and push blood and lymph away from the treated area. You may think of hot stones as a sedative and cold stones as a stimulant. When alternating hot and cold stone massages, the body response is more intense. This increases the healing effect of both therapy methods and significantly reduces inflammation and congestion. When using both types of stones, it is recommended to end with a cold application.
Does a cold stone massage release toxins?
A cold stone massage can trigger the hunting response, also known as the hunting reaction or Lewis reaction. This process helps decrease pain and muscle spasms but is not enough to release toxins. For that to happen, massage cold stones must be used together with hot stones and manipulation techniques such as effleurage and compression, typically employed in manual lymphatic drainage (MLD).