Massage with warm stones
The hot-stone massage works with heated stones — usually smooth, volcanic basalt, which stores warmth for a particularly long time. The stones, tempered to about 50 to 60 °C, are laid on certain parts of the body and at the same time guided over the oiled skin as an extension of the therapist's hand. The method combines two principles of action: the penetrating warmth and the gliding massage pressure.
Warmth that goes deep
The sustained stone warmth opens the musculature far more thoroughly than hand pressure alone can — the massage can thereby work more gently and more deeply at once. Laid on the back, the abdomen or between the toes, the stones give off a pleasant heaviness that many experience as immediately relaxing. The roots of the method reach back to the stone-warmth traditions of various cultures; today's form was popularised in the 1990s in the USA.
Whom it suits
The hot-stone massage is the ideal choice for everyone who seeks a vigorous deep effect without liking hard pressure — the warmth does part of the work. It fits especially well into the cold season and after active days with tense muscles. With circulatory problems, inflammation or during pregnancy the suitability should be clarified beforehand, because the warmth is considerable.
In the spa hotel
The hot-stone massage belongs to the fixed repertoire of almost every hotel spa treatment menu — from the Landromantik Hotel Oswald to the Spa Villa. As a couples' treatment in a double treatment room it is a popular occasion format. Whoever books it for the first time plans rest time afterwards: the deep warmth relaxation has an after-effect.
