Why you need a Hot Stoned Massage at Calabash Spa

A hot stone massage is a type of massage therapy. It’s used to help you relax and ease tense muscles and damaged soft tissues throughout your body.

During a hot stone massage, smooth, flat, heated stones are placed on specific parts of your body. The stones are usually made of basalt, a type of volcanic rock that retains heat.

After the COVID -19 pandemic lockdown, any person can visit the Calabash Spa and Saloon along Wampewo Avenue Kololo to relax and ease those muscles that could have been damaged as a result of too much sitting as a result of the Stay Home Stay Safe lockdown.

Hot massage stones are placed along one’s spine, stomach, chest, face, palms, feet and toes.

A trained massage therapist holds heated stones as they massage one’s body using Swedish massage techniques like long strokes, circular movements, vibration, tapping and kneading.

Sometimes, cold stones are also used during a hot stone massage. Cold stones are used after hot stones to calm any engorged blood vessels and to soothe the skin.

There are several benefits of hot stone massages and, all massages generally fall under the alternative medicine umbrella.

They’re becoming a popular complementary therapy for many conditions.

A hot Stoned Massage helps relieve muscle tension and pain. It helps increase blood flow to the affected area. It may also reduce muscle spasms and increase flexibility and range of motion.

Cold therapy helps relieve inflammation. Depending on your symptoms, alternating hot and cold stones during your massage may be helpful.

A hot stoned massage also reduces stress and anxiety. A 2001 study showed that a ten-minute massage improved cardiovascular responses such as stroke volume. A 1997 study found that 15-minute, onsite chair massages in the workplace significantly reduced stress compared to a 15-minute break without massage. A 2015 study Trusted Source found that people who underwent abdominal colorectal surgery had less pain, tension, and anxiety after receiving the post-operative massage.

A hot stoned massage also promotes sleep. A 2006 literature review found massage may be an alternative to sleeping pills in adults with insomnia.

The research showed that back massage helped promote relaxation and sleep. A 2001 study showed that infants with sleep problems who were given a 15-minute massage by their parents went to sleep faster.

They were also more alert, active, and positive upon awakening. Massage is thought to help you enjoy more restorative sleep, although it’s not completely understood why.

A hot stone massage may also help to relieve symptoms of autoimmune diseases and painful conditions such as fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes widespread, chronic pain. According to a 2002 study, people with fibromyalgia who received a 30-minute massage slept longer, had fewer trigger points, and had decreased levels of substance P (a substance involved in transmitting pain signals) than people with the condition who received relaxation therapy. More research is needed, however, before massage becomes a standard fibromyalgia treatment.

It is also understood that a hot stoned massage may help to decrease cancer symptoms. A large, three-year study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management examined how massage affected pain, fatigue, stress and anxiety, nausea, and depression in 1,290 people with cancer.

The study showed massage, especially Swedish massage, improved cancer symptoms, even in those with substantial symptoms. Researchers believe the comforting use of human touch played a role.

It is also believed that a hot stoned massage may also boost immunity. According to a 2010 study Trusted Source, a single session of Swedish massage therapy had a positive and acute impact on immunity.

Blood samples taken before and after the massage showed a decrease in arginine-vasopressin, a hormone that helps regulate blood pressure and water retention.

Who may benefit from a hot stone massage?

Anyone who is experiencing muscle tension and pain, insomnia, or stress may benefit from a hot stone massage.

If you have a chronic condition that causes pain, talk to your doctor to see if a hot stone massage is a good option for you.

BY PAUL TENTENA