Hall of Fame III: Hot Stone Massage

When grad school finals were finished each semester, I would splurge and get a hot stone massage from my awesome massage girl, Katie. Love her. She is so nice and her hands use the perfect amount of pressure. She always knew to clear out some time for me in May and December. I would also go to her for regular massages at other times, but the hot stone version was a special treat for a starving student.

A hot stone massage is like a regular massage². Various sized basalt rocks are heated in water (Katie mixes in some essential oils with the hot water, because she is awesome) and placed all over your body. For example, the rocks are placed down your spine and across your pelvis, like the picture at left. When they have had a chance to warm up the muscles sufficiently, that area is massaged and worked on, so you get a rotating experience of the hot rocks being placed on your skin with the actual massage. On larger muscle areas, she also uses the warm rocks in her hands to stimulate the skin and massage the muscles. Up and down your arms, legs, back, in between your fingers and toes, and even on your face. Delicious. (My face is evidently not very flat, as the rocks always slide off my cheeks. This always makes us laugh, even though we knew it would happen every time. It is also interesting how different areas of your body are more sensitive to heat than others. My lower back is always very sensitive, my legs not so much.)

In addition to the dimly lit room and soothing music, the smell of the essential oils and heat of the rocks is incredibly relaxing. I almost fall asleep. Which isn't a bad thing, as you have to lie very still so as not to disturb the rocks. A hot stone massage generally lasts 90 minutes and costs around $40 more than a regular massage. I think with tip, it is usually around $120 bucks. Totally worth it.