Have you ever walked into a warm house on a cold winter day and automatically felt relaxed? embraced by the heat? That’s the same feeling you get when you experience a stone treatment at your favorite spa. We offer LaStone Therapy: a 90-minute massage with hot basalt and cold marble stones, and Enhanced Stone Massage: a 60-minute massage with hot stones for problem areas.

LaStone Therapy was developed by Mary Hannigan in 1993, but stones have been used as wellness tools for over 2,000 years. Shamans used them (and still do) for healing, Native Americans used womb-heated stones during menstruation, and pilgrims used them to warm their beds.

Heated basalt river bed stones are used to enhance massage, remove toxins and balance energy. We heat the stones to between 130 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Cold marble stones are also used if necessary (ie for inflammation). The ancient Romans had a theory that hot versus cold was a recipe for good health, so they took hot baths and then lay down on cool marble tables. They were definitely onto something.

Physiologically, the chemical reactions of the blood and lymphatic exchange are accelerated with the use of hot and cold stones. Mentally, the client reaches a state of relaxation in minutes that is unparalleled in a regular massage. Many clients report feeling a spiritual awareness during the massage. An overall balance of energy is achieved through the LaStone experience.

Here’s how it works: During the service we use 54 heated basalt stones, along with a scented oil of your choice. You will be lying on top of a few stones comfortably arranged on either side of your spine. We will also place some on the upper part of your body, including in the chakras. The towels cover you completely for the duration of the service. The stones are used to massage the entire body and some are placed between the toes. The stones range in size from a dime to two spans.

Any of the stone treatments will feel great in the winter frost! The heat will fill your body and take you to another level, another world, like a dream. Come from the cold and live the heat, with stones!