Massage is an ancient therapy; the first use of massage therapy occurred in India in 3000 BEC. People use massage therapy for medicinal purposes. Massage is also considered the sacred treasure of natural healing techniques used by Hindus. Elderly Hindus use ayurvedic medicine while doing massage to heal injuries, relieve pain, and cure and prevent many types of illness.
Massage therapy was passed down through many generations by their predecessors and became famous worldwide in the early 1900s.
What is massage therapy?
A massage is a form of therapy in which the massage therapist rubs and kneads the body with his hands, forearms, and support fingers. During the massage, the massage therapist applies pressure to the muscles and joints to relieve pain and stress. The pressure they provide relies on the muscle’s tension; it can be light or forceful, depending on the muscle’s needs.
Massage therapy is used to manage a health condition or to improve a person’s overall well-being. It entails manipulating the soft tissues of the body.
What is the difference between a hot stone massage and a Swedish massage?
Well, there are so many different types of massages that exist in this world. Hot stone massage and Swedish massage therapies are two of them.
Hot stone massage:
The hot stone massage is the practice of placing hot smooth stones on different body parts during massage therapy. They may be left on stiff spots or used by hand to help heat and relax painful muscles, and the sensation is nothing short of fantastic.
Origin of hot stone massage:
The earlier use of hot stone massage took place in India to relax and improve health. Hindus started this practice almost 5000 years ago, and at that time, this therapy was called Ayurveda. In this therapy, they use stones on the body to relieve tensed muscles and muscle pain.
Furthermore, 3000 years later, the Chinese started to use shaped stone called Bian to treat disease while burning mugwort. They also used the same shaped stones in the abdomen to improve their digestion.
Later, residents of the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawaii, learned that wrapping hot lava rocks in leaves and putting them in the body relieved pain. The leaves they found are called medicine shamans or Kahunas.
Then heated stones found their way to the native American sweat lodges. Even though people of American sweat lodges did not apply hot stones to their bodies, they admit that the heat that stones produce helps in eased up tensed muscles and also brings relaxation to the whole body.
Modern days of hot stone massage:
In modern days, hot stone massage can be used to complete various needs. Typically, the stones are usually heated in hot water and then placed on the body as they cool. But these stones can also be used cold and cycled with the heated ones, and cold stones help increase the circulation to the targeted muscles.
If the therapist intends to massage with the stone directly, it may be coated in oil or placed over a sheet to provide a smooth glide across the skin.
Temperature and placement of hot stones:
The stones used in hot stone massage are heated from 130 degrees to 145 degrees.
The stone may be placed,
- Along your spine
- On your stomach
- On your chest
- On your face
- On your palms
- On your feet and toes
Furthermore, cold stones are also used during hot stone massage to calm any engorged blood vessels and soothe the skin.
Benefits of hot stone massage:
Every massage therapy has its benefits, and all massage therapies fall under the alternative to medicine.
- It helps to relieve muscles tension and pain
- It helps in reducing stress and anxiety and makes you feel calm and happy
- The hot stone massage is the best cure for insomnia and allows you to have better sleep at night
- It may help relieve symptoms of autoimmune diseases
- Also, it helps to decrease the cancer symptoms
- It gives a boost to immunity
Swedish massage therapy:
Swedish massage therapy is used to improve physical and mental health. In this massage therapy, the massage therapist uses his hands, forearms, and elbows to manipulate the superficial layers of muscles. Also, this is the most famous massage therapy in the United States.
