Hot Stone Massage: a Three Dimensional Approach (LWW in Touch Series) [Paperback]

Have you ever received a hot stone massage? If you did, it was either one of the BEST experiences of your life or a terrible one, depending not only on the therapist's training, skill, tools but the quality of their touch.

If you use stones in any way, or want to learn, this it the BEST and most comprehensive book on the subject of hot stone therapies and massage, written by Leslie Bruder, the Master of Phenomenal Touch and Hot Stone Massage! Leslie brings her 25 years of skill and mastery into an easy to read format to help you understand the subject and broaden your therapies and skills. This book is visually appealing with great layout and dozens of beautiful full-color pictures in every chapter.

Maybe you are a massage therapist who already uses hot stones, or you are interested in learning one of the most popular modalities in the massage world. If you are a therapist you will learn how to use these wonderful tools to save your hands and increase your clientele and business. Maybe you are interested in using hot stone therapy in your work as a Reflexologist, Esthetician, energy worker or other body worker. Or maybe you want to work on your kids, partner, family and friends just for fun in a non-professional way.

This book covers every aspect of using stones for healing and bodywork from A-Z with great depth of information. This is a full comprehensive overview of the subject -- beginning with a history of how hot stones have been used around the world for spiritual use, healing, comfort and medicine, modern ways stones are used in the massage world, the understanding and use of different types of stones (metamorphic rock, basalt, quartzite, marble, jade), physiological effects of heat and cold on the body, proper stone temperature for using stones for massage as well as placement, using placement stones and layouts both on top of the client and under the client, using hot stones to actually massage muscles and melt tension and stress, many different techniques for using stones in a massage or bodywork session, contraindications for using hot (and cold) stones on clients, cautions and safety issues with stones, a system to manage the stones during the massage so you always have the right temperature stones when you need them, the best equipment to use, how to set-up your therapy room for an efficient working space, using essential oils in your work, resources and classes for hot stone therapies and much more.

The beautiful stones used in massage, bodywork and energy modalities are gifts to us from Mother Earth and we honor them. If you are exploring the energies of various stones, minerals, crystals and gemstones, you will learn the important aspects of incorporating this in your work - how to use their energy, how to clear and cleanse stones, gems and minerals, how to re-charge them in nature, how to bring them into your bodywork sessions in many creative ways.

As a good therapist, your knowledge, techniques and skill are the critical elements for a safe, flowing and effective massage or other bodywork session. But the heart of this book is about helping you become a Phenomenal therapist and body worker -- to help bring healing and transformation to your clients' stress and pain. The way you touch your client, friend or partner is so much more important than any technique -- your ENERGY and INTENT behind your touch. To be very clear, this is about loving, non-sexual, therapeutic touch that supports and nurtures another human being who is experiencing stress, pain, loneliness, anxiety or fear. This critical element of massage and bodywork is rarely taught in massage or bodywork schools, and is so lacking in massage (no matter what the price) -- as they focus solely on the technical aspects of the work, forgetting that touch also is about energy, Spirit, love and reverence.

In this book, Leslie introduces the major Principles of Phenomenal Touch® which WILL transform your work and your touch. Using these Principles brings a whole new focus to your sessions -- always being fully mindful and present with your client, reverence and honor for them, the way you start a stroke (entrance) and end it (exit), tuning in to use right amount of pressure and speed to meet the client's needs, following their breath, mindfulness of your words, creating a flow in your session, seamless transitions between your hands, the stones, the strokes, how to melt the muscle tissue, working a Three-Dimensional way, using proper body mechanics to save your hands, protect your own joints back and prevent carpal tunnel, bringing your self and your creativity to your work in new ways. Using The Principles of Phenomenal Touch will bring a higher level of awareness and transformation to your self, your clients, your business and the quality of your work in amazing ways.

I'm a new massage therapist, but have received many hot stone massages over the years. Some were wonderful, but others were uncomfortably hot in some areas of my body or just plain painful until I alerted the therapist to my feelings. If I follow the advice in Leslie Bruder's book, I can avoid those issues in my own practice.

Ms. Bruder doesn't just give sterile how-to advice -- she tells you how, of course, but also explains why certain techniques work best for the client and for the therapist. And it's obvious that she is writing from deep experience.

I would be here all day if I tried to outline the information you'll gather from this book. I'll take the short route and simply say, buy it if you want an in-depth text on hot stone massage. You won't be sorry.

Incredible! As a massage therapist, I found this book totally amazing.
Not only does it teach Hot Stone work, but hot stone work married to a three dimensional, heart-centered massage technique. The stones become wonderful extensions of the body -- allowing for profound work. The massage moves themselves are out of this world, and then adding the stones
simply increases the effects a thousand fold. The details of choosing stones, working with them, keeping them at the right temperatures, knowing when they should be used, and when not to use them -- all this is covered in very readable language, approachable by the novice as well as the experienced bodyworker. And, SO MANY beautiful and helpful photos!
I can't imagine how wonderful it would have been to have been the "model"
in all those shots! In short, this is THE book about hot stone work.
It should be in every therapist's library.