Lava Stone

Hot Stone Massage

Lava Shell massage is a type of heat treatment that uses Tiger Clam shells as a massage tool. The clams have been harvested for food in the Philippines for hundreds of years. The shells used to be thrown away, but are now being recycled and used for Lava Shell massage – making this a great eco-friendly spa treatment. This tranquil massage uses the world’s first self-heating massage tool and the heat is produced by inserting a ‘lava gel sachet’ and ‘activator liquid’ into the shell. 

What is a Lava Shell massage good for?

Lava Shells massage is greatly enjoyable for anyone with tense muscles, as the heat from the Lava Shells will gently relax and smooth away knots. The Lava Shells owe their magic to a mix of minerals including dried sea kelp, dead seasalt, algae, and essential oils. The heated shells also give off calcium ions, which transfers to your skin during the massage. Calcium can help to firm and regenerate the skin – a nice bonus.

An alternative to the popular hot stone massage spa treatment, the Lava Shell can radiate heat for up to an hour, allowing your therapist to provide a continuous and seamless warm full body massage.

Lava Shell massage can:

  • boost circulation of blood and lymph
  • soothe aches and pains
  • reduce swelling and water retention
  • relax you.

What to expect from a Lava Shell massage

Lava shells are heated by single-use disposable sachets. The therapist inserts a sachet of algae, minerals and dried sea kelp into the shell, then adds an activator liquid. The chemical reaction between the activator and the “lava gel” sachet creates heat that can last up to a couple of hours.

Your therapist will begin the treatment with an application of massage oil to help make the strokes smoother. She will then press the heated Lava Shellas onto key points of your body to relax your muscles, before using the smooth part of the shells to massage your torso and limbs using slow deep moves. 

The therapist can use different areas of the Lava Shells to complement particular massage strokes. The knob on the back of the shell can be used to work awaya at tight knots. The smooth surface of the shell is ideal for applying gentle pressure to calves and arms, and you might feel the therapist using the narrow edge of the Lava Shell to work around tense shoulder blades or between your toes.

Different types of Lava Shell massage

Lava Shells can also be filled with sachets of cooling gel that chills the shells. Smaller Lava Shells are used in facial treatments. The range of treatments include:

  • Lava Shells Therma Facial Treatment. Smaller facial shells made of a blend of porcelain and crushed sea shells are used to massage the face, neck and décolleté to boost circulation and tone the muscles, leaving your skin feeling firmer and looking more radiant.
  • Lava Shells Glacial Detox Massage. One heated Lava Shell and two chilled Glacial Shells are used to massage the stomach and legs using long, flowing movements. The contrasting temperatures make the blood vessels expand and contract, stimulating circulation. The massage can also help boost the lymphatic system and help reduce water retention and bloating.
  • Lava Shells Rescue Massage. Lava Shells and Glacial Shells are used in combination to treat more general muscle aches and pains.
  • Lava Shells Sports Massage. Lava Shells and Glacial Shells are used to ease aches and stiffness, to reduce swelling and accelerate healing, and to aid mobility.

Hot tip!

Hot stone massage is a deep massage that uses soothing oils, warm basalt, and sometimes cold marble stones to relax your muscles. Choose from a back massage or an indulgent full-body massage. 

What is hot stone massage good for?

This type of complementary massage therapy warmth and cold – a technique that has proven beneficial to soothe an aching body. There’s a method behind the madness of leaping from a toasty sauna into an icy pool, and hot stone massage uses the same principle.

Hot stone massage therapy combines relaxing warmth and refreshing coolness to encourage the body to detox and heal. This also increases lymph flow and helps to flush out waste.

Heat relaxes your body in a short space of time, so your massage therapist can focus on a deep working of the tissues using both hot stones and hand strokes.

Hot stones also increase your sense of relaxation and calm. They are coated in fragrant oil which is smoothed gently onto your body, and each stone, in turn, is worked by your therapist’s hands. The heated stones are placed on the chakra points to align and balance the energy centres, benefiting the whole body and mind.

Hot stone massage can:

Hot stone massage is said to have health benefits for people with:

  • muscular pain
  • poor circulation
  • rheumatic and arthritic conditions
  • fibromyalgia
  • back pain
  • stress
  • insomnia
  • depression
  • autoimmune disease 

As with all therapies, never underestimate the feel-good factor. Hot stone massage will help you feel nurtured, pampered and special.

What to expect from hot stone massage

Hot stone massage begins with placing warm, oiled stones on multiple acupressure points around your body, perhaps even tiny ones between your toes. You may drift off into a dreamy state and lose track of where the hot stones are arranged.

Hot stone massage employs a variety of long strokes and techniques using the stones and hands, working over kinks in your muscles. You are unlikely to feel the intensity, since your muscles will be relaxed by the heat of the stones. Your therapist may alternate between hot basalt stones and much colder, marble stones. As your body sinks further into a state of relaxation, you may even stop noticing the extreme changes in temperature.

Hot stone massage should trigger a deeply relaxed, blissed-out and meditative state. Some people have reported closing their eyes and seeing bright colours. Enjoy the afterglow — float slowly back to the real world and re-hydrate your body by sipping plenty of water.