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ELLE CANADA FEBRUARY 2006

SOME LIKE IT HOT

LIKE CHINESE EMPRESSES AND NORDIC BEAUTIES, TURN UP THE HEAT WITH THESE WARMING BODY TREATMENT.
Text: Dana Tye

Hot Stone Therapy

What it is: Created in 1993 by Tucson, Ariz., massage therapist Mary Nelson. La Stone Therapy alternately relaxes and reinvigorates the nervous system by placing hot basalt (volcanic) and cold marble stones along the spinal column.

What is does: Induces deep relaxation and reduces chronic pain and inflammation in the back, neck and shoulders; hot-cold alternation creates internal yin-yang balance. Hot stones detoxify via sweating; cold stones tone, oxygenate sore muscles, boost metabolism and detoxify by increasing lymph flow, says Kathryn Heatlie, Vancouver's Spruce Body Lab spokeswoman.

Who Should Try It?: Anyone who'd like the benefits of hydrotherapy without leaving the comfort of the massage table.

Who Should Avoid It?: Pregnant women, recent surgery patients or those suffering from nerve damage or neuropathy, extreme stages of diabetes, skin conditions aggravated by moisture or heat, heart disease or conditions associated with extreme fatigue.

Before and After: Avoid large meals, alcohol or the consumption of stimulants or diuretics beforehand; drink 250 mL of water before and three to five glasses of water of herbal tea over the rest of the day.

At-Home Alternatives: Heatlie advises using a certified La Stone Therapist.

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