The perfect hot stones are smooth river stones made of basalt,  perfect to conserve heat and be nice on the body. The stones are heated in electrical heaters, and then placed at specific points on the back, in the palms of the hand, or between the toes.

What are the benefits of hot stone therapy?

• Put your mind at ease. The heat relaxes you and make you forget your stress and anxiety
• Can help cure insomnia
• Some people argue it is very helpful for depression
• Helps blood circulation
• Helps with the flow of energy and re-establish a balance
• Relieves muscle pain
• Stimulate the flow of oxygen

You can find hot stone therapy pretty much everywhere these days, or can even do it at home with the proper tools, like the electric heater and of course, the right stones.

1. Swedish Massage Therapy: By far the most common massage therapy in Western world, also called oil massage. Perfect for newbies or if you just want to relax
2. Aromatherapy Massage: This therapy is similar to Swedish but the therapist uses essential oils. There are a great number of oils, each addressing different needs.
3. Hot Stone Massage: Gaining in popularity in the last decade or so, Hot Stone Massage is the technique of using heated stones on certain points on the body. It helps reducing stress in strained or tight muscles
4. Deep Tissue Massage: This form of massage therapy is used mainly for treating postural problems, recurring tightness and to help recover from injuries.
5. Shiatsu: Coming from Japan, it uses the acupuncture technique but without the needles, by focusing on specific points on your body.
6. Thai Massage: Often called “yoga massage“, your body is stretched in different positions. It’s really helpful to improve your flexibility. You might want to wait after the massage to eat!
7. Pregnancy Massage: Using specific positions and techniques, pregnancy massage will help reduce stress, aches and pains, and reduce anxiety.
8. Reflexology: Often called “foot massage“, reflexology uses pressure points on the feet. Very relaxing.
9. Sports Massage: Here the focus is on increasing flexibility and preventing injuries. Stretching is also a main element of sports massage.
10. Back Massage: Some people often only needs specific areas to be treated and the back massage answers this by focusing solely on this part of the body for an entire session.

Here are a few tips that hopefully will help you for next time!

• Seems obvious, but don’t eat before a massage session
• You don’t have to be naked! The idea is to be comfortable and stress-free, so if the idea of being naked is too much, just wear clothes. Simple.
• Communicate. Even though massage therapists are professionals, they cannot guess all the time what you want, what you like. If a position or movement hurts, say it. If you have concerns before starting, say it.
• It’s OK to talk. You can be either silent or have a conversation, it is your choice. The therapist is there to assist you and help you after all.
• Try to use deep breathing
• Focus on the moment, on the touch and try not to think about anything else
• If you are dizzy or light headed after the massage, do not get off the table too fast.
• After massage please drink extra water.
• Quiet time after your massage session. It helps your body absorb the results.

Essential oils

The term “essential” actually refers to the “essence” of a plant, in other words it is the oil extracted from a plant. Since the huge gain in popularity of aromatherapy, the phrase “essential oils” have become very common but let’s not forget that these essential oils have been used for a long time in perfume, soap and even food.

There are literally hundreds of different essential oils, some are strictly used to create perfume, and some strictly for medicinal use. Here a few examples of oils and its usage:

• Antiseptic:  basil, bergamot, black pepper, cajuput, camphor, cedarwood, cinnamon, cloves, fir, frankincense, lavender, lemon, nutmeg, parsley, rose, sandalwood
• Anti-asthmatic: cedarwood, chamomile, cypress, eucalyptus, frankincense, lavender
• Diuretic: bay, benzoin, black pepper, carrot seed, cedarwood, cypress, eucalyptus, hyssop, juniper, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, parsley, pine, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, violet
• Migraine: chamomile, lavender, peppermint, rosemary
• Sedative: benzoin, bergamot, cedarwood, clary sage, cypress, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, mandarin, melissa, neroli, petitgrain, rose, sandalwood, ylang-ylang
• Tonic: basil, black pepper, carrot seed, clary sage, frankincense, geranium, ginger, hyssop, lemon, lemongrass, myrrh, nutmeg, neroli, orange, pine, rose, rosewood
• Wounds treatment: benzoin, bergamot, chamomile (Roman), eucalyptus, frankincense, lavender, tea tree

Is it still not clear which essential oils are beneficial for which treatment but with more and more test being conducted we are sure to find out more soon enough!

Obviously price is key, but there is so much more to consider. After all, what is the point of buying a cheaper table if you end with more problems and you cannot do your job properly?

Here are a few elements to consider:

• Sturdiness: if the majority of your clients are over-weight, a good strong table is key
• Portable or not? are you going to keep the table mainly in your practice or are you going to move around a lot? in this case, how heavy it is? is it easy to fold and carry?
• Easy to clean? many people forget this key element. How easy it is to remove stains and clean oil? Be careful, not all tables can be cleaned with regular products, please read carefully what you need to use before, it could impact your budget
• How thick is the mattress? Overall, the thicker it is, the more expensive the massage table will be. So how much comfort your patients really need? After all it is for therapy, not for sleeping!
• Warranty: what is the warranty offered? is it easy to get the table fixed? how ong would it take to get a new one if need be?
• Can you easily adjust height? This is critical because a table that is too low will have an impact of the therapist over time (ie: back pain), and a table too high won’t allow sufficient pressure on the body. Therefore a therapist needs to adjust the height easily
• Accessories? It is easy to add accessories or not, and how expensive are they? Can a therapist add its own accessories or need to buy specific ones?
• Eco-friendly? More and more products offer eco-friendly solutions or parts. In today’s world this is another important element to consider

So please compare and evaluate carefully before you buy a table massage!

• Thai massage are especially recommended to treat sciatica, back pain and headaches.
• The 6 key points of traditional massage are: Yoga, Exercise, Meditation, Reflexology, Acupressure and Healing Art
• Thai massage is known as a “yoga massage” because of the many similarities in the positions used in Yoga and Thai massage. Obviously since you have a masseuse helping you it is a bit easier!
• Thai massage is a combination of stretching and pressing. Therapists not only use their hands but their elbows, feet, forearms and knees.  The patient is fully clothed and usually lies down on a thin mattress directly on the floor. Therapists will pull your limbs, toes, fingers, ears, will sometimes walk on you and crack a few knuckles on the way. It is very different from an oil or Swedish massage, but it can be as relaxing
• It is strongly recommend not to have a big deal before a Thai massage, and for obvious reasons. Having someone step on you repeatedly, especially on your back, cannot be very comfortable with a full stomach
• Pregnant women have to be very cautious before having a Thai massage and should always ask for a specialized therapist.
• The Thai word for “it hurts!” is “Jep!” but you very seldom have to use it don’t worry

But why is it called Swedish? And does it really come from Sweden? Or is a misnomer, like “french” fries (when they should actually be named Belgium fries)?

Pretty much all history books attribute the creation of the swedish massage technique to a…Swede named Peter Henry Ling. Mister Ling was the founder of the Royal Central Gymnastic Institute in Stocklonm in 1813 and is said to have used massage techniques borrowed from many parts of the world to create this new technique that spread all over the Western hemisphere in the mid 1800s.

Funny thing is, there is no such thing as swedish massage and never was. Contrary to popular beliefs, Ling never used those techniques in his school and never talked about them! It is one of those historical mistakes that still persevere today

Actually, swedish massage techniques should instead be called French Massage, or French- Dutch massage if we want to be historically correct. A Dutch man named Johan Georg Mezger was the first to name specific massage techniques and used French terms. These terms are the basis of today’s swedish massage, or classical massage

So what are those four original French terms?

• Effleurage (stroking)
• Petrissage (kneading)
• Tapotement (striking)
• Frictions (rubbing)

These days anybody can associate these terms with the swedish massage techniques, created more than 150 years ago….by a French-speaking Dutch guy.

Here a few tricks that can be useful:

- Some therapists recommend only using sheets with patterns because a stain is much more visible on solid white, no matter how small

- Why not try and do what mechanics do to remove their oil stains? Ammonia. Some therapists add a bit of ammonia with regular detergent and apparently it works well.

- Dishwasher detergents has been known to be very useful too

- Always wash your sheets within 24 hours of “usage” otherwise a dried oil stain can be almost impossible to remove

- Many people recommend line drying your sheets instead of using a dryer because drying them with a machine will somehow heat the oil on the sheet and not remove it completely

- Buy quality sheets. There is no points saving a few bucks here and there if the sheets will become thin after a few weeks. Any customer expect the best when he/she lies down for a massage, and having so so sheets is definitely a huge turn off (and he/she will probably never come back!)

That being said, you eventually need to replace your sheets after a while, no matter how hard you try! This is why having a good supplier is essential otherwise you will quickly get unpleasant surprises in your budget.Imagine, you have to change sheets for every customer: the costs add up very fast!

You can either get in touch with a wholesaler, look for good discounts online or again find a reliable source.

Here at Massage Emporium we know how important massage sheets costs are for your practice and we always try to bring you the best products at the best prices. We are talking to numerous suppliers around the world to get the best for our customers without compromising on quality

So remember before you start a practice, never underestimate your massage sheets budget

But how far this profession and industry have become really? We’ve compiled a few facts about the industry and profession.

• Today it is estimated there are more than 100,000 certified massage therapists in North America.
• The vast majority of massage therapists are women (80%)
• To become a certified massage therapist, the student has to go through between 500 and 1,000 hours or class and practice.
• Massage therapy is considered one of the best part-time job out there, earning an average of $20 an hour.
• An average certified massage therapist will give 40 massages every month
• On average, a quarter of all adult Americans will get at least one massage this year
• On average, for every man who gets a massage, two women will use this service
• Spas are the most popular places to receive massage therapy
• The Spa industry is a 11 Billion a year market, and it is estimated there are over 15,000 spa centers in North America alone
• The most popular reasons to get a massage are, in order:  pain relief, injury treatment and then wellness. People go for massage predominately for therapeutic reasons and treatments.

• China: One of the first sign has been found in an ancient Chinese book, mentioning specifically the concept of “massage of
  skin and flesh”.
• Babylon: The first civilization to use writings is the Babylonians. Extracts in their code of medicine mentions something very similar to massage therapy
• Egypt: Hieroglyphs in tombs, and even more detailed papyrus were found to contain references to some form of body treatment with oils and vinegar. These documents date back to more than 1,000 year before the Roman Empire
• India: Many people are familiar with the Ayurdeva, a traditional massage therapy from the Indian subcontinent. But many do not realize how old it is. Documents date back this practice to as early as 1500 BC, more than 3,000 years ago.
• Romans: It is common knowledge that Romans were big fans of saunas and baths and they spread this new form of therapy
  through the world
• Thailand: Long used by Buddhist monks, Thai massage are thought to be as old as the Buddha himself. Documents dating back to this period clearly states massage should be used to create harmony and balance.
• Greece: The great founder of modern medicine, Hippocrates, regularly advised his students and colleagues to use massage
  techniques, or “rubbing” as part of their learning and experience.
• Native Americans: Hot stones placed on the body were used to cure specific ailments.