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Stones that soothe By Jonel Aleccia From the round stone on her forehead to the flat slabs between her toes, Judith Sanford is ready to rock � and relax. So here she is, stretched out this Tuesday on Kathy Larue�s table at Spa in Jacksonville. Beneath Sanford�s back, twin columns of warm stones align along her vertebrae. Atop her torso, large heated rocks correspond to her body�s energy centers. In her hands, cozy, palm-sized stones urge her fingers to curl. "I found it comfortable and comforting," the 52-year-old Ashland massage therapist says afterward. "I really appreciated the radiant heat." Call Sanford a new convert to hot-rock massage, a method that combines Swedish strokes with heated stones for an experience that draws raves from pampered recipients. "They say, �It�s incredible,� �Wow, that was wonderful,� " says Larue, 47, one of a handful of certified LaStone Therapy practitioners in Oregon. "They say you feel like you�re stoned � legally." Deep, drug-free release of pent-up tension and knotted muscles is the goal of the massage style that has caught on in trendy salons across the country. It�s been available in the Rogue Valley for about a year, ever since Larue completed her training at the LaStone Therapy center in Tucson, Ariz. In recent months, Debra Cleland, another certified therapist, began offering the massages as part of her Ashland private practice. Soon, the new Ashland Springs Spa will add LaStone Therapy and traditional Hawaiian hot stone massages to its options, according to assistant manager Mary Low. "It�s just taking off; it�s a very hot treatment," says Cleland, 45, who was drawn to the stones after a massage from Larue. The appeal lies in the extraordinary effects of the hot stones, says Larue. In a therapist�s grasp, they become tools that reach deeper than any manual technique. "One stroke with a hot stone is equal to six with a hand," says Larue. It�s the pressure of 54 warmed basalt stones that make the difference. Stroked over oiled skin or settled atop significant body points, the stones increase blood circulation and wash toxins from muscles, she explains. The massage also employs 18 frozen marble stones and a single room temperature rock to complete a treatment based on the principles of hydrotherapy, says Larue. Client Sanford says the results are more penetrating than any electric heating pad. "She goes from your toes right up your legs and under your arms," Sanford recalls. "Those long, flowing strokes are just as deeply therapeutic as more specific modalities." And how about the heat? The rocks are warmed in a turkey roaster filled with hot water to between 125 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Therapists fish them out and apply them quickly to the body. "The temperature was just perfect," Sanford says. "In one area where I had some extra soreness, I thought, oh gosh, that�s too hot, but she was already past it." The effects extend beyond the physical benefits, says Cleland. Deeply relaxed clients have been moved to laughter, tears and even emotional catharsis. "It opens the energetic fields, it primes you for that opportunity," Cleland says. "The stones can meet you in many places." She believes that�s because the stones, "harvested" from deep in the earth, help connect people with their primal origins. "They are living beings, like a tree or a mountain," Cleland says. "It�s an opportunity to connect with the earth. We put on our shoes, we get in our car, we go into our office. When do we touch the earth?" In fact, Cleland says she takes the relationship with her stones very seriously. To maintain their energetic effect, the stones "sleep" in a drawer filled with sea salt. At the full moon, Cleland leaves them outside in the light. "Before, during and after the full moon, I take them home to recharge them," she says. "They need to be recharged, too." A typical hot rock massage lasts between 90 minutes and two hours; cost is about $80. For Stephanie Horton, president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, a monthly hot rock massage is well worth the time and money. "I�ve gone back and done the other types of massage and it just doesn�t cut the mustard for me," she says. "I lived in Hawaii for many years and I used to lay on the hot rocks there; I guess it takes me home." Sanford, who has both a professional and personal interest in hot stone massage, says it�s more than just the latest trendy treatment. "I think it has merit beyond being an interesting new thing because of the deep heat," she says. "As people work with it more, ways to use it probably will become more clear." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.