Hot Stone Massage: A Three Dimensional Approach, by Leslie Bruder, is a user-friendly, easy-to-follow manual designed to teach professional massage therapists how to give a safe, effective, and artful hot stone massage. The book covers every aspect of administering a hot stone massage including the many types of stones along with their geological origin, equipment and accessories needed, room set up, benefits and precautions, diseases and conditions to avoid, physiological effects of heat and cold, effective stone temperatures, diagrams for stone placement, creative massage techniques, and a novel system for optimal stone management and flow.
The book's centerpiece is a unique three-dimensional approach to hot stone massage, which involves working on both sides of the body at once, removing stones from beneath clients without their involvement, and transitioning seamlessly from one body part to another. There are also detailed instructions on the principles and strokes involved in giving an encompassing three-dimensional hot stone massage.
The chapters of this book are organized progressively, beginning with the basics of a hot stone massage and then moving onto more advanced techniques. Each chapter includes an outline of its contents, a bulleted list of objectives, an introduction, and a list of key terms with definitions. Special tip and caution boxes appear throughout each chapter offering reminders and easy access to important information. At the end of each chapter there is a summary and a list of review questions to make sure you have effectively digested the material.
Charts on stone sizes, chakras, temperatures, and equipment grace the pages along with 200 full-color photographs that support all techniques and descriptions. The appendices further include sources for acquiring stone sets, locating instructors of this modality, and finding books for supplementary reading. Lastly, the reader is offered a step-by-step nine-page guide to giving a full body hot stone massage.