Massage Therapy News and Events!

For the application of hot stones in massage, heavy dense rocks that hold their heat are ideal. This includes smooth igneous rocks such as basalt and granite. Sedimentary rocks such as siltstone and mudstone are also suitable.

Today basalt, a black volcanic rock is the most popular stone being used for hot stone massage treatments, as it has such a deep penetrating heat. However, semi-precious stones which are often used for healing and energy work can also be used, e.g. hematite.

Marble and other crystals are ideal tho use for the application of cold stones in massage as they naturally retain a cool temperature. Semi-precious stones also bring an added dimension to the hot stone massage treatment such as the application of crystals to the chakras (energy points) to balance the body’s ennergy.

Each type of stone has different qualities, some will work well for a hot stone massage treatment if they have a nice, smooth emanating heat that is long-lasting, while others won’t be suitable, particularly if they have emanate a short, sharp heat, as this will be shocking to the hot stone massage receiver.

Hot Stone Massage Course:

With more and more people discovering the real healing benefits of receiving hot stone massage, it should come as no surprise that the demand for this ancient and wonderful hot stone massage treatment is higher than ever,

This high demand for hot stone massage, presents an excellent opportunity for existing massage therapists to add a truly unique, wonderful and powerfully healing modality to their existing skills.

So what makes hot stone massage so special?

Well for the person receiving hot stone massage, the healing power of the heat along with the healing properties of the stones allows for very deep relaxation levels to be acheived in each and every hot stone massage treatment.

When we are very relaxed, our body produces ’seratonin’ which is incredibly rejuvenating and healing for the body. This is probably the greatest primary benefit of receiving hot stone massage (beyond relieving stressed muscles).

For the hot stone massage therapists, the benefits are many and significant.

For example, as the heat from the hot stones works steadily to melt away tension in the muscles, it is possible to perform a very deep and thorough massage, with very little pressure needed to be applied by the hands and fingers.
Not to mention that stones (even without heat) are powerful tools for obtaining leverage when seeking to apply pressure.

Keeping this in mind, performing hot stone massage could potentially extend your massage career by years.

Also, hot stone massage is a premium treatment and you can charge at least 30% on top of your regular massage rates and clients will gladly pay it.

This allows you to effectively make more money per treatment and therefore leverage your time.

Here at Touch Of Aloha, we provide high quality hot stone massage training courses that will give you the knowledge and skills to perform an amazing hot stone massage treatment that your clients will rave about.

We know this because of the wonderful feedback we continually get from our hot stone massage course graduates and from our own clients over the years.

Our hot stone massage course is highly focused and intensive, yet a lot of fun.

To learn more about this popular hot stone massage course, please go to:

http://www.touchofaloha.org/hot-stone-massage/

The Benefits Of Hot Stone Massage. So what are the benefits of hot stone massage?

Well there are benefits of the treatment itself and there are benefits to hot stone massage therapist.

Benefits to the therapist:

Hot Stone Massage eliminates undue stress on the hands, wrist and thumbs, as you are sharing the work with the stones.

Plus the heat from the stones and the leverage that the stones provide as a massaging tool, make it possible for the hot stone massage therapist to give a deep massage with a lot less effort.

Plus there is no discomfort to the receiver of hot stone massage as opposed to other deep tissue massage therapies being practiced.

Benefits of the treatment:

The heat from the stones helps promote deep relaxation, and encourages the muscles to relax and release tension, allowing stress to melt away.

Hot stone massage also stimulates and harmonizes the body’s flow of energy, and helps to balance the body.

The hot stone massage treatment has the ability to affect the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies in a positive way. As it works on all of these areas it becomes a total healing experience.

This style of application also allows for a deeper massage in a much less intrusive way.

EVERYONE should make it a priority to experience the magic of a quality hot stone massage at least once in there life!

The ideal stones for Hot Stone Massage in my experience are basalt stones.To perform a quality hot stone massage treatment, ideally you will want to have basalt stones of a significant size so that the weight and warmth of the stone, replicates a warm, soothing hand.

Smooth basalt stones are recommended for hot stone massage as they allow for ease of cleaning and hygiene, not to mention that they feel that they glide beautifully across the skin and are therefore very pleasant to the hot stone massage receiver.

When choosing stones for hot stone massage you should consider their size, shape, weight, texture and composition.

Basalt stones the size of your hands and 1-2 inches thick should be able to radiate a consistent heat for 20 minutes or more when laid stationary on the body (i.e. in a stationary layout). This is important as the last thing you want to happen during a treatment is for all your stones to be cooling down, and your client getting cold.

This is just a guideline, but it should be obvious that the ‘thinner and lighter’ the stone, the quicker it will heat up and the faster it will cool down. Many hot stone massage practitioners that I have spoken to have experienced this regularly, simply because they were working with stones that are simply too small.

To perform a complete hot stone massage treatment you will want an array of different basalt stones (i.e. different shapes and sizes) as different stones are ideal for working on different parts of the body and for the different stationary layouts. Think of your stones as your special ‘tools’.

So where do you find suitable stones? Well, basalt stones can be found on beaches and rivers, particularly in areas that have been volcanic in the past.

However, in our experience it is extremely difficult to find stones that are naturally ’smooth’ and therefore it is difficult to gather enough stones to make a complete set.

There are places though, especially throughout Polynesia where there are basalt stones that are beautifully smooth and that come in an array in different shapes, weights and sizes.

It is from this part of the earth that we have our stones ‘hand gathered’ and carefully put together into sets, specifically for our own unique Hot Stone Massage system, before being shipped to us here in Australia.

To learn more about our stone sets, please download our FREE Information Pack.

 Aloha Bodyworkers!

Just a quick announcement to let you know that due to popular demand we’ve needed to add an additional Pohaku Hawaiian Stone Therapy (Hot Stone Massage) Course to our 2008 calendar.

Here are the dates:

September 22nd, 23rd and 24th, 2008

Tania has developed a truly amazing Hot Stone Massage treatment that has proven to be popular/successful in several of the top Spas, including the exclusive Spa At Versace here on the Gold Coast.

We’ve had hundreds of Massage Therapists complete our Hot Stone Massage course over the years and we continually receive the most amazing feedback from our graduates about how much their clients love our unique Pohaku Hawaiian Stone Therapy.

So if you’d like to be able to offer a very special treatment to your clients, one that melts away their tension with ease and sends them into the deepest states of relaxation that they’ve ever experienced, then Hot Stone Massage might be a wonderful addition to your repertoire.

Like the rest of our courses it’s ‘residential’ (3 days) and includes all of your accommodation, meals, course manuals and of course your training and is also backed by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.

If you’d love to come and join us, send us an email or give us a call on (07) 5531 0178.

NOTE: We already have a waiting list for our first Hot Stone Massage Course in September, so this additional course will be sure to book out quickly!

So let us know A.S.A.P if you’d like us to secure a place for you.

Aloha and enjoy the rest of your day!

James

P.S - For more information, please also visit our Hot Stone Massage page on our website at:

http://www.TouchOfAloha.org/hot-stone-massage/

Here’s a link to a new article about our Hot Stone Massage Training, what sets us apart from other  Hot Stone Massage training schools and also a link to the Hot Stone Massage Kits we offer exclusively to participants of our Pohaku Hawaiian Stone Therapy courses.

Here’s the direct link:

Hot Stone Massage Training

Cheers

James

Aloha Friends! 

Just a courtesy announcement to let you know that we have added in an addition Hot Stone Massage Course in June.

Both our April and May Hot Stone Massage courses are now fully booked with waiting lists and we have now started taking bookings for June.

June may seem far away however we are already in March!

Can you believe how fast the year is moving?

Anyway, if you’d like to learn an amazing Hot Stone Massage that has proven to be very successful in the nation’s top Spas, we’d love to have you join us for an intensive and ‘fun filled’ 3 days at our mountain retreat in the Gold Coast hinterland.

You’ll walk away with the ‘know-how’ and equipment to give an incredible and ‘unique’ Hot Stone Massage treatment that your clients will simply rave about. YES, it really is that good!

To learn all about the course and what our graduates are saying about it, please visit our Pohaku Hawaiian Stone Therapy page at:

http://www.touchofaloha.org/

Alternatively you can call our office and speak with Tania Hodder directly on
(07) 5531 0178.

We’d love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have.

Mahalo (Thankyou) and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

James Thomas
Marketing Director & Co-Founder
TOUCH OF ALOHA

Aloha Friends!

Here’s our latest course update for the first half of 2008.

Remember, our courses are ‘all inclusive’ of your food and accomodation (in addition to your training and course materials) and are backed by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!

Lomi Lomi Foundation Course / Kahuna Massage

This special 6 day course will teach you how to give a amazing full body Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage. This complete massage system focuses on using primarily the forearms in long, flowing strokes along the length of the body in combination with the breath.

You will also learn about the beautiful Hawaiian culture and their healing philosophies and principles, and will be able to practice your Lomi Lomi massage immediately after completing the course!

Your Investment: $1,495

Upcoming Dates:

March 29th - April 4th - (Fully Booked - Waiting List)
May 3rd - May 9th - (3 Places Remaining)

To learn more about this exciting course, please visit our Lomi Lomi webpage at:

http://TouchOfAloha.org/lomi-lomi/

Pohaku Hawaiian Stone Therapy Course
(Hot Stone Massage)

In just 3 days you’ll learn how to give an amazing full body, 90 minute hot stone massage that is so ‘deeply relaxing’ and ‘soul warming’ that your clients will simply rave about it!

This is a very thorough, complete and ‘proven’ Hot Stone Massage system using the most beautiful basalt stones from the Hawaiian Islands (prior massage experience required).

Your Investment: $695

Upcoming Dates:

April 14th, 15th & 16th - (Fully Booked - Waiting List)
May 19th, 20th & 21st - (1 Place Remaining)
June 23rd, 24th & 24th - (New Course - 5 Places Remaining)

To learn more about this exciting course, please visit our Hot Stone Massage webpage at:

http://TouchOfAloha.org/hot-stone-massage/

Spa Body Treatments Course

This new course will teach you how to perform the most decadent Spa Body Treatments in your own ‘dry’ massage room, such as salt scrubs, mud wraps, mini facials, hand and foot scrubs etc, using a variety of different products/ingredients.

By the end of the course you will be amazed at the variety of different treatment combinations you will be able to offer your clients and they will absolutely love you for it!

Your Investment: $745

Upcoming Dates:

April 18th, 19th & 20th - (1 Places Remaining)
May 23rd, 24th & 25th - (2 Places Remaining)

To learn more about this exciting course, please visit our Spa Body Treatments webpage at:

http://TouchOfAloha.org/spa-therapies/

Anyway, that’s all for now. Hope you’ll come and join us for some fun, intensive learning, some inspiration and rejuvenation on our upcoming courses in the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland.

Mahalo and enjoy the rest of your day!

James Thomas
Marketing Director & Co-Founder
TOUCH OF ALOHA

Hot Stone Massage - It’s no secret that Hot Stone Massage has become very popular among massage clients throughout the world, due to the many health and wellness benefits that this powerful treatment can provide.

However, what about the Hot Stone Massage practitioner? Do they recieve any benefits in offering this ancient modality to their clients?

Absolutely! In fact, here are 3 powerful benefits that the Hot Stone Massage practitioner enjoys…

1) Greater Leverage

Firstly the permeating heat from the stones acts as a powerful muscle relaxant as layers of stress and tension are literally melted away. This ‘tension-melting’, deeply relaxing heat, along with the fact that the stones are used as massaging ‘tools’, provides the Hot Stone Massage practitioner with massive leverage.

In fact, it is possible to perform a much deeper, more potent massage treatment using hot stones than you could ever do with just your hands and fingers.

This fact will no doubt appeal to those Massage Therapists whose hands and fingers are already tired and stressed.

2) Increased Income
‘
Without a doubt Hot Stone Massage is considered a ‘premium’ massage treatment and clients are prepared to pay a premium price, around 30-40% more actually. This means that you can potentially earn more money for your time.

If you are not working for yourself but rather for a Spa, clinic or salon, having Hot Stone Massage under your belt will put you in a strong position to negotiate a higher rate for your services.

Afterall, if you’re adding value to a business by offering a premium treatment, it’s only fair (and right) that you as the Hot Stone Massage practitioner be paid a premium price for your time, energy and your ‘expertise’.

3) More Attractive

Now I’m not saying that by practicing Hot Stone Massage you’ll become more attractive in the physical sense, but rather in the ‘marketing’ sense.

Hot Stone Massage is a very popular treatment and this is not going to change any time soon. However, only a fraction of all Massage Therapists actually offer this treatment.

So just by having Hot Stone Massage on your treatment menu and more importantly promoting it in your marketing, you will more easily stand out from the ‘massaging crowd’ and potentially attract new clients more easily.

When you consider just these 3 core benefits (there are several more), Hot Stone Massage is a valuable skill for all Massage Therapists to have. However, just as Hot Stone Massage treatments vary greatly from practitioner to practitioner, Hot Stone Massage training courses vary greatly from school to school.

If you want to learn a thorough, complete and totally amazing Hot Stone Massage treatment that has actually ‘proven’ to be very effective and very popular in Australia’s top Spas, then I invite you to take a closer look at our Pohaku Hawaiian Stone Therapy course.

You can learn all about this fun, intensive and empowering Hot Stone Massage course at:

http://www.touchofaloha.org/hot-stone-massage/

Thanks for reading. More informative posts to come!

James Thomas
Marketing Director & Co-Founder
TOUCH OF ALOHA

P.S - Our April Pohaku Hawaiian Stone Therapy course is now fully booked with a waiting list and we are now taking bookings for May.

As at the time of writing, there are just 4 places left. Want to ‘get away’ for a few days and join us? Just send us an email or give us a call on (07) 5531 0178.

Well, here we are in 2008.

Happy New Year Everybody or as they say in Hawaii, Hau Ole Makahiki Hau!

This is set to be a big year for us with our first baby set to arrive later this month, or early next. The actual due date is the 6th February but both Tania and myself feel that he/she will arrive earlier than that.

Tania is doing just great by the way and has had very much a ‘dream pregnancy’. Her energy is high and she’s feeling relaxed and looking forward to having the baby here at home.

Here’s a photo I just took of her. 8 months pregnant and just glowing!

As you can imagine, we are both sooo excited about meeting our special new addition soon and we are looking forward to the adventures that lay ahead for the 3 of us or should I say 4 of us - our kitty cat TomTom is the head of the house (or at least he likes to think so).

For those of you who haven’t met TomTom, he’s a 12 year old cat that we rescued from an animal shelter here on the Gold Coast, after his previous owner could no longer care for him. He’s a beautiful boy and likes to hang out with everyone on the courses.

Meet ‘TomTom’ - (He was named ‘Thomas’ by his previous owner and my last name is ‘Thomas’ so we just put them together to make ‘TomTom’)

Anyway, another thing that we are really excited about is our recent decision to continue teaching throughout 2008!

As most of you would already know we had initially decided to take a break from running courses this year so that we could focus just on being parents. I even closed off our website and discontinued our newsletter.

However, throughout 2007 we were encouraged by many course participants to keep on teaching, and that the beautiful environment that we all create here on the courses would be wonderful for the baby.

In truth, the baby has already been enjoying the courses (in Mum’s tum) and has enjoyed many of your warm, massaging hands. It’s so wonderful to see how unborn babies (and babies in general) respond to loving massage.

Anyway, after giving it some careful thought and taking into consideration both the advice and the encouragement we have received from all you beautiful people throughout the year, we have ‘reconsidered’ our initial decision and will continue to run courses throughout 2008.

We know this will be good news for many of you who weren’t able to get onto of our 2007 courses, due to the fact that they booked out so quickly. Yay!

However that being said, our course calendar will be much ‘lighter’ than usual this year so that we have plenty of time to focus solely on the baby, in addition to running courses.

Maintaining a healthy ‘balance’ in our lives is going to be a focal point for us in 2008.

Those of you who know us personally know how hard we tend to work behind the scenes here at Touch Of Aloha. So creating more ‘balance’ between work, play and of course being ‘”Mum” and “Dad” (the most important jobs of all) will certainly be a blessing for us this year!

Anyway, even though we’ll be running fewer courses, there is still plenty of opportunity to participate in the course(s) of your choice or all of them in fact
…provided you put your name down nice and early!

Also, you may have noticed that we have completely updated our website and given it a new ‘look and feel’ and a more ‘user-friendly’ structure.

You’ll easily be able to find all the information you need about all of our upcoming Lomi Lomi, Hot Stone Massage and Spa Body Treatments courses both on the site and also in our updated course information pack. You can check it out at:

http://www.TouchOfAloha.org

Anyway, Tania and I would both like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2008 and we look forward to working with you and supporting you throughout what promises to be a wonderful New Year!

Aloha, James and Tania
TOUCH OF ALOHA

P.S - If you have any questions at all feel free to send us an email anytime.

P.P.S - Keep visiting this blog as we’ll updating it regularly with more news and massage therapy related content.

http://www.TouchOfAloha.org