If the idea of rocks on skin rubs you the wrong way, Gene Pickett has a surprise for you.
The massage therapist’s Hot Stone Ritual draws both locals and travelers to The Phoenician Centre for Well-Being in Scottsdale, Ariz.
“Shamans, medicine people and spiritual healers from all over the world use stones in healing ceremonies,” says Pickett, who has practiced the treatment for a decade.
Used by American Indians in their sweat lodges, the heated stone ritual combines the fundamental elements of fire, water, air and earth.
How does the treatment compare with massage? “One stroke with the stones is the same as 10 strokes with just the hands,” says Pickett, who trained with Arizonan Mary Nelson, who is credited with updating ancient techniques in her LaStone Therapy.
For a typical session, Pickett heats a set of 54 basalt stones in water to 120 to 130 degrees. Why basalt? These river stones retain heat due to high iron content. The therapist places the stones on chakras, points of spiritual energy in the body. As soothing music fills the room, he applies natural and aromatherapy oils to a client’s skin, then massages with the heated stones. The heat relaxes the muscles, enabling him to release tension without using the kind of deep massage that some people find uncomfortable.
As part of an all-points serenity strategy, Pickett slips perfectly sized hot stones beneath the palms, along the spine and between the toes — indeed, feet are high-energy centers. Novel, pleasant sensations emanate as he places cooled marble stones between brows and wherever needed to reduceinflammation. The theory behind the treatment involves stimulating circulation and unblocking energy pathways in the body.
After treatment, Pickett gives his client a bottle of drinking water to flush toxins from the body.
The therapy is not recommended for people who are pregnant or have high blood pressure. But for those who prefer natural healing to medical-pharmaceutical treatments for stress and pain reduction, the 75-minute, $220 session is a rock-solid alternative. “People have called it addictive,” Pickett says.
