Defining Boundaries
Massage Therapists Build "Rocky" Relationships with LaStone Therapy
By Karrie Mowen

Heat - instant and straight to the heart. Then, a warmth as soothing as a mother's embrace, working its way into these tired, stressed tissues. It's but a first step in a unique, 90-minute massage session known as LaStone Therapy.

The brainchild of Arizona-based Mary Hannigan, LaStone Therapy is sweeping the country and moving quickly across the oceans with its therapeutic effects. Everyone touched by this latest massage therapy seems to value it for more than just its physical rewards; many tout the intensity of the entire experience.

LaStone Therapy involves the use of rocks, something not immediately comforting in its vision. But consider the smooth, sleekness of warmed basalt river-bed stones as they glide effortlessly across the body, providing soothing effleurage, toxin-clearing acupressure and energy balancing. The stones, of all shapes and sizes, are used warmed and chilled depending on the needs and pains of the client.

"LaStone Therapy is a complete body, mind and soul treatment," explained Hannigan from her Tucson home. Working with temperatures ranging from 0 degrees to 140 degrees, Hannigan said the client experiences deep levels of sensation in response to the alternating temperatures, enabling the therapist to assist the client in healing on all levels. "Physiologically, the chemical reaction of blood and lymph exchange is accelerated with the use of the hot and cold stones," she said. "Mentally, the client reaches a state of relaxation within minutes of applying the first stones. This deep relaxation usually takes 15-20 minutes to occur in a traditional massage. Spiritually, the client is able to begin to assess where they are; blocked memories are opened and healing begins to take shape."

History's Knowledge
The use of stones and variant temperatures for therapeutic means is not a new concept. "Bringing alternating temperatures into a massage have proven to be the highest form of healing since therapy began over 2,000 years ago," said Hannigan. "Healers from all walks of life have known the time-tested method of using both hot and cold on the body to alter a response in the blood and lymph to bring about healing. The use of stones to do the hot and cold treatment only adds to the relaxation one experiences.

"Every culture has utilized the same principles. Shaman placed stones on or near a body to facilitate healing. Native American women would place a warmed stone on their belly during menses. The Roman baths involved hot, hot water and the cooling effect of lying on marble tables. Pilgrims would put a hot stone at the end of their bed to warm the feet. Cowboys would lay their bedding on warmed stones by the campfire. And the fasting Japanese priest wears a sash in which he puts three stones to help slow the digestive process." Hannigan said she was just "gifted" the full picture at one time. In fact, Hannigan knew very little of other cultures' use of stones when LaStone Therapy came to her.

"Before this information was given to me in prayer, I knew very little of other cultures and what their ancestors did with stones to assist the body to heal. As time went on and I shared my vision with other healers, they in turn shared with me some of their understanding of ancient healing."

The energy surrounding LaStone Therapy is not that much different from the simple pleasures we experienced as children. "When you're a young person, you love to go to the mountains and lay on the big rocks, or roll in the leaves, or play in the grass." She said these innocent childhood experiences are about recharging the soul and gaining power from the earth; concepts we often forget as adults. "As an adult, you still long to lay down on the earth in some ways. For those from ‘cement' cities, (LaStone) allows them - for a brief moment - to lay down on that cool grass and reconnect with that earth energy."

While the warm stones provide the soothing heat for deep tissue work, circulation and the exchange of blood and lymph, Hannigan said the cold stones help with inflammation, moving blood out of the area and balancing the male/female energies very quickly. Together, Hannigan said the use of alternating temperatures is an effective form of healing. "The whole body has to become involved in the process - the organs agree to give up some of their internal heat to help maintain homeostasis, the rapid exchange of blood in the heart and lungs brings new oxygenated, highly nutritional blood to an area in need of healing. Respiration is increased and then slowed down, aiding the client in going into a deeper state of relaxation that takes them to levels of body-mind-soul healing that they may never have experienced before. Emotions are released and they feel as though they can go on."

Hannigan also makes very clear that the stones should not be viewed as tools of the massage therapist. "If you use it as a tool, your client will say, ‘That was a nice stone massage.' But when used properly, as an extension of the therapist, your clients will get off the table stoned."

Physical Effects
While not tools, Hannigan does view the stones as conduits to all levels of experience - physical, emotional and spiritual.

On the physical level, if the therapist uses the full concept of LaStone - incorporating hot and cold - there will be a chemical reaction in the client's tissues. "It's like a vascular gymnastics going on in the body," Hannigan said. "When you apply heat to the body, it pulls blood to the area. When you pull blood to an area, it moves through the heart and lungs to be oxygenated. Nutrition (of the blood) starts to take place, all pulling to the affected area. This allows you to work deeper, to realign muscle fiber and to facilitate relaxation of that muscle fiber."

When applying the cold stones, it lessens the inflammation in the muscle fiber. "For a short time you push the blood away; then, if the cold stone stays on more than four minutes, it starts pulling blood again to warm back up and the gymnastics begins." Hannigan said it is this balance of yin and yang (hot and cold) that allows for healing to begin.

For the therapist, Hannigan said LaStone Therapy is a means of self-care. Utilizing the warming stones on a client means therapeutic benefits for the practitioner. She said LaStone helps with the often fatigued wrists and thumbs of therapists, as they can apply more pressure with the hard stones, requiring less effort from their own body. She said weary shoulders also take advantage of the stones' abilities to get into the tissues. "The hot and cold stones they're holding in their hand starts to facilitate their own healing and slows down the possibility of injuring themselves any further."

Emotional Effects
Emotionally, Hannigan said LaStone brings a lot to the table. "It totally relaxes you." While the relaxing, comforting effects of the warm stones are obvious, the placement of cold stones sounds like a shock to the psyche. Hannigan said it's not so. "The cold stone is very stimulating," she said. "It's delicious. It's like cool ice cream on a hot day." Still, doesn't the cold distract the client? "When you do it abruptly, the cold is cold. With love, I can put a cold stone anywhere." With proper training and skill, placing cold stones is part of the treatment which offers nurturing energy. Hannigan said the LaStone client will be processing a lot of emotional "stuff" during the session. "They're not accustomed to getting that when they get bodywork. That's the stones' commitment."

Spiritual Effects
"LaStone will reach you at whatever level of spirituality you're at," said Hannigan. "If you don't connect with the stones on a spiritual level, if you don't bring that body/soul awareness into the treatment, you've lost it," both from the client's and the therapist's perspective.

While on the table, it's not unusual for the LaStone client to express their experiences in profound terms. "Hundreds of times a year I hear, ‘You just changed my life'," Hannigan said. She relayed this story of a client who was an atheist. "It was her first time coming to me," Hannigan said. "I do a blessing before and after the (LaStone) treatment. When she got off the table, one of her friends asked how she liked it. Before I could say anything, the client said, ‘You have given me a lot to think about. I'm going to go home and reassess my life'." Aside from the blessing at beginning and end, Hannigan said she and the client never spoke during the session. "However, within that treatment something shifted for her spiritually. It just happens that way for people. It gets them connected to their inner power." Hannigan clarified that LaStone is in no way intended to shift a client's concept of themselves or the universe. "It only helps you to view it in your own way."

Even for those who don't seem to connect, Hannigan said they understand in their own way. "If they don't get it, that's okay. They all get it on some level of what they can analytically handle." She added, "Once the therapist understands it, LaStone becomes their favorite thing to do."

Steps to LaStone
LaStone has a variety of steps, which Hannigan briefly outlined. Most practitioners use a water-filled turkey roaster to keep the hot, black stones at a constant 140 degrees. The cold stones, all white marble, are typically kept in the freezer.

The first step in the massage process is to ground the client in some way. Some therapists take the client back to their favorite place, then begin treatment. Others follow a pattern of connecting stones to chakras. Some preface the session with a blessing or silent prayer.

Covered with a towel or sheet to prevent the client from burning, stones to address different healing aspects are placed inconspicuously under the body. The therapist will then place more stones on the top side of the client, typically following energy meridians. Stones are placed in the palms and sometimes between toes. A weighty, but somehow comforting belly stone stays with the client from prone to supine position. Hannigan said the actual placement of stones is in rhythm with the client's breathing pattern. "Union and separation is done with breath work." Throughout the session, the therapist might click stones together, something Hannigan called a Piezo Electric Effect, a term describing the electromagnetic energy release when two quartz stones are tapped together.

Next comes the massage itself, which can involve a variety of treatments including deep tissue, Shiatsu and basic Swedish. The therapist applies oil to the body and puts the stones to work. Each stone has a role in the session; some are meant more for trigger-point work, others focus on balancing energy. After removing the stones from the warmed water, the therapist puts them to work for the four to five minutes in which they hold their heat. As stones on the body lose heat, the therapist will quietly put newly warmed stones in their place. Finally, the session ends with the removal of stones and like with other massage techniques, a resting period for the client to absorb the work. The latter is an important aspect for the client who literally feels "stoned" afterward.

The LaStone Vision
Hannigan's story of discovery regarding LaStone is as intriguing as the technique itself. Raised in a Catholic environment, Hannigan has always been open to meditative journeys, and says she brings "Christ awareness" into her life every day. A massage therapist since 1991, she incorporated Reiki treatments, polarity concepts, Shiatsu and Swedish massage into her sessions.

She easily recalls the day she found LaStone Therapy - Aug. 19, 1993. "I had a full-time practice and had injured my shoulder three times with rotator cuff tears. At the time, I was sitting in a broken sauna (where the heat was only 80 degrees), waiting to give a reflexology treatment to my niece Tonya." Exacerbated by her continuing injuries, and unsure where her path should head next, Hannigan asked for help. "I was asking for assistance - why was my shoulder frozen? If I'm going to help people, I must be able to work." It was then Hannigan said she heard a voice say, "Use the stones." Sitting in this less-than-hot sauna, the stones which should have been emitting steam for the room, sat luke warm in their bin. It wasn't until the voice came to Hannigan a third time that she responded. "I picked up the stones and rubbed them on Tonya." The therapeutic effect was exciting. Next she addressed her own issues.

By the end of the week, Hannigan had collected 36 stones for her treatments; by the end of the month, 54 were in her "toolbox." A month after that, she began using the frozen stones. All the while, the visions continued, offering her greater insight into technique each time.

"It excited me so much and the information came through so fast, that I called all my regulars - especially the healers - and asked them to please come and experience this; see what they thought." Hannigan said the feedback from these clients was invaluable to her and to the growth process of LaStone Therapy.

Total Bliss
One of those early clients was Tenanche, a Reiki master with Crystal Radiance in Tucson, Ariz. Tenanche has no qualms expressing her delight in LaStone Therapy. "It was wonderful. I couldn't get enough of it. It was the most nurturing massage I had ever had in my life."

Using words like "total bliss" and "outstanding" to describe her experience, Tenanche said she certainly felt a "feminine energy," a "mothering energy" in the work. "It was as if I was connecting with Mother Earth through the stones." Tenanche continues to be a walking testimonial for LaStone Therapy, telling everyone who'll listen about the therapy. "I am hooked," she said. "Other massage therapies literally pale in comparison."

For those who have experienced LaStone Therapy, Tenanche's comments ring true. Her description of what the sessions bring back to her is even more profound. "I feel more like myself when I get off the table," Tenanche said. "When I get on the table, I'm so stressed; LaStone puts me back to myself." She said every time she has a session, there is an emotional release.

Hannigan said the healing release continues long after the client has left the table. "It's as if you've opened up a window and brought in fresh air - it lingers. Here you've opened a window to the soul. Now the soul is going to play."

Learning LaStone
Hannigan said LaStone Therapy is moving rapidly, as if it's in perpetual motion. "We've probably taught around 2,000 people from all over the world." She said only about one-fourth of those students actually practice it; her belief is that still not everyone gets the whole picture. "Now that we're demanding you take 30 hours (of LaStone classes), we're now producing more healers, instead of technicians." Healers, she said, understand the healing aspect on all three levels.

Certainly imitation is flattery, but those who have attempted to replicate what Hannigan developed in LaStone Therapy run the risk of injuring clients and therapists. Hannigan said they also aren't doing justice to the work of the stones. "We have people copying it who are not bringing in the full concept. With just the application of hot and cold stones; the client won't ever experience any of these benefits," Hannigan said. "Rubbing stones on the body is not what this treatment is about."

Tomi Wertheim, vice president of LaStone Therapy Inc., said the people drawn to the work today are ready to grow with it. She said they have both a physiological understanding and a spiritual understanding. With that, she said, they have greater success. "The planet is hungry for feeding the spirit; things that are spiritually based are becoming more known," Wertheim said.

Hannigan said by teaching the spiritual nature of LaStone Therapy, along with its physiological principles, she has opened the door. "Clients are demanding body, mind and soul treatments in spas and other areas. I'm finally coming out of the closet and sharing the spiritual aspect of it." Wertheim agreed, noting that they struggled with the semantics of spirituality as it pertained to LaStone Therapy. "We didn't want to scare people," Wertheim said. What they've found instead is an overwhelming acceptance of all of LaStone Therapy's elements, including its spiritual side.

Still, there are moments. "Sometimes, on the first night of a workshop, a few students might think I'm crazy," said Hannigan. "But at the end of 30 hours, students say, ‘The more I work with stones, the more it changes my life'."

LaStone Equals Success
One of those converts is Dayna Klein from Evergreen, Colo. A massage therapist since 1993, Klein undertook LaStone training last year. Working part time in a day spa, Klein knew of the growing popularity of LaStone Therapy at spas and resorts in Arizona. "It seemed like it had a lot to offer," she said.

As with any new technique, Klein wondered how successful she might be in incorporating it into her practice. "With the heat and the stones, you just knew it would be good for clients. I didn't think it would be just another fad; this was much more substantial." After only months of offering this new service to her private practice clients, Klein knows she made a wise decision. "It's been very popular. I have some clients who say they're addicted to it." And Klein? "I just love it."

Klein said LaStone Therapy has definitely changed her - professionally and personally. "It's meditative for me," she said. "It's opened doors of exploration for me in the energy field. It has enriched my ability to provide my clients with more than just bodywork, because of its energy balancing benefits. It's spurred on my own search for increased knowledge."

From a self-care perspective, Klein has undoubtedly seen the benefits of LaStone. "It gives your fingers a break. I'm still using a lot of intended energy; there's still power coming from my arms and shoulders, but my fingers and hands are given a break. Plus, the stones feel so good." Other therapists have said using stones is like having an assistant in the therapy room.

Aside from the physical relief it has provided her as a massage therapist, Klein is aware of its emotional and spiritual impact. "The more I work with the stones, the more they communicate with me. Not in a way that they're speaking to me, but in a sense of touch, where I know I can look at the stones and say, ‘Thanks, you're perfect.' It's stuff you can't explain. You just let it happen - it's not so esoteric."

Klein said LaStone Therapy is here to stay, especially in her business. "It's excellent for two reasons. It provides the client with the hot and cold therapy into the muscles. It feels great after you've been out skiing or in the cold, or recovering from an injury. It also provides more therapeutic, deeper stress-relieving benefits, because when the heat goes into the body it takes you to another level - it gets you there faster."