There’s been a lot of buzz on the Sunrise social channels about the new LaStone Therapy massage. Clients already au fait with this acclaimed, geo-thermal therapy are excited and appointment slots have been booking up fast. But for those yet to experience the hot and cool bliss of this body and mind experience, what exactly does LaStone involve?
More than hot stones
The first thing I learn from my therapist is LaStone shouldn’t be confused with any hot stone massage you’ve had in the past. It’s news to me that ‘hot stone massage’ has become a generic term used to describe any treatment where hot stones are applied. LaStone is something quite different and unique, I’m told, involving the use of both hot and cool stones. Placed at different points of the body and used in the massage itself, they help release tension, balance your chakras and relax the mind. I can’t wait. It’s been a very long week.
Two hours of bliss
Sunrise’s new LaStone treatment lasts for two hours, which seems very decadent, even if it is Friday. But time really does fly when you’re completely blissed out. Enveloped in warmed towels on the treatment bed, I hear the soft clink of stones as Lyndsay prepares them. She then asks me to sit up slowly, while she carefully places some in what’s called a spinal ‘lay out’. Deliciously warm, flat, smooth stones support either side of my spine – and it feels amazing. As the gentle warmth spreads down my back and across into my shoulder blades, I’m already feeling like I could drift off at any second. Lyndsay gives me two hot stones to hold and I’m comfortably cocooned.
Hot and cool stones are then placed on top of my body, at different points, from my neck down to the tops of my thighs. They’re pleasantly heavy and the warmth seeps through the fluffy towel that’s covering me. These particular stones tap into different pressure points, Lyndsay tells me, as she reaches for tiny cooler ones to place at different points on my face, complemented by a cool, jade eye mask.
Temperature warning
With jojoba oil applied to my skin so the stones slide smoothly, Lyndsay starts with my legs. She uses the stones to massage my weary running muscles, then finishes by moving one stone above and around my knees and tapping it with the other. The vibration feels quite intense – in a good way and I love the sound the stones make. Lyndsay then moves on to my arms and finally my face. She’s already explained that the temperature change helps to relax and heal the muscles and when she switches from a warm stone to a cool one, she whispers a little warning first. The stones are pleasantly cool, not uncomfortably cold. When I turn over Lyndsay works the stones to loosen up the tense, tight muscles on my back and shoulders. My whole body has completely relaxed. I don’t want to leave. But I do, feeling very chilled, yet strangely invigorated.
More than a massage
What’s really different and rather wonderful about LaStone is how it relaxes the mind as well as the body. It’s a magical mix of massage and meditation and that’s why the time seems to whizz by. My busy brain stopped buzzing minutes in and I drifted deeper and deeper, feeling more relaxed than I’ve felt for ages. If you like yoga and are into meditation of any kind, you will love this.
In all honesty, I can’t think of many people I wouldn’t recommend it to.
The LaStone Bespoke treatment is £99 until 16th February (RRP £145)
