Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/135308
A Special Gift For you The author has collected small, smooth massage stones for many years, and would like to share them with readers. If you would like a free stone, send your contact details to lparentini@ymail.com. Offer good while supplies last. STONE TREATMENTS FOR THE FEET Place small, flat, warm stones between the toes to give the muscles a pleasant stretch while a facial mask is setting. Or, during a back treatment or massage when the client is lying face down, place a flat stone on the ball of the foot, in the arch and just below the heel. To soothe aching feet, use this step-by-step treatment. Perform each motion gently, but firmly enough not to tickle. 1. While holding the foot with one hand, use the other to slowly press a stone along each channel between the tendons, moving toward the base of the foot. 2. Starting at the heel and finishing just under the toes, make small, firm, circling strokes up the sole of the foot with a medium-sized stone (3–4 inches in diameter). Repeat six times. 3. Press and hold the stone just under the ball of the foot for a count of 4–6 seconds. Repeat six times. 4. Use the stone in a slow circular motion on the heel, completing six circles. 5. Slowly press the stone along the outside edge of the foot. Repeat three times, then put down the stone for the next three steps. 6. Gently pull each toe in turn, stretching it sideways, backward, and forward. Be careful not to go beyond the client's comfort zone. 7. Work across the toes again, this time wiggling each toe with a slight twisting motion as you move upward from the base of the toe to end at the tip. 8. Finish by tapping the bottom of the foot rapidly with your fingertips about 12 times, then switch to the other foot to repeat all these steps. STONE TREATMENTS FOR THE HANDS Be Careful! Check that hand and foot services are allowed under your state's scope of practice, and always take a health history first. There are contraindications for the use of warm stones. Watch a video on safely using warm stones from our sister association, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, at www.abmp.com/abmptv/video/stonemassage-safety-guidelines. A very simple addition to any service is to rest the client's hands on the table and place a warm stone in each palm while a treatment is being performed. Here is a way to make that basic step a little more special. 1. Place a small towel under each hand. Massage a moisturizer or other treatment cream into the hands. 2. Place a large, warm stone in each hand and wrap the hand in a warm towel. Leave hands wrapped for 5 minutes. 3. Unwrap one hand, then gently press and release the stone several times. 4. Rock the stone back and forth on the hand. 5. To remove the stone, press it down and then release with a doorknob-like turning motion as you lift it away from the hand. 6. Unwrap the other hand and repeat. reap the results Our hands and feet allow us to participate in life's every moment, however quiet or active. Caring for these hard-working extremities should not be seen as fluff or time-filler, but as a source of true results that will be highly valued by your clients. Just like a pebble's ripples on water, small actions during your services can achieve large results—waves of relaxation from head to toe! Focusing on the extremities will take a service from ordinary to extraordinary. Lynn Parentini is a respected author, educator, esthetician, massage therapist, product development expert, former makeup and skin care salon owner, and supporter of Dress for Success. She is a member of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the National Cosmetology Association, and is the author of The Joy of Healthy Skin (Prentice Hall, 1995) and Stone Journey (Esthetic Alternatives Inc, 2000). Contact her at lparentini@ymail.com. Get connected to your peers @ www.skincareprofessionals.com SkinDeep_JA_2013.indd 25 25 5/15/13 4:24 PM