Hot Stone Massage - are the stones cleaned between each appointment/client?

Question

And, by law, do they have to be?

Answer 1

the heat destroys most of the bacteria but therapists do clean them between massages would be silly not to

Answer 2

I have been a licensed massage therapist for 8 years.  If you go to a licensed professional, you should have no worries.  I clean mine after every massage  and then soak them with Ultronics, (it's suppose to kill just about anything.)

Answer 3

I completely agree with micheleelainehood!

I too have been an LMT, WITH a cert in Hot Rock Therapy for several years now.

If you have 2 back-to-back Hot Rock Therapy sessions, unless you have a whole separate set up of the heater for the rocks, as well as a whole other set of rocks that are heating up while you're working on your first client, then it is impossible to clean them after every client. The rocks would not be hot enough for the next massage.

Also, depends on your instructor...although mine was pretty new-agey and they recommended at the end of the day also setting your rocks somewhere on the earth (dirt, sand, in moonlight, etc.) to allow the earth to rejuvinate and re-energize the rocks and such...although practically, this would also allow many of the germs and such to die off.

Answer 4

no they arnt - they are rubbing all the last clients f***s and dead skin all over you

Answer 5

One would hope so.  I like Stuarts answer though.  It's not like this is a regulated industry.

However, the chances of disease transmission would be quite low unless both clients had open wounds or sores.

It would be difficult for most organisms to survive on a dry stone for any length of time.

Answer 6

Hot stone Massage should be cleaned and sanitized after every use. I use antibacterial soap and mild bleaching to kill germs...

Talk to your therapist to see what he or she does...I am sure if you ask them the will not get offended by it. Plus you would hope your therapist sanitizes everything before use.

AND JUST FOR CLARIFICATION: Stuart, Massage Therapist haven’t worked for years to be call "masseuse” We are licensed professionals and the correct term are MASSAGE THERAPIST. There is a diffrence!!!!!

Answer 7

Depends on the masseuse.

Depends on the state and their health department codes.

Sorta like tattoo parlors - some are like medical clinics, pristine and sanitary, others are combination tattoo parlors / motorcycle repair shops / goat pens.

Talk to your masseuse and express your concerns so that you can relax and enjoy the massage without worry.

-Stuart

Answer 8

Yes, my stones are cleaned after each client.

Answer 9

I'm a LMT, and I can't find anything in our state regulations (or any other state's regs) about this.  I work with hot stones at a salon that specializes in hot stone massage, and I'm here to tell you that changing the water out and cleaning the stones between clients would be impractical.  As far as germs go, the water that the stones sit in are is very hot (up to 130 degrees), plus we add an all-natural, mild antibacterial to the water/stones between clients.  The water gets emptied at the end of the day and the stones and heating pot are  throughly scrubbed with an anti-bacterial soap and sprayed with the all-natural antibacterial.