Often considered an upgrade to the traditional Swedish massage, a hot stone massage is a specialty massage where the therapist uses smooth, heated stones as an extension of their own hands, or by placing them on the body. The heat can be both deeply relaxing and help warm up tight muscles so the therapist can work more deeply, more quickly. Treatment begins by warming and softening the skin using warm towels and gliding Swedish massage strokes. Then, heated, smooth river stones are used to apply both heat and weight to the skin with pressure from the therapist’s hands as they are used to apply the strokes to the body.