Massage Therapy CEs | Massage Concepts and Techniques

Hot Stone Massage

Hot stone massage is more than just a luxurious treatment—it’s a transformative experience for both therapist and client. By incorporating the therapeutic benefits of heated basalt stones and the cooling effects of chilled marble stones, this modality allows you to address tension, improve circulation, and provide lasting relaxation in ways that traditional massage cannot. Our Hot Stone Massage course is designed for professional massage therapists like you who are eager to expand their skill set, provide deeper healing for clients, and earn continuing education credits in the process.

What You’ll Learn in This Course

Our course is comprehensive and hands-on, ensuring you master both the technical and practical aspects of hot stone massage. Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect:

The Foundations of Hot Stone Massage

- Discover the rich history of stone massage, from ancient Ayurvedic practices to Native American traditions.

- Understand the science behind hot and cold stone therapy, including its effects on the muscular, circulatory, and lymphatic systems.

Tools and Equipment

- Learn how to select, maintain, and sanitize your stones for maximum hygiene and longevity.

- Get insider tips on choosing the best roasters, oils, and additional tools to streamline your workflow.

Advanced Techniques for Application

- Master stone placement, gliding techniques, and effective pressure applications.

- Explore how to alternate between hot and cold stones to address inflammation, tension, and detoxification.

- Adapt techniques to fit specific client needs, such as targeting chronic pain, improving mobility, or reducing stress.

Safety and Contraindications

- Gain confidence in assessing when hot stone therapy is appropriate and when modifications are necessary.

- Learn to safely adjust stone temperature and placement for sensitive populations, including pregnant clients, geriatric clients, and those with medical conditions.

Client-Centered Sessions

- Build sessions that flow seamlessly, from preparation to aftercare.

- Understand how to incorporate hot stones into full-body massage treatments or as standalone enhancements.

Business Insights

- Discover pricing strategies to increase your revenue.

- Learn how to market hot stone massage as a premium offering to attract new clients and retain existing ones.

Why Take This Course?

As a professional massage therapist, you already know the importance of continually growing your expertise to stay competitive in the industry. This course will not only help you deepen your understanding of bodywork but also give you a new, in-demand skill that enhances your practice and delights your clients.

By the end of this course, you’ll have the confidence to:

- Perform a full hot stone massage session with mastery and professionalism.

- Tailor your treatments to a wide variety of clients and conditions.

- Offer a service that stands out, increases client satisfaction, and boosts your income.

Whether you’re a seasoned therapist looking to refresh your skills or a newcomer eager to add a premium service to your menu, this course is designed to meet you where you are. Our detailed, step-by-step instruction ensures you’ll leave the course with actionable knowledge, hands-on experience, and the confidence to integrate hot stone therapy into your practice immediately. Transform your practice and give your clients an unforgettable massage experience that delivers both luxury and results. Enroll today and take the next step in your professional journey.

We can’t wait to help you grow, succeed, and shine in your career! Get started today!

Course Details:

Massage Therapy CEUs awarded: 10

Course classification: Kinesthetic (course materials teach specific techniques to use on clients during a massage therapy session.)

Approved by: Institute of Somatic Therapy (Judith Koch) is approved by the NCBTMB (Provider #280672-00) as a continuing education Approved Provider. Institute of Somatic Therapy is approved by Florida (#MCE-326), and New York (#0019). Our courses are also valid for most individual states, and are also valid for AMTA and ABMP renewals. Some states limit how many hours can be done online or by home study. Please refer to our State Guidelines section for specific information about your state. Laws can and do change, and your state will hold you responsible for knowing the laws that apply to you.

Tuition: $69.00 for online course materials and test.

To enroll: Simply click the green "buy now" button. You will see the course in your shopping cart, with the option to continue shopping (if you want to enroll in more than one course) or checkout. Once you click checkout, it will take you through the process of creating a new account if you do not have one, or logging into an existing account if we find an account already associated with your email address. You do not need to have an existing account before you add a course to your shopping cart.

Attention Florida Massage Therapists: This course is approved by Florida as an approved distance learning course for required hours of "relevant to massage therapy" category hours through 8/31/2025. You are still allowed to complete the 12 required "relevant to massage therapy" hours via approved online courses through at least 2025. The approval number for this course is 20-756971.

CE Broker Reporting: Institute of Somatic Therapy will automatically report your hours to CE Broker in applicable states ONLY IF you have provided your license number in your online account with us. You can verify your license information by logging on to our website, and reviewing your account information. If your license is not shown there, please select “edit” to include it. We generally report to CE Broker weekly.

Disclaimer: Your state massage board will hold you responsible for knowing the laws that apply to you. Some states have enacted various restrictions around hot stone massage in an effort to legislate safety. The course content was not written to be specific to any one state, so there is a small chance that you may encounter bits of information here and there that may impact your actual practice. For example, we have been told that the State of Arizona does not allow a client to have a bare hot stone under them as they are lying on the table. One or more of the sample video clips may have a client lying back on a stone. In this instance, you would modify by either omitting that step, or by following what your state guideline may accept (an example might be to have a towel or other barrier between the stone and the client). With hot stone massage, or any other modality that we teach, we strongly advise that you refresh your memory as to any state-specific rules that will apply to you. We also strongly advise that you refresh your memory as to any insurance rules that your liability insurer may have regarding hot stone massage.

Recommendation on stones: Stones are NOT included with the course. You may wish to find your own stones in nature, or purchase stones from the supplier of your choice. When looking for a stone set, we recommend the following: one large (5" or greater diameter) abdomen stone; 8 fairly large (4" or so in diameter) stones for along the spine, under the shoulders and palms, etc; ten massaging stones (approxmiately 3" or whatever best fits the palm of your hand to rub on your client); and ten small stones for use between fingers and toes (optional). All of these stones should be black (to retain heat longer), flat (so your client can lay down on them comfortably when supine), and smooth (so they don't scratch). For the cold face massage you will want two eye stones (about 2", that will lay nicely in closed eye sockets), and five face stones, about 1 - 2 inches in diameter. These stones should be flat and smooth, and can be any color.

Here is a photo of a sample set arranged with the abdominal stone centered just below the 18 incher ruler, the eight spine stones around it, the ten massage stones below them, the eye and face stones in the lower left, and the toe stones in the lower right.

If you are interested in this massage therapy CEU course, other courses that might be of interest to you are: Spa Techniques, Aromatherapy for Massage

To contact the Institute of Somatic Therapy about this or any other massage therapy CEU course, please go to the "contact" link above. Thank you.

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