HOT STONE MASSAGE – Set of 8 Basalt Toe Stones

• Smooth shaped toe stones of ideal thickness
• Basalt – the recommended stone for hot stone massage

SET OF 8 BASALT TOE STONES

8 basalt stones for use between the toes. 3.5cm x 2.75cm x 0.8cm


CHOOSING YOUR BASALT STONES: Most people prefer their basalt stones to be of natural material, so you need to take some care when choosing a set of stones. Basalt is a stone that will not polish to a natural shine. There are two ways in which basalt can be brought to a high sheen finish. One is the addition of synthetic waxes and the other is by the addition of a plasticizing agent which coats the exterior of the stone. We have seen stones advertised that claim that each stone has been polished for days to achieve a natural high gloss finish. If this were possible the stones would be extremely expensive, as even in China, wages are not so low that days of polishing would not lead to an enormous increase in the cost. There are also shiny stones being described as polished basalt which aren’t basalt at all. They are shiny river stones that are formed from some kind of sedimentary rock. Unfortunately, its pretty much impossible for this to be policed as proving that a rock is not basalt is an expensive business. We have sent some of these river stones to the geology department of the British Museum, and though they have told us that its a sedimentary rock, they have said that they cannot deliver absolute proof of what it is without passing it under an electron scanning microscope. Each scan costs about £100 and it can take quite a few scans to deliver an identification as each scan only identifies a single mineral. If you want to be sure that your stones are of natural material you should choose stones that have a matt finish. Most basalt is grey, but may have green or red hues (which may only be visible when the stones are wet/oiled). Some basalt is black. Most black basalt is quite coarse grained and therefore not so suitable for hot stone massage. Though finely grained black basalt does exist , it is relatively rare. All basalt turns black when oiled.