03 Dec
Blog

Benefits Of Hot Stone Massage At The Spa

Have you added hot stone massage to your treatment list? For clients who are experiencing significant pain or discomfort, regular sessions can produce great muscle relaxation and stress relief results. This treatment is relaxing, nourishing, and deeply calming, but many spa therapists may find it unfamiliar. Let us explore what hot stone massage therapy is and what advantages this service offers for customers who want to get to know treatments beyond traditional massage.

What is a hot stone massage? | What to expect from a hot stone massage | Skin care products for hot stone massage

What is a hot stone massage?

According to Healthline.com, hot stone massage is a form of therapy that aims to relax muscles and relieve tension. It differs from the traditional method in that it combines the use of stones with a massage, which usually involves Swedish techniques. Smooth, flat stones are heated to 110-130 degrees Fahrenheit and placed on the target areas. The most common stones used are basalt rocks, which are worn smoothly and which transfer and hold heat well. When using these stones, your goal is to apply gentle pressure on your client to relieve tension and pain. By placing hot stones at key points on the client's body, you encourage their muscles to release tension, resulting in a better massage experience. Explain to your clients that the added benefits of hot stones will help them feel more relaxed, with less stress and muscle aches and pains.

The benefits of a hot stone massage include:

  • Pain relief
  • Release muscle tension
  • Increased blood flow
  • Relaxation
  • Increased penetration of deep tissue massage
  • Better posture
  • Relaxation
  • Sleep support

Before offering this treatment to a client, they should fill out a detailed form so that you understand their health profile, including medication use. Do you suffer from chronic pain, injuries? Have you had any treatments recently, including other heated massages? The American Massage Therapy Association advises, “If a client receives multiple services at a spa throughout the day, having a heated treatment within six hours is an acceptable guideline.

Hot stone massage is not for everyone. It is not recommended for people with:

  • diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • high blood pressure
  • Nerve damage
  • An autoimmune disease

Or who:

  • Are pregnant
  • Take medication that thin the blood or block sensory perception
  • during menopause (treatment may trigger hot flashes)

Hot stone massage

What to expect from a hot stone massage

Now that you are considering offering hot stone massages to your clients, let's dig deeper into how this treatment is performed. If you only work on the neck and shoulders, a session lasts around 60 minutes. Allow 90 minutes for a full body treatment.

The first step is to heat the stones in a professional stone oven, a device specially designed for this task. Next, apply oil to your client to keep the skin soft. Usually, you place the stones strategically along the spine. You can also place them on the palms of the hands, feet, chest, face, and even toes. The weight and heat of the stones relax the muscles to allow deeper pressure during the massage so that you can release the tension in the tense muscles and the client can benefit from deep tissue massages. As the American Massage Therapy Association says, "Hot stone can be used with a variety of massage modalities, including Swedish massage, as well as on the client's body."

When the client's muscles are relaxed, use extra oil to massage the body with and without stones. Use sliding movements across the neck, back, arms, and legs. Techniques can include long strokes, kneading, rolling, tapping, and circular motions. During the session, the client's heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature fluctuate depending on the temperature of the hot stones. Explain to your client that these reactions are normal during a hot stone massage. Encourage customers to communicate with you immediately if the stones are too hot or too cold, if the pressure is too great, or if the stone placement is uncomfortable.

Skin care products for hot stone massage

Although the main benefit of a hot stone massage is in the warmth rather than in skin care products, the product support rep is from Eminence Organics Nadira Kavanagh suggests that skin care products could enhance the benefits of this service.

"We recommend using our body oils such as Apricot Body Oil or Stone Crop Body Oil for the best gliding and gliding," says Nadira. The apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil and jojoba oil make the skin incredibly soft and supple. Apricot kernel oil is rich in vitamins A, C and E, which make the skin feel smooth and elastic. Grapeseed oil provides moisturizing effects, while jojoba oil nourishes and hydrates.

The Stone Crop Body Oil formulated with arnica is perfect for massages. This moisturizing body oil combines stone harvest, rose hip oil, and avocado oil to help moisturize the skin. Give an appropriate amount of both oils to massage in and warm in your hands before applying.

Will you be adding hot stone treatments to your spa's service menu? Share your experience with this treatment in the comments below and join the conversation on social media. You can also find out how to become an Eminence Organics Spa Partner here.

02 Nov
Blog

Asus ROG Gladius III Review: Hot, Underappreciated Gem

Asus ROG Gladius III with chili peppers

Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless

RRP $ 119.00

"The Gladius III from Asus is a breathtaking, underrated mouse that is particularly suitable for casual games thanks to its comfortable, tactile design."

advantages

  • Great ergonomics for a gaming mouse

  • Hot-swappable switches

  • Satisfactory Omron optical switches included

  • Excellent connectivity options

disadvantage

  • Not quite as good for competitive gaming

Even the best gaming mice aren't usually known for their comfort. That's a shame because not all of us play Twitchy shooter games all of the time.

Today we're taking a look at the Asus Gladius III wireless mouse, which promises both great performance and a more ergonomic design.

While it's not the highest quality option in the line – that's the ROG Chakram – the Gladius III isn't cheap. It costs $ 119 for the wireless version. Fortunately, the Gladius III justifies its price with user-replaceable switches, a great sensor, and a comfortable grip.

Design & comfort

Top view of the Asus ROG Gladius III.

The design of the Gladius III is clearly optimized for comfort, with a large, bulbous body that presses nicely into the palm of your hand. That larger size, coupled with the right-handed design, makes it one of the more comfortable mice I've tested. It's not meant to be clawed or fingertip gripped as much, but this could be a healthier option than something like Razer's Orochi V2 and Logitech's G Pro X Superlight.

In terms of convenience, the Razer Pro Click is the best match I've had with Asus' Pointer, and while this isn't a pure gaming mouse – as evident from the lack of RGB – it's kind of a wolf in sheep's clothing. as it contains solid switches and a great sensor.

However, the Razer mouse has a better overall shape. The pear shape with the larger underside of the gladius requires you to fully grip the mouse; If you grab it a little deeper, it will point slightly to the left on a fingertip.

Angled view of the Asus ROG Gladius III.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

Apart from the comfort, the Gladius III does not present itself with many high-quality materials. The plastic is soft and the embossed artwork on the left and right serves as a handle enough to pick up the mouse.

At only 89 grams, it's also light. That's not super easy terrain, but – at less than 100 grams for a large, comfort-oriented pointer like this one – it's respectable.

The RGB lighting is also present in three zones: the main logo, the scroll wheel and the artwork of the thumb rest. A supplied 2.4 GHz dongle, Bluetooth and USB-C ensure connectivity.

Under the hood

Bottom of the Asus ROG Gladius III.

Under the hood of the mouse – this time not metaphorically – we find a handful of interesting functions. For starters, the mouse's main sensor is one that tracks at up to 19,000 DPI, even though it has a tune on 26,000 – designed for accurate tracking up to 400 inches per second with a maximum acceleration of up to 50g. I don't have the test equipment to verify these numbers, but I can confirm an accurate follow-up in more intense gaming sessions.

There is a more compelling reason to buy the Gladius III, however: you can literally remove the top shell – the hood – and replace bits internally.

The Asus ROG Gladius III was opened to provide hot-swappable switches.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

To remove the top, simply remove two rubber seals from the bottom, loosen two screws and pull off the hood. From here, the inside of the mouse is completely exposed, although the only thing you are supposed to do here is replace the primary switches.

The Gladius III comes with Asus' own ROG 3-pin microswitches pre-installed from the factory, but it also comes with a set of 5-pin Omron D2FP-FN switches. The former are mechanical, the latter optical – hence the additional pins – eliminating the need to consider debouncing and theoretically leading to faster performance.

The switches contained in the Asus ROG Gladius III.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

In practice, I find that the difference is mainly due to the click action. The standard ROG switches aren't bad, but the Omron optical switches feel and sound absolutely better. The click is a bit easier, certainly clearer, and sounds less muffled.

The catch is that they are finicky about their sound, which can get annoying.

When I returned to the ROG switches I found that they felt a bit soft and mushy, so I leave the Omrons on to enjoy their spiciness. The scroll wheel is also pleasantly choppy, so they go well together.

What is significant, however, is the fact that the mouse supports hot-swappable switches in the first place. For the most part, Asus is the only company that does this. Most mice won't open at first, and when you do, the switches must be desoldered to replace them.

Asus also includes a set of four replacement mouse pads that will extend the life of the mouse. So easy to open, I can also imagine that the battery can also be exchanged, provided that a compatible replacement can be found if necessary.

Gaming performance

Jump into a game and the Gladius III shines immediately. I've played a fair amount of Insurgency Sandstorm on this mouse, as well as a couple of hours of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and the Gladius III Wireless has been a comfy companion all along.

Hover over the view of the Asus ROG Gladius III.Niels Broekhuijsen / Digital Trends

That being said, there's a reason most gaming mice aren't built for comfort: competitive gaming performance. While I was still good at Insurgency Sandstorm with the Gladius III, I wasn't as good as my previous all-time favorite, the Logitech G Pro X Superlight, and I think that's because of the shape and weight. The Logitech has a shape that requires a more aggressive grip and is much lighter at 63 grams instead of 89 grams.

It's not a big change, but in competitive games it makes a noticeable difference: I didn't feel quite so in control.

However, when I switched to the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, that difference in performance between the two mice immediately disappeared. In this story-oriented game, I preferred the Asus mouse by far – my sensitive hands thanked me for taking a break from the G Pro X. I didn't feel hindered by the mouse, like in a competitive game.

Our opinion

The Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless is an excellent gaming mouse that is clearly designed for use with more casual games and for gamers who spend long hours in virtual worlds with a mouse that doesn't punish them for it. In fact, I'll go as far as to say that it's 80% as comfortable as a truly ergonomic mouse like the MX Master 3, while it's 90% as effective in-game as the G Pro X Superlight. If you play mostly single player titles, the Gladius III is certainly a mouse in question.

Hang that on the fact that it's a serviceable and adjustable mouse with user-replaceable switches and I'm wondering "why isn't this clicker more popular?" The Gladius III is an underrated gem in my book.

Are there alternatives?

If you're looking for a mouse with a neat and bulbous ergonomic shape, the only real alternative that comes to mind is the Razer Pro Click. It's $ 20 cheaper but doesn't have RGB or hot-swappable switches and is only available in white. Other ergonomic mice like the G502 Lightspeed from Logitech or the Basilisk from Razer are too narrow and aggressively shaped to match the comfort of the Asus.

How long it will take?

Normally I wouldn't say a mouse would last three to five years, but with interchangeable parts, I could imagine the Gladius III would last well into a decade. Whether you still use it is another question.

Should you buy it?

Absolutely. If your main focus is on story-based gaming and you spend hours on your PC, your right hand will thank you for using one of the most comfortable palm-grip gaming mice available.

Editor's recommendations



28 Oct
Blog

Hot Wheels Unleashed Review: Banking Hard On Nostalgia

Hot Wheels Unleashed Review Unveiled

Hot wheels unleashed

RRP $ 49.99

"Hot Wheels Unleashed starts very fast, but ends up as a flat kart racer."

advantages

  • Breathtaking look

  • Great track design

  • Innovative track builder

disadvantage

  • Simple racing mechanics

  • Loot boxes to unlock new cars

  • Pointless game modes

  • No change in gameplay

The kart racing genre is packed with standout titles, each with their own twists and turns. Mario Kart is the undeniable king, but tons of other franchises – Sonic and Crash Bandicoot, to name a few – have their own somewhat unique karting games. Hot Wheels Unleashed then rushes into the fray of this competition and screams, “Look how realistic our cars are!” Before promptly being blown away like a piece of paper on a racetrack.

That's because Hot Wheels Unleashed, a fun kart racer, quickly shows its flatness when you start playing. Behind its extremely impressive graphics, Hot Wheels Unleashed is about as naked as it gets, offering an extremely simplified kart racing experience that had so much potential to be more and a bevy of ultimately boring content.

A brilliant start

The experience starts strong and goes from zero to sixty. When you start it for the first time, Hot Wheels Unleashed gives you three “blind boxes”, a tastelessly named loot box. Players are instantly given three cars to use in races, and the first glance at their stunningly rendered plastic and aluminum is all it takes to get someone hooked.

A Hot Wheels racetrack in Hot Wheels Unleashed.

Before it's fun or inventive, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a nice game to check out. Everything from the cars themselves to the tracks players drive is breathtakingly detailed. You can even look under the cars and find Mattel's name (copyrighted of course) and “Made In Malaysia” on the plastic. The game's vinyl tracks look spectacular and the sunlight that shines from them and the cars is eye catching. These are, of course, the visuals you would expect on a PS5 or PC. If you're playing the game on a last-generation console, the visual shock and awe may not be as expressive.

Regardless, I got sucked into the vibe of Hot Wheels Unleashed for the first two hours that I played it. The game is just fun to watch, and its racing mechanics are equally impressive, although that feeling quickly fades.

Racing in Hot Wheels Unleashed is awfully easy. There are no power ups on tracks, with the only quirk of the game being how it handles boosting. By drifting or simply driving along, your car builds up thrust, which you can then use to detach yourself from a car driver or to catch up with the leader.

However, not all boosts are created equal. Cars in Hot Wheels Unleashed are extremely varied, each with their own stats for speed, acceleration, braking, handling, and of course, boost. Some cars have individual boost charges while others have a counter that can be spent at any time. Of course, this system means you will be directed to every car that has impressive statistics. You can also upgrade any car with gears, either of the game's two currencies, but upgrading a vehicle from an ordinary tier to a legendary one is incredibly expensive.

Before it's fun or inventive, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a nice game to check out.

That being said, there is an unspoken genius in the track design of Hot Wheels Unleashed. Some races are wonderfully unique and open, with one thing left on my mind that forced me to run a 180 degree corkscrew to land my car after driving on an inverted maglev. Another section from another race made me pull off the track for a single turn, instructing me on where to go from a handful of traffic cones. Except you can drive outside of those cones in-game, so I'd pull a tight drift and completely bypass the usual corner in favor of my much faster shortcut.

In Hot Wheels Unleashed, a car with hot wheels jumps on a track.

So it's a shame that Hot Wheels Unleashed never makes full use of any of these concepts. If you try to skip a distance with a certain imagination, you will be sent back to the last checkpoint. Gravity and tricks almost never come into play, save for a few standout tracks. With more frequent use, these ideas could have made Hot Wheels Unleashed stand out from the rest. However, instead of accepting this weirdness, the game tries to be a no-nonsense racer and eventually becomes total boredom.

Slowly to the goal

The more I played Hot Wheels Unleashed, the more problems I saw with the game. Aside from the clear tendency to push players to specific cars instead of what they wanted, the game's main single player mode was quickly getting old. The mode called Hot Wheels City Rumble lets players go from race to race, which normally wouldn't get tiring in a game like Mario Kart.

Hot Wheels Unleashed's races, however, have little that defines them. Yes, the tracks are quite varied, only a handful have been repeated during my playing time, but at some point the races start to mix into a big jumble of vinyl and neon. Thankfully, there's a pretty good reason to stick with these races. If you win a race, players will be rewarded with gears, cosmetics, and coins that can be used to buy more blind boxes.

The Hot Dogs car from Hot Wheels UnleashedDriving a hot dog car is one of the best new additions to Hot Wheels Unleashed

However, these cosmetics are not for your cars; They are for one of the most redundant pieces of content in the game. Every player has a basement that can be adjusted to their hearts' content, and it's pretty much a man's cave for a Hot Wheels-obsessed millionaire. Players can customize this area to their liking with unlocked sofas, chairs, computers, walls, floors, and more. The attraction, I think, is that you can then race around in this area. However, it's hard to see the trophies in boxes or paintings hanging on the wall when your camera is two inches off the floor.

However, instead of accepting this weirdness, the game tries to be a no-nonsense racer and eventually becomes total boredom.

The only innovative feature of Hot Wheels Unleashed is the track construction. Right from the start, players can take full advantage of every single unique route in the game. It allows players to take advantage of the ideas that were given up by the game's developers, which I can only hope will happen in the end.

Our opinion

Aside from its stunning looks, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a toothless kart racer who relies too heavily on the nostalgic glasses and the Hot Wheels brand to wear instead of the solid ideas that are barely implemented in the end. What players get with Hot Wheels Unleashed is the same experience I had with many of my Hot Wheels as a kid; I was entertained for a couple of hours, then I got bored and threw it in a box.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the game. Those few hours have been full of spectacle because it's just impossible not to get caught up in the sights and sounds of the game. At some point, however, it takes more than driving a hot dog car over a vinyl strip to interest me.

Is there a better alternative?

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the king of kart racers and will likely remain so until Nintendo decides to make another Mario Kart title.

How long it will take?

Defeating Hot Wheels Unleashed's City Rumble mode will likely take 15-20 hours. Trying to collect every car in the game could bring that to over 30, by my estimate.

Should you buy it?

No. Hot Wheels Unleashed is all glitter with no substance and becomes dull too quickly to justify its price.

Editor's recommendations



27 Sep
Blog

Hot Wheels Unleashed Review: Banking Hard On Nostalgia

Hot Wheels Unleashed Review Unveiled

Hot Wheels Unleashed Review: Going Hard on Nostalgia

RRP $ 49.99

"Hot Wheels Unleashed starts very fast, but ends up as a flat kart racer."

advantages

  • Breathtaking look

  • Great track design

  • Innovative track builder

disadvantage

  • Simple racing mechanics

  • Loot boxes to unlock new cars

  • Pointless game modes

  • No change in gameplay

The kart racing genre is packed with standout titles, each with their own twists and turns. Mario Kart is the undeniable king, but tons of other franchises – Sonic and Crash Bandicoot, to name a few – have their own somewhat unique karting games. Hot Wheels Unleashed then rushes into the fray of this competition and screams, “Look how realistic our cars are!” Before promptly being blown away like a piece of paper on a racetrack.

That's because Hot Wheels Unleashed, a fun kart racer, quickly shows its flatness when you start playing. Behind its extremely impressive graphics, Hot Wheels Unleashed is about as naked as it gets, offering an extremely simplified kart racing experience that had so much potential to be more and a bevy of ultimately boring content.

A brilliant start

The experience starts strong and goes from zero to sixty. When you start it for the first time, Hot Wheels Unleashed gives you three “blind boxes”, a tastelessly named loot box. Players are instantly given three cars to use in races, and the first glance at their stunningly rendered plastic and aluminum is all it takes to get someone hooked.

A Hot Wheels racetrack in Hot Wheels Unleashed.

Before it's fun or inventive, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a nice game to check out. Everything from the cars themselves to the tracks players drive is breathtakingly detailed. You can even look under the cars and find Mattel's name (copyrighted of course) and “Made In Malaysia” on the plastic. The game's vinyl tracks look spectacular and the sunlight that shines from them and the cars is eye catching. These are, of course, the visuals you would expect on a PS5 or PC. If you're playing the game on a last-generation console, the visual shock and awe may not be as expressive.

Regardless, I got sucked into the vibe of Hot Wheels Unleashed for the first two hours that I played it. The game is just fun to watch, and its racing mechanics are equally impressive, although that feeling quickly fades.

Racing in Hot Wheels Unleashed is awfully easy. There are no power ups on tracks, with the only quirk of the game being how it handles boosting. By drifting or simply driving along, your car builds up thrust, which you can then use to detach yourself from a car driver or to catch up with the leader.

However, not all boosts are created equal. Cars in Hot Wheels Unleashed are extremely varied, each with their own stats for speed, acceleration, braking, handling, and of course, boost. Some cars have individual boost charges while others have a counter that can be spent at any time. Of course, this system means you will be directed to every car that has impressive statistics. You can also upgrade any car with gears, either of the game's two currencies, but upgrading a vehicle from an ordinary tier to a legendary one is incredibly expensive.

Before it's fun or inventive, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a nice game to check out.

That being said, there is an unspoken genius in the track design of Hot Wheels Unleashed. Some races are wonderfully unique and open, with one thing left on my mind that forced me to run a 180 degree corkscrew to land my car after driving on an inverted maglev. Another section from another race made me pull off the track for a single turn, instructing me on where to go from a handful of traffic cones. Except you can drive outside of those cones in-game, so I'd pull a tight drift and completely bypass the usual corner in favor of my much faster shortcut.

In Hot Wheels Unleashed, a car with hot wheels jumps on a track.

So it's a shame that Hot Wheels Unleashed never makes full use of any of these concepts. If you try to skip a distance with a certain imagination, you will be sent back to the last checkpoint. Gravity and tricks almost never come into play, save for a few standout tracks. With more frequent use, these ideas could have made Hot Wheels Unleashed stand out from the rest. However, instead of accepting this weirdness, the game tries to be a no-nonsense racer and eventually becomes total boredom.

Slowly to the goal

The more I played Hot Wheels Unleashed, the more problems I saw with the game. Aside from the clear tendency to push players to specific cars instead of what they wanted, the game's main single player mode was quickly getting old. The mode called Hot Wheels City Rumble lets players go from race to race, which normally wouldn't get tiring in a game like Mario Kart.

Hot Wheels Unleashed's races, however, have little that defines them. Yes, the tracks are quite varied, only a handful have been repeated during my playing time, but at some point the races start to mix into a big jumble of vinyl and neon. Thankfully, there's a pretty good reason to stick with these races. If you win a race, players will be rewarded with gears, cosmetics, and coins that can be used to buy more blind boxes.

The Hot Dogs car from Hot Wheels UnleashedDriving a hot dog car is one of the best new additions to Hot Wheels Unleashed

However, these cosmetics are not for your cars; They are for one of the most redundant pieces of content in the game. Every player has a basement that can be adjusted to their hearts' content, and it's pretty much a man's cave for a Hot Wheels-obsessed millionaire. Players can customize this area to their liking with unlocked sofas, chairs, computers, walls, floors, and more. The attraction, I think, is that you can then race around in this area. However, it's hard to see the trophies in boxes or paintings hanging on the wall when your camera is two inches off the floor.

However, instead of accepting this weirdness, the game tries to be a no-nonsense racer and eventually becomes total boredom.

The only innovative feature of Hot Wheels Unleashed is the track construction. Right from the start, players can take full advantage of every single unique route in the game. It allows players to take advantage of the ideas that were given up by the game's developers, which I can only hope will happen in the end.

Our opinion

Aside from its stunning looks, Hot Wheels Unleashed is a toothless kart racer who relies too heavily on the nostalgic glasses and the Hot Wheels brand to wear instead of the solid ideas that are barely implemented in the end. What players get with Hot Wheels Unleashed is the same experience I had with many of my Hot Wheels as a kid; I was entertained for a couple of hours, then I got bored and threw it in a box.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the game. Those few hours have been full of spectacle because it's just impossible not to get caught up in the sights and sounds of the game. At some point, however, it takes more than driving a hot dog car over a vinyl strip to interest me.

Is there a better alternative?

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the king of kart racers and will likely remain so until Nintendo decides to make another Mario Kart title.

How long it will take?

Defeating Hot Wheels Unleashed's City Rumble mode will likely take 15-20 hours. Trying to collect every car in the game could bring that to over 30, by my estimate.

Should you buy it?

No. Hot Wheels Unleashed is all glitter with no substance and becomes dull too quickly to justify its price.

Editor's recommendations