The homeland of hot stone massage is considered to be India, where such treatments were performed for ritual purification as early as 5,000 years ago. The effect of hot stones on relieving various types of pain was also known in Ancient Rome. Today, this massage is performed with smooth, black basalt stones, heated to about 50 degrees C before treatment. For therapeutic purposes, stones of volcanic origin are used, most often from areas of Hawaii and Bali, polished naturally - by sea waves.