Hot stones, warmed by fire, have been used by native Americans to give relief to aching muscles. However, the present-day use of hot stones in massage therapy is attributed to Mary Nelson, a native of Tucson, Arizona. Her style of hot stone massage was trademarked as LaStone Therapy, which has a North American spiritual component and requires training and certification.

In the present-day massage therapy practice, hot stone massage is a speciality massage where smooth, heated stones are used by the therapist by placing them or rubbing them on the body. The heat from the stones leads to deep relaxation and to warming up of the tight muscles enabling the therapist to work more deeply and more quickly.