Massages are a wonderful way to unwind and bask in some much-needed me-time. When hot stones are added to the equation, a routine massage quickly becomes next-level indulgent. The warm stones are surprisingly comforting and can be placed almost anywhere you’re feeling pain or tension: think along the curve of your spine, on the backs of your thighs and calves or even on your stomach and neck.

Placing smooth, round stones on pressure points and knotted muscles all over the body before a massage helps loosen everything up and gets both your mind and body in the mood for what’s to come. Think about it in the same way that you’d apply a primer to your face before your foundation—hot stones are an essential ingredient to get the most out of this treatment.

“Hot stones allow you to get way more out of your massage,” Riley explains, because “heat promotes muscle relaxation. By placing hot stones at key points on your body before your massage begins, the massage therapist is alleviating muscle tension before they even place their hands on you, making it easier for him or her to give you a soothing deep-tissue massage.”