Massage therapy dates back thousands of years. References to massage appear in writings from ancient China, Japan, India, Arabic nations, Egypt, Greece (Hippocrates defined medicine as “the art of rubbing”), and Rome.
Massage became widely used in Europe during the Renaissance. In the 1850s, two American physicians who had studied in Sweden introduced massage therapy in the United States, where it became popular and was promoted for a variety of health purposes. With scientific and technological advances in medical treatment during the 1930s and 1940s, massage fell out of favor in the United States. Interest in massage revived in the 1970s, especially among athletes.
Massage is no longer available only through luxury spas and upscale health clubs. Today, massage therapy is offered in businesses, clinics, hospitals and even airports. If you’ve never tried massage, learn about its possible health benefits and what to expect during a massage therapy session.
Examiner Says
Massage is a universal instinct. Since humans came into existence, we have known that it helps to rub a sore limb and that to touch is beneficial. In fact, most other mammals also know this. Researching and writing a history of massage is often a probing task, a lot like writing the history of breathing or of dancing or of mating: we know that it must have happened continuously throughout history, but it is almost impossible to get an accurate idea if precisely what is being done, where, and by whom. This article should not be seen as an all-inclusive or reliable account: rather it filters through the past and focuses momentarily on those documented characters and periods that seem colorful or interesting. I would advise you to do your own research on the history of massage if you feel you would like to learn more about it.
Massage is known to have been used by the Chinese as far back as 3000 BC and the Greeks, Romans, Turks, Egyptians, Hindus and Persians have always practiced a sort of massage. Not only has massage been used by these cultures, it has also been connected to and advised by quite a few well-known names.
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