History of Massage

Studying the history of massage is an important part of becoming a massage therapist. Massage and touch has been talked about since the beginning of recorded history. Massage has been a big part of our culture and history. Shamans used their hands to massage oils and herbs onto the skin of the ailing. Religious rituals anointed the sick. Son's were once taught to massage at an early age so that they could massage their wives during delivery. (What ever happened to that!) Touch is also a big part of primate behaviors in the form of grooming behaviors and socialization behaviors which save them in times of stress. (Robert Sapolsky)

Spas and medical spas, Olympic athletes, midwives, couples massage - you name it. Touch is a part of it. Touch is also the only sense that is two way- you can't touch without being touched yourself. Because of that touch can be nurturing or it can bring up memories of abuse and pain. It has long been associated with prostitution and our current laws are an attempt to separate the two professions.

Most massage textbooks talk about the history of massage and are very inaccurate. I collected the history out of many of those and created this page on the history of massage on www.thebodyworker.com back in about 1999.

The History of Massage: An Illustrated Survey from around the World is the ultimate resource on the history of massage and should be a part of every massage school curriculum.