A Short History of Massage

Massage therapy is an intuitive, healing art that has been around for thousands of years. When you get a stomach ache, you rub your belly.  When you turn an ankle, your natural instinct is to rub it. When infants cry, parents rock and rub to calm. The natural instinct to use purposeful touch has evolved into a healthy professional industry. Over the years, techniques have been developed that activate natural healing process, stimulating blood flow, guiding hormone production and helping your body heal itself.It All Likely Began in China

The oldest written record of massage is about 3000 years old, in an ancient Chinese medical text “Con-Fu of the Toa-Tse” (1800BCE). The book detailed the use of massage techniques for therapeutic purposes. Many believe that therapeutic touch actually began much earlier there. The art of massage began to evolve into a science through continued use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

The Dark Ages and Beyond

During the Dark Ages, repressed religious dogma frowned on any act that involved touching and deemed them unacceptable. Massage went “underground”. It wasn’t until Pehr Henrich Ling (1766-1839), who worked with gymnastic athletes, resurrected soft tissue techniques which ultimately became known as Swedish Massage.