History of Massage

Body and Soul Massage Center offers a wide variety of massage therapy practices from several cultures. Each of these has their own history and there are even mentions of techniques dating back 5,000 years in India.

The word “massage” itself comes from the French language and means “friction of kneading”, but the practice of kneading muscles has been found in writings of Hippocrates dating back to 460 BC. There have been many other ancient writings that have made reference to massage, from civilizations such as Rome, Greece, Japan, China, Egypt, Mesopotamia and India.

Modern Swedish massage was developed by Per Henrik Ling’s “Gymnastic Movements” in 1813. Massage was popularized in the United States, in the 1850’s by physicians George and Charles Taylor, who studied massage in Europe before bringing the therapy home to the United States.

Through the years massage therapy has grown in the United States and was used to treat shell shock during World War I. Shortly after the war, medical advancements pushed massage treatments to the side and made massage a luxury for the rich. During the end of the 20th century made a comeback because of the popularity of natural healing.

There are over 80 types of massage therapy used today and massage is commonly used in doctor’s offices, rehabilitation centers, vacation resorts and massage centers like ours. Massage therapy continues to grow and become a mainstay in more and more people’s lives.