The Surprisingly Awesome History of Massage!
You all remember all the way back to elementary school when we learned about the five W's
* Who
* What
* Where
* When
* Why
Have you also noticed that the five W's followed us all the way through middle school, high school and into college. A lot of assignments needed us to answer these important questions. Massage school is no different. The first thing we need to do is learn the history of the industry and the important people who paved the way for therapeutic massage and the industry as we know it today. SUPER EXCITING right? I know what you're thinking, I was thinking the same thing. Great, a bunch of names and dates we have to memorize and never use again. Well I'm here to tell you, it actually is REALLY cool! I was genuinely excited and intrigued by the history of massage. I wont give it all away, but I will bullet point a few fun facts.
1. Massage begins in Ancient China around 3000BC
2. Massage then spreads to Japan, India, Greece and Rome even being used by Julius Ceaser to help with his epilepsy! Evidence of reflexology is depicted in hieroglyphics in Egypt between 2500- 3000 BC. Massage techniques made their way around the globe and were introduced to the United States by the Taylor brothers in 1856.
3. In ancient times most cultures practiced some form of healing touch. Massage and other body work were regularly used by healers in the earliest forms of 'medicine'
4. Swedish massage was introduced to the US by the Taylor brothers in 1856
5. Massage was pretty regularly used by health professionals during treatment until the pharmaceutical boom in the 1900s
6. Current research (2015) estimates massage therapy is a $12.1 billion industry with an estimated 300,000-350,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the US
and there is SO much more! What an exciting time to be a part of the up swing in such an exciting industry! Our class meets 3 nights a week from 6-10pm and my body is all ready asleep before I hit the bed but my brain was swirling with all the cool information we had just learned.
By learning and appreciating the industries history provides a strong foundation for us to move forward in our career with integrity. By knowing where we have been and what we have learned, we have a better idea of where we are headed and the best way to serve our clients.
1. Mosby's Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage by Sandy Fritz 5th ed. Elesvier Inc. 2013 pg. 11-20
2. data compliled by American Massage Therapy Association 2015
* Who
* What
* Where
* When
* Why
Have you also noticed that the five W's followed us all the way through middle school, high school and into college. A lot of assignments needed us to answer these important questions. Massage school is no different. The first thing we need to do is learn the history of the industry and the important people who paved the way for therapeutic massage and the industry as we know it today. SUPER EXCITING right? I know what you're thinking, I was thinking the same thing. Great, a bunch of names and dates we have to memorize and never use again. Well I'm here to tell you, it actually is REALLY cool! I was genuinely excited and intrigued by the history of massage. I wont give it all away, but I will bullet point a few fun facts.
1. Massage begins in Ancient China around 3000BC
2. Massage then spreads to Japan, India, Greece and Rome even being used by Julius Ceaser to help with his epilepsy! Evidence of reflexology is depicted in hieroglyphics in Egypt between 2500- 3000 BC. Massage techniques made their way around the globe and were introduced to the United States by the Taylor brothers in 1856.
3. In ancient times most cultures practiced some form of healing touch. Massage and other body work were regularly used by healers in the earliest forms of 'medicine'
4. Swedish massage was introduced to the US by the Taylor brothers in 1856
5. Massage was pretty regularly used by health professionals during treatment until the pharmaceutical boom in the 1900s
6. Current research (2015) estimates massage therapy is a $12.1 billion industry with an estimated 300,000-350,000 massage therapists and massage school students in the US
and there is SO much more! What an exciting time to be a part of the up swing in such an exciting industry! Our class meets 3 nights a week from 6-10pm and my body is all ready asleep before I hit the bed but my brain was swirling with all the cool information we had just learned.
By learning and appreciating the industries history provides a strong foundation for us to move forward in our career with integrity. By knowing where we have been and what we have learned, we have a better idea of where we are headed and the best way to serve our clients.
1. Mosby's Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage by Sandy Fritz 5th ed. Elesvier Inc. 2013 pg. 11-20
2. data compliled by American Massage Therapy Association 2015
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