Massage History.
Massage history dates back many centuries ago.
The association between touch and healing is longer than what you may expect.
In fact, the history of massage goes back to 5000 years ago.
As per the result of the first finding, the first appearance of massage as a healing technique is founded in India.
Is the Ayurveda history then that can be pushed so far.
Along the millennia and centuries, this healing technique gets spread all around.
Firstly the massage approach spreads to China ( 2700BCE ) and is here that the technique starts to be mixed with martial arts and spiritual yoga.
Indeed, this will create the base for Chinese Medicine.
From China then, the massage techniques and knowledge moved to Japan, and that’s when Shiatsu was born.
Shiatsu is a technique that regulates and strengthens organs by moving energy levels through the stimulation of pressure points aiming to bring natural resistance to illness.
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Along with the eastern culture, let’s not forget the Thai Massage.
About this specific technique, I did dedicate a full blog post.
In regards to the western culture were Egyptians the first who start practising massage then influence the Greeks and the Romans (800BCE).
As per result, the Greeks put the base for western medicine.
Thanks to the passion and devotion to sports (Olympics game) figures like Hippocrates start to associate facts with time in nature, music, rest, good food, and massage as a good practice for the body and essential for healing.
Hippocrates can be considered the father of modern medicine.
In regards to the Romans, made massage was a popular practice.
The reach people could get a massage as a private service, whereas, everybody else would have a massage at the public bath.
The Roman public bath is the precursor of the modern SPA.
Timepass by and massage lose its popularity, especially in the western world.
We have to wait till the 19th century.
Is then when a Swedish doctor Per Henrik Ling, developed the base for the Sweedish massage or better known as relaxation massage.
From this time onward than all the modern medicine techniques start developing.
Remedial Massage (19th century)
Myotherapy (1970)
Osteopathy (1874)
MLD (1930)
In conclusion, several are the technique of massage available today.
There is a massage that works better than others?
Possibly yes, like some massage techniques can work more deeply than others.
Said so, depending on the need of the person and the body conditions that may a specific technique is recommended more than others.
Giovanni La Rocca
Giovanni moved to Melbourne, Australia, from Italy in 2008 and became a citizen in 2017. He started studying massage therapy in 2016, then completed a Bachelor of Health Science in Clinical Myotherapy in August 2024. During those years, he also specialised in Thai Massage and Manual Lymphatic Drainage for presentations like Lipedema and Lymphoedema. Nowadays, he runs his clinic in Fitzroy North, Melbourne, where he integrates movement therapy into his practice to enhance overall well-being. He also values meditation, having completed several Vipassana courses. Committed to continuous learning, he aims to share his expertise in integrated therapies to help others achieve balance and resilience.