EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week

From July 17-23, we’re celebrating EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week. This national week of massage awareness was founded in 1995 by the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) as a way to educate and inspire patients about the benefits of massage therapy for improving quality of life.

Despite how popular massage therapy has become in recent years, many people are still unaware of how massage therapy helps and why it’s such a sought-after form of holistic healing for the mind and body.

Some of the top benefits of massage therapy include:

Increases mood and reduces stress
Improves sleep quality and relaxation
Boosts blood flow and oxygen circulation
Optimizes mobility and flexibility
Helps manage chronic pain from musculoskeletal conditions

As we’ll see, our knowledge of the benefits of massage therapy dates back thousands of years. However, it’s only within the last century that the medical field has begun to incorporate massage therapy as a form of integrative medicine for managing a variety of conditions from anxiety and insomnia to digestive disorders and cancer recovery.

History of Massage Therapy in Healing

Massage therapy is a five-thousand-year-old practice. Throughout the millennia, ancient massage therapy techniques have evolved but the benefits have remained the same. Since its discovery, massage therapy has helped patients relax, heal and restore their sense of vitality and well-being.

Below is a look at the history of massage therapy from ancient massage techniques to today’s.

Ayurvedic Massage — 3000 BCE

Ayurveda is an ancient practice of natural medicine from India and Nepal. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine believe there’s an optimal mental, physical and spiritual balance of well-being that can be achieved through various natural techniques. According to Ayurvedic medicine, total health can be achieved by balancing the body’s natural energy centers called chakras.

Ancient Ayurvedic massage began an estimated 5,000 years ago, relying on the use of organic oils. Both the specific oils and the types of movements used in Ayurvedic massage were selected based on the patient’s unique set of ailments, often using techniques that combine pulling, stretching and directing muscle tissue in rhythmic strokes.

A modern version of Ayurvedic massage is still practiced to this day throughout the world.

Egyptian Reflexology — 2500 BCE

As the concept of Ayurvedic massage spread throughout the ancient world, it eventually arrived in Egypt, where practitioners adopted their own version of the practice. Egyptian tomb paintings depict ancient massage therapy and unique bodywork techniques that resemble today’s practice of reflexology.

According to archaeological findings, Egyptians are believed to have practiced hand and foot reflexology massage treatments as a form of total body healing. Today, reflexology practitioners use touch therapy on the hands, arms, legs and feet to help release tension and provide deep relaxation.

Traditionally, practitioners of this ancient practice have believed that certain sections of the hands and feet correspond to specific bodily organs. The theory is that by putting pressure on these specific areas, reflexologists may help in the healing process of certain diseases by relaxing the affected organs.

Reflexology is still widely practiced today throughout the world and is often incorporated into clinical massage therapy.

Shiatsu Massage — 500 BCE

As massage spread across Asia, Chinese and Japanese Buddhist monks adopted the practice as a way to strengthen their mental and physical health and build up resistance to disease. The Buddhist practice of ancient massage therapy, anma, eventually became known as shiatsu, a name it continues to go by today.

Shiatsu massage therapy is based on the theory that if you stimulate certain identified pressure points, you will be able to restore natural balance throughout the body. Practitioners use their fingers, thumbs and palms to apply pressure to localized areas of the body, releasing tension and bringing about deep relaxation.

Targeting these pressure points is also believed to stimulate lymphatic and blood circulation and elicit a nervous system response that relieves stress. Shiatsu massage is still commonly practiced today and is the basis for many self-massage solutions, including massage chairs and massage sticks.

Ancient Greek Massage — 400 BCE

Health and well-being were central to ancient Greco-Roman life, with public spas being places that citizens could go for relaxation and rejuvenation, helping to maintain and restore physical health. Full-body spa massages were given as a way to loosen joints and boost circulation in order to improve physical performance, especially for athletes who wanted to boost their strength.

Ancient Greek society is known for having been advanced in its approach to healing and medicine, starting with their belief in the benefits of massage. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, would prescribe his patients “rubbing” as a form of physical recovery. To Hippocrates, massage was critical to patient health, and he would encourage physicians to practice their massage skills extensively in order to refine their techniques.

What made Hippocrates’ approach to massage different from other techniques at the time was his belief that massage patterns should move toward the heart in order to improve circulation. In this way, ancient Greek massage was the first approach to bodywork therapy that was grounded in science.

Swedish Massage — 19th Century

After the fall of the Roman Empire, many of the advancements in healing philosophies from that time were lost or faded out of practice throughout Western civilization. As the pharmacological approach to medicine increased during the Enlightenment era, natural healing techniques were no longer the mainstay.

However, by the early 1800s, practitioners once again began to value non-pharmacological healing in conjunction with modern medicine. Swedish physician, Pehr Henrik Ling developed a massage modality that would come to be known as the Swedish massage. Ling used his method of massage therapy to help relieve chronic pain, which combined techniques like stroking, squeezing and pressing the muscle tissue.

By the late 1800s, massage practitioners were incorporating scientific knowledge of physiology, anatomy and pathology into their techniques in order to help treat patient illness and promote disease recovery.

Modern Massage Therapy — 20th and 21st Centuries

By the mid-20th century, massage therapy had become a regulated professional practice. The American Association of Masseuses and Masseurs, now called the American Massage Therapy Association, was established in 1943 as a way to set professional and ethical standards across the industry.

Modern massage therapists use a combination of modalities, from Swedish massage and Shiatsu techniques to incorporating oils and hot stones. Massage therapists today often develop their skills and tailor their practice to certain types of clients with specific categories of health concerns.

Today, clients can find a massage therapist for virtually every desired treatment, from sports therapy to pregnancy to oncology. In contemporary massage therapy, practitioners not only perform manual bodywork but also emphasize the importance of patient education in developing preventive lifestyle and health habits.

Top Ways to Celebrate EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week

Massage is an integral element of a mental and physical wellness regimen, and EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week is a time to discover how massage can improve your health and well-being.

Here are some top ways to make massage a part of your life:

Book a massage: Take advantage of EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week as a time to pamper yourself with a massage appointment. Find a local therapist or clinic and book a massage with a professional who can tailor the experience to your needs, whether it’s for reducing stress, improving mobility or relieving pain.
Learn self-massage techniques: The best thing about massage therapy is that it’s accessible to everyone. Learn basic self-massage techniques to perform at home as part of wellness maintenance or targeted treatment. From foot rubs to scalp massages, discover the most effective ways to target tension and induce relaxation.
Invest in massage therapy solutions: Make massage therapy a part of your daily routine by investing in massage therapy devices. Massage chairs are full-body massage therapy solutions that provide a spa-like retreat from the comfort of home. Visit a Relax The Back massage chair showroom to try out the perfect model for you with a free 30-minute massage.
Give the gift of a massage: EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week is a time to share the benefits of massage with the important people in your life. Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary or any other special occasion, consider giving your loved ones the gift of massage therapy. From gift certificates for a massage appointment to handheld massagers for neck or back pain, there are plenty of ways to help others experience the difference massage therapy can make.
Spread the message of massage: Bodywork practices, like massage therapy, physical therapy and reflexology, are important ways to reduce stress. By helping spread the word about the importance of massage for stress management, others can learn the value of massage therapy in improving quality of life.

Shop Relax The Back This EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week

Celebrate EveryBody Deserves a Massage Week at Relax The Back. Explore industry-leading massage therapy devices based on advanced technology and proven therapeutic approaches. Our line of massage chairs, foot massagers, massage cushions and handheld massagers provide a solution for every body and every budget.

Shop our massage collection online or visit a Relax The Back store near you. Stop by our massage chair showroom and try out our zero-gravity massage chairs for yourself.

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