RESOURCES
Therapeutic Massage Community Page | featuring members of our community who offer Massage Therapy
3000 B.C. – Ayurvedic wisdom in India includes a form of massage
2700 B.C. – Chinese texts document the medical benefits of massage
2500 B.C. – Egyptians created reflexology
1000 B.C. – Monks studying Buddhism in China introduce massage to Japan.
800 B.C. – Athletes in Ancient Greece use massage to keep their bodies in peak condition prior to competitions
493 B.C. – Biblical reference documents daily massage with olive oil and myrrh
460 B.C. – Hippocrates promotes friction by rubbing to treat sprains and dislocations
150 B.C. – Roman physician uses massage therapy to treat injuries and disease
100 A.D. – First schools of massage were developed in China
1368-1644 – In China’s Ming Dynasty, pediatric massage evolved into a highly systematic treatment modality
1500s – European doctors and scientists raise awareness about the benefits of massage
1800s – Swedish physician Per Henrik Lik incorporates massage with medical gymnastics and physiology
1850s – Scientific massage therapy was introduced in the U.S.
1884 – Massage Scandals in Europe…physicians became skeptical of claims made by massage therapist and accused practitioners of stealing patients
1894 – Society of Trained Masseuses formed in Britain
1895 – Sigmund Freud used massage therapy to treat hysteria
1914-1918 – Massage used for rehabilitation of injured soldiers during World War I.
1927 – First massage association: New York State Society of Medical Massage Therapists
1930s – Hospitals staffed physical therapists who were doing massage.
1939 – The Florida State Massage Therapy Association organizes
1943 – First Massage Act was passed by the Florida Legislature…Chicago American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses forms
1949 – Massage Registration Act created
1960s – Esalen Center offers massage training and boosts its appeal
1970s – Massage use becomes popular with runners and athletes
1980s – Association of Bodywork and Massage Practitioners forms
1996 – Summer Olympics in Atlanta: first time massage offered as a core medical service
1997 – U.S. survey shows consumers spend as much as $6 billion on massage therapy
Today – More than 125,000 massage therapists are practicing in the U.S., with more than 80 million appointments by Americans every year
Resources: Naturalhealers.com, Thebodyworker.com, University of Maryland Medical Center
This is a great massage therapy timeline that you have put together. I wish I had this when I was attending massage school. It would have been very useful. Thanks!