The ancient art of massage: from China to ancient Greece

Since ancient times a generalist mode of massage has been used by man to help and / or heal. It is natural to resort to massage: against fatigue, pain, to relax and allow easier application of oils and ointments. We could define this gesture as an older form of medical treatment .

To talk about the art and benefits of massage, we must begin our journey in China . The first written records date back to 2700 BC. The entire East will be affected by this influence, especially India. In Egypt there were instead masseurs of the court, slaves, who massaged the feet of the royals, in a sort of religious and divinatory rite .

The Greeks went slower there. Homer talks about massage as a technique to recover the strength of the warrior. Hippocrates recommended anatripsis as physical therapy. It is therefore the Greeks who specialize massage in Western culture: on the one hand sports massage, linked to performances and games; on the other hand the healing massage, connected to wellness and medicine.

The art of massage: from the Romans to the modern era

The history of the art of massage is an integral part of the history and culture of ancient Ro ma . Essential also for the Romans, the massage becomes a fixed stop for those who go to the spa, where this art is proposed for beauty care. Galen, doctor of Marcus Aurelius, wrote a series of texts on the massage. Pliny, a famous Roman naturalist, was massaged regularly by expert slaves. Julius Caesar, who suffered from epilepsy, controlled migraines and neuralgia through massage.

During the Middle Ages, however, the art of massage is put aside. Every form of palpation of the body is considered sinful. A dark period then.

The massage was resurrected only during the Renaissance, and then grew in popularity during the 17th century thanks to the intervention of Henrik Ling, a Swedish doctor, who decided to codify the various existing massage techniques. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the art of massage began to be used almost regularly as a medical treatment. It is in 1894 that eight professionals founded the Society of Trained Masseurs, in practice the forerunner of the current Register of Physiotherapists.

Today the art of massage is accessible to most, and has been articulated in a myriad of techniques and methods.