Category: History of Massage

(Taken from Ruth Williams, 25 years History in the Making, (full document on archive.org and also early newsletters of AMTA-WA (1953-1962) that I have scanned and uploaded to archive.org) August 16, 1943. Post graduate class of the College of Swedish Massage on East Ohio Street in Chicago, IL was presented with the idea of forming…

Practical Massage: Introduction to the Private Instructions in the Art of Massage By Dr. J.D. Balkam Archive.org Page 1 2 Editor’s introduction: This article comprises one of the smallest books on the subject of massage, only twenty-one pages in length. It was written by the author in 1887 while he was a practicing physician and…

The Physiological Effects of Massage By J.H. Kellogg, M.D. Editor’s introduction: John Harvey Kellogg, M.D., (1852-1943) is best known as the charismatic director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. The “San” as it was called, featured more than 200 varieties of water treatments along with massage and other natural therapies. Dr. Kellogg’s book, The…

The Meaning of Massage and Its Technique By Dr. Emil A.G. Kleen “MASSAGE means a manipulation or handling of the soft tissues by movable pressure in the form of stroking, rubbing, pinching, kneading or beating performed with a therapeutic aim. This is generally applied by hand, but can, of course, also be given by means…

Sports Massage has long been popular in European Countries and is a primary source of care. Trainers and coaches in the US used massage for restorative purposes, especially in boxing and track and field. The following are key dates and milestones: Circa 400 BCE Early Greek Gymnasiums focused on exercise that consisted of wrestling, jumping,…