Massage therapy has continually evolved over the past years of its existence. Civilizations in the East and the West praised massage therapy for its healing benefits and its ability to prevent future illnesses. The first recorded documentation of massage therapy dates back thousands of years in China and in Egypt. The Chinese founded the idea that massage techniques could harmonize energy flow.
Through the rebalance of energy the body could become rebalanced and heal itself. Chinese medicine, marital arts practitioners, Buddhists and Taoists used massage as an essential part of their spiritual yoga training.
Egyptian drawings around the same time depict individuals being massaged by practitioners. This is believed to be the beginnings of reflexology. Reflexology uses specific touch points to the hands and feet that are connected to other parts of the body. By doing this the corresponding body part can receive beneficial effects and improvements. At the beginning of BCE Buddhist Japanese monks studying in China took what they had learned about massage therapy back home.
The Japanese began evolving their own techniques of massage therapy. This gave way to the creation of traditional Japanese massage therapy anma β as a result it inspired Shiatsu. In BCE massage therapy continued evolving in the East, eventually spreading its influence to the West. Ancient Greek athletes incorporated massage into their health regiments. This kept their bodies in top psychical condition and on top of their performance. Physicians used massage in a combination with herbs and oils.
The Greeks realized the additional benefits of aromatic oils, using them as beauty treatments for their skin. In BCE Rome, a physician by the name of Galen used massage therapy to treat injuries and diseases. Galen was a physician to many emperors making massage a staple part in their health routines. Wealthy Romans began receiving massages regularly in their homes. The majority of Romans would go to visit a public bath where doctors would administer massages.
