This article outlines the history of massage, from its primitive origins to the present day, when technology has provided devices that can assist people in this historic practice of well-being.
Massage in Prehistory
Contrary to what is reported by many online documentations, the practice of massage as an act of caring does not date back to antiquity, but to prehistory.
The origins of massage are in fact found in the compassion that a human being has for his neighbor. However, anthropological studies attest to the existence of a character of compassion for one's neighbor from the first homo sapiens. The archaeological elements are thus proof that the human being from his origin has been attentive to the health of his loved ones.
Massage in its primary form was thus naturally used by these men and women to take care of the wounded or sick. It is indeed instinctive to touch and massage the places following a shock. Look at a child who hits his leg, instinctively he will be able to hold it and rub it to relieve the pain. Massage is an instinctive action.
Massage in Antiquity
Antiquity is commonly dated from the birth of writing, i.e. 3500 and 3000 BC. In the collective imagination, the wealthiest Greeks and Romans had slaves who took care of them and massaged them at their convenience. This picture has some limitations, because it tends to turn a blind eye to more popular practices combining physical activities and massages. Indeed, gymnasiums were public buildings where Greek citizens met to physically exercise in wrestling covered in olive oil. For recovery, massages could then be performed. The Romans having appropriated part of Hellenistic culture, we can find in them this art of living combining sport and massage. The etymology of the word massage comes from the Greek "massein" meaning to knead and massage is not far from the Latin word "manus" meaning hand. The very origin of the word massage says a lot about the history of this age-old practice.
In the world and especially in Asia, ancestral massage practices that we still find today were born during this ancient period. Shiatsu massage was thus a component of the ancient medicinal tradition; a spiritual relationship being brought in this deep connection to the body.
All ancient civilizations have developed their own medicinal massage traditions, passed down through the generations to us; massage is an ancestral art of well-being.
Massage in the Middle Ages and Modern Times
The Middle Ages are often described as a time of darkness followed by a brighter renaissance with a return to the noble practices of antiquity. Again, this picture is not appropriate. The medicinal practices of antiquity were mostly taken up during this period. Massage could then be used as a therapy for back pain in particular.
The plague, an epidemic that decimated a large part of the population on different occasions between the 14th and 18th centuries, caused a decline in practices such as massage. Fear of the disease naturally limited contact.
Massage in Contemporary Times
The 19th century is the century that opens the industrial revolution. The hardship of workers is a constant with many pains experienced by workers. An ideal to take care of the working world could be expressed in different political currents and establishments were designed for the comfort of workers, especially during their vacations in spas where massage had a central place.
New massage techniques were developed during this period, such as Swedish massage (19th century), and later lymphatic drainage (20th century). In the 1980s, the first massage device was introduced in America to relieve the pain of computer scientists in Silicon Valley.
In this continuity, massage devices have been developed and enriched by long experience in order to reproduce the work of human hands. Since massage should no longer be limited to specific cases, but a door to well-being, massage devices allow quality massages with health benefits to be performed in safe conditions.
Below you can find massage devices designed for your well-being. From the origins of humanity to today, Man has always found in massage a medicinal practice that is now made easily accessible by science.
