The history of massage therapy has been a roller coaster ride from the beginning, having many twists and turns along the ways.  The highs have gone all the way up to include members of royalty, and the lows all the way down to include associations with prostitution.  However, through it all, the concept of the healing touch has stood the test of time.

Although in Eastern civilizations the concept of healing touch has never faltered, in western civilizations it has had many highs and lows.  The concept of healing through touch has been around since the beginning of time; however, we don’t find it in written history until 2000 B.C.  From 500 B.C. through to the middle ages the art of massage, which was based on gymnastic movement, was on a steady rise.  The Greek physician Hippocrates, who is known as the father of medicine, was a large contributing factor to the increase in popularity, as was the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar.  During the middle ages the Greco-Roman traditions were lost in the west to all but the common folk.  This led to an association between massage and the supernatural.  Which in turn cost massage what little scientific validity it had.  However, in sixteenth century Europe, the French physician Ambrose Pare brought part of the respect back to the practice, leading once again to a rise in popularity.  Even though, the concept of massage in the west had a bumpy ride in the beginning, this was nothing compared the 1800's. 

The nineteenth century proved to be both a successful and a trying time for massage therapy.  During the early 1800's Per Henrik Ling was given credit for the development of the Swedish massage.  He taught many physicians from different countries and this led to worldwide recognition before his death in 1839.  Shortly after, Dr. Johann Mezger helped to eliminate the communication problem by bringing massage in to the scientific community.  Massage travel to the United States with the Northern Europeans, and continued to grow in popularity until the late 1800's.  Back in Britain, it took a little longer.  It wasn’t until Queen Victoria expressed her support that the British physicians began to view it favorably again.  In 1894 the concept that massage was a legitimate medical art was eroded once again.  This time by scandals that ranged from abuse of certification to out and outright prostitution.  The same year as the scandals, the first standards for training were introduced by the Society of Trained Masseuses.  And so the concept once again survived.  In fact the 1800's brought massage from an unskilled trade to the beginnings of physical therapy and the basis for what we know it to be today.

The concept of healing through touch has stood the test of time.  Even though we are still combating the connection between massage and prostitution, the profession is gaining in recognition.  Most people recognized the fact that the human body needs to be touched in order to stay healthy.  As the practice of licensing increases in other states, and the level of education and training become more standardized, we can only hope that the medical and scientific communities will accept this fact as well.