The earliest writings about massage come form China and date back to 3,000 BC.
The ancient Greeks and Romans used massage to preserve health and aid healing. In Roman times, massage was used to treat stiff, sore muscles and joints, improving circulation and curing disease. Gladiators were given massage before and after fighting. Julius Caesar (who suffered from neuralgia) insisted on daily massage as he felt it helped him cope with his labours.
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine researched the benefits of regular massage and advised that an aromatic bath and fragrant massage should be had daily for maintenance of health. He wrote 'the physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing, for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose and loosen a joint that is too rigid'.
The modern massage of today (Swedish Massage) however is based on techniques and methods developed by Professor Per Henrik Ling (1776- 1839), a Swedish physiologist and fencing master. Ling studied in the 18th and 19th century and developed a system of movements he found helped him maintain his own health and physical condition. In 1838, a year before Ling died, a Swedish institute, teaching his methods, opened in London and it is his pupils in Europe who are thought to have made his methods known throughout the world.
Although there are many different types of 'massage' available today, nearly all are based on the Swedish Massage Techniques developed by Ling.