Posts Tagged ‘massage therapy’

A few facts about massage therapy

• February 21st, 2010   • Massage   • No Comments  

We’ve seen an explosion in demand in the last decade for massage therapy services, especially in North America. In today’s
stressful world, where more and more workers spend their days in front of a computer, people want to take the time to relax and more
importantly take better care of their body.

But how far this profession and industry have become really? We’ve compiled a few facts about the industry and profession.

  • Today it is estimated there are more than 100,000 certified massage therapists in North America.
  • The vast majority of massage therapists are women (80%)
  • To become a certified massage therapist, the student has to go through between 500 and 1,000 hours or class and practice.
  • Massage therapy is considered one of the best part-time job out there, earning an average of $20 an hour.
  • An average certified massage therapist will give 40 massages every month
  • On average, a quarter of all adult Americans will get at least one massage this year
  • On average, for every man who gets a massage, two women will use this service
  • Spas are the most popular places to receive massage therapy
  • The Spa industry is a 11 Billion a year market, and it is estimated there are over 15,000 spa centers in North America alone
  • The most popular reasons to get a massage are, in order:  pain relief, injury treatment and then wellness. People go for massage predominately for therapeutic reasons and treatments.

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Where does massage therapy come from?

• February 19th, 2010   • Massage   • No Comments  

It’s a simple question: where does massage therapy come from? There are signs of massage therapy as early as 4,000 years ago
but it’s actually amazing to find that it is not limited to a single source. Massage can be found in pretty much all great civilizations.
Here are some examples historians and archaeologists have found through their discoveries

  • China: One of the first sign has been found in an ancient Chinese book, mentioning specifically the concept of “massage of
    skin and flesh”.
  • Babylon: The first civilization to use writings is the Babylonians. Extracts in their code of medicine mentions something very similar to massage therapy
  • Egypt: Hieroglyphs in tombs, and even more detailed papyrus were found to contain references to some form of body treatment with oils and vinegar. These documents date back to more than 1,000 year before the Roman Empire
  • India: Many people are familiar with the Ayurdeva, a traditional massage therapy from the Indian subcontinent. But many do not realize how old it is. Documents date back this practice to as early as 1500 BC, more than 3,000 years ago.
  • Romans: It is common knowledge that Romans were big fans of saunas and baths and they spread this new form of therapy
    through the world
  • Thailand: Long used by Buddhist monks, Thai massage are thought to be as old as the Buddha himself. Documents dating back to this period clearly states massage should be used to create harmony and balance.
  • Greece: The great founder of modern medicine, Hippocrates, regularly advised his students and colleagues to use massage
    techniques, or “rubbing” as part of their learning and experience.
  • Native Americans: Hot stones placed on the body were used to cure specific ailments.

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