Massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In European countries, a person professionally trained to give massages is traditionally known as a masseur (male) or masseuse (female). In the United States, these individuals are often referred to as massage therapists, because they must be certified and licensed as "licensed massage therapists". In some provinces of Canada, they are called “Registered massage therapists”, as they are regulated health professionals.
In professional settings, clients are treated while lying on a massage table, sitting in a massage chair or lying on a mat on the floor. There are many different modalities in the massage industry, including (but not limited to): deep tissue, manual lymphatic drainage, medical, sports, structural integration, Swedish, Thai and trigger point.
The word comes from the French massage 'friction of kneading', which, in turn, comes either from the Arabic word مَسَّ massa meaning 'to touch, feel'. the Portuguese amassar 'knead', from the Latin massa meaning 'mass, dough', or the Greek verb μάσσω (massō) 'to handle, touch, to work with the hands, to knead dough'.
By contrast, the ancient Greek word for massage was anatripsis and the Latin was frictio.
Archaeological evidence of massage has been found in many ancient civilizations including China, India, Japan, Korea, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Mesopotamia.
BC 2330: The Tomb of Akmanthor (also known as "The Tomb of the Physician") in Saqqara, Egypt, depicts two men having work done on their feet and hands, possibly massage.
BC 2000: The word muššu'u ("massage") is written for the first time, and its use is described, in some Sumerian and Akkadian texts found at the beginning of the 21st century in ancient Mesopotamia.
BC 722–481: Huangdi Neijing is composed during the Chinese Spring and Autumn period.
