Podcast Intro: Greetings and welcome to “The Hands Of History Podcast: A Production of the Society Of Massage Archives”, where we delve into the rich tapestry of massage therapy’s past, exploring its evolution, and the stories that have shaped this vital practice.
Background and Journey
1. Can you tell us about your background and what initially drew you to massage therapy?
What drew me to massage therapy was Martial Arts. I was studying Goju-Ryu Karate and I was always sore. My sister called and told me she signed us up for a weekend massage class at one of the local massage schools. After a weekend of receiving massage and feeling so much better I decided to sign up at Bodyworks Massage School in Spokane, WA. My teacher was Robert Calvert.
2. When did you first start collecting the history of massage, and what motivated you to do so?
I started collecting the history of massage in 1985. What motivated me was that after I got my massage license in Hawaii in 1985, I was trying to get my practice going by going out and talking to the public about massage, but was receiving some negative feedback about massage.
People still held onto the belief that massage was negative because it was connected to prostitution.
You have to go back and remember that this was a time when the states were just beginning to start the licensing process in their states. Massage Therapists were working out of their homes and just beginning to work in clinics, Spas, and Chiropractors offices. I was in an antique shop and came across an antique body roller and a vibrator still in the case with a brochure attached.
Inside the brochure was a chapter on the history of massage and the positive and therapeutic value of massage. It also showed the massage techniques to use on the face and body. I thought to myself that the public’s perception needed to be changed by educating them on the benefits and value of massage. Massage is not negative, it is positive and helps people.
So that is what started my journey on collecting massage objects and finding the history of the therapeutic benefits of positive touch with massage.
3. How has your approach to studying massage history evolved since the 1980s?
My approach to studying massage history has evolved since the 80’s. It has changed from collecting the physical objects, buying the physical objects online to finding research in books, medical , dental, nursing, and old Barber journals, and old ads. I love to talk with people who have been in the profession for 50 years and learn what it was like back then to practice massage.
I still go to antique stores because you just never know what you will find. I even search through different college and medical courses from the past to see if a massage course was taught In doing this I found out that there were so many categories related to massage that I was not aware of.
Massage has always been there in the fabric of people’s lives but sometimes hidden so I am a detective that finds it.
4. What are some of the most surprising or intriguing facts you’ve uncovered about the history of massage?
Some of the most surprising or intriguing facts that I have uncovered about the history of massage was that massage was connected with hydrotherapy, midwifery, shamans, beauty, military, dentistry and more. I love the stories of the people who authored books and taught their techniques, and lubricants they used. I found factual research that people wrote about from our past.
5. Are there particular cultures or time periods in massage history that you find especially fascinating?
Yes there are particular cultures or time periods in massage history that I find especially fascinating and that is the 1800’s. So much happened to move the history of massage along the long road to be accepted.
I have collected so much history of physicians who authored books, created physical massage machines and mediums to help people. Some of these Physicians from the past started sanitariums, health homes, massage schools, and associations.
I learned of so many locations where massage was practiced that I did not know of.
6. Can you share a specific story or anecdote from your research that stands out to you?
A specific story from my research that stands out is the story of Dr. Felix Kersten who studied manual therapy in Berlin under Dr. Ko, a Chinese physician but grew up in a monastery in Tibet.
Kersten went on and became the therapist for Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, a SS General. Kersten helped save thousands of lives with his expert hands working on Himmler for 5 years. He took away Himmler’s pain and it gave him the leverage to persuade Himmler to divert trainloads of hostages to freedom in neutral Sweden and Switzerland. Later Dr. Kersten was awarded Finland’s highest medical honor and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
If that story is too much then this story of me doing research with massage for one year every day on my one eyed horse Polly that I bought that was skinny, had low self esteem and was afraid to be touched.
She taught me that with patience, you can change an animal or a person with the power of positive touch.
7. How has the perception of massage therapy changed from the 1980s to today?
The perception of massage therapy has changed from the 1980’s to today to a much more positive one. It has become more widely accepted and utilized in our modern time. There were so many people that did the work to change the image, establish laws, associations and more through time. It has been a long evolution of people benefiting from people providing positive and healthy touch. We all know that stress is not going away and more people are taking responsibility for their health by receiving massages.
8. What significant trends or movements in massage therapy have you observed over the decades?
The significant trends or movements in massage therapy I have observed over the decades are that these movements have a pattern that is similar from previous patterns. When people first came to the U.S. in the early 1800’s, they brought their massage techniques with them that they had learned from their families or an internship. Physicians did massage in the past then different movements occurred and we had to get approval from them and educate them that we are professionals.
Massage has gone through its ups and downs through the ages. But massage has never gone away. During the 80’s there was a movement to establish licensing in the different states. Along with that was trying to decide what the definition of massage should be.
What were the terms called from the past depending on the movement of change in the industry from our past Profession? These terms changed.
In the past massage encompassed diagnosis and therapists worked on people with diseases and now the laws say we cannot diagnose.
Massage has always been done in many countries and the movement in the 1800’s was that men and women from many countries came to the U.S. and brought their therapies and techniques with them.
The trend from the past to find a mentor and apprentice with them to learn massage is still going on today. I encourage students to find a mentor and learn what you can from them before they retire.
9. In your opinion, how has the integration of scientific research impacted traditional massage practices?
In my opinion the integration of scientific research has impacted traditional massage practices. I think that the research that is being done today is great. They are proving the scientific evidence that massage is a valid therapy. But is it also important to do the research from our past to find evidence? It is there. Physicians and Nurses from our past did the research and wrote books and taught massage with that research that they found. Physicians and Nurses got on a ship and went to other countries to find that research and brought it back to the U.S.
So many people from our past had diseases and these massage teachers and operators massaged the people to help them and this research was written in the many books in the 1800’s and early 1900’s.If students who learn the different techniques knew where that technique came from, perhaps they would appreciate it more.
10. What methods do you use to preserve and share your findings on massage history?
The methods that I use to preserve and share in my findings on massage history are the terms that were used to practice these methods. Swedish massage I believe is still being taught in massage schools and should be preserved.
Although I have received a Swedish massage from many therapists who do not do all of the different strokes of Swedish massage in one session. There are many styles of Shiatsu that were taught in the late 70’s and 80’s that should be preserved. Even though Shiatsu would be classified as Body work.
11. Have you encountered any challenges in gathering or documenting historical information about massage therapy?
Yes I have encountered some challenges in gathering or documenting historical information about massage history. The challenge is the time that it takes to gather and document our history. It takes minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years to keep going to find and preserve our unique massage history.
It takes time to talk with young people in our industry and to encourage them to really stop and think about our unique massage history and be grateful for the people who came before us that moved our heritage along. It has been a challenge to go out to massage conventions and get people to take a history class instead of a class for a technique that they want to learn.
It has been a challenge to talk to people on the phone at a particular museum and try to convince them that I have research for their museum about massage and that it was connected with what they have documented. They don’t know or want to know that these two modalities worked together in the past.
I find it is a challenge that I don’t have the time to tell the story of people from the past and how they sometimes struggled to forge ahead with their process of writing or convincing others about the benefits of massage.
I have so many old books in different languages on massage but can’t speak the language.
12. Are there any particular resources, books, or archives that you would recommend for those interested in the history of massage?
I would recommend some books on the history of massage and those would be ‘The History of Massage’ by Robert Calvert, ‘The Emergence of the Massage Therapy Profession in North America’ by Patricia J. Benjamin, ‘Massage in Nursing Care’ by Kathryn L. Jensen-Nelson, M.A. R.N., ‘A Treatise On Massage’ by Douglas Graham, ‘The Art of Massage’ by John Harvey Kellogg.
There is so much history on the spas in the U.S. and other countries that therapists could research.
I have created 11 History of massage CEU online classes that people can take. They can go to historyofmassage.com
13. What do you think the future holds for massage therapy in terms of historical research and practice?
I think the future for massage therapy in terms of historical resource and practice is that massage teachers take the massage history books that have been written and teach a history of massage class at their school. Some schools do and some don’t.
I encouraged therapists to go to massage conventions and take a class with a person that has been in the field for many years.
14. How can today’s practitioners benefit from understanding the history of massage?
I think that today’s practitioners can benefit from understanding the history of massage by learning the techniques that have been around for hundreds of years in different countries. As a practitioner gains more practice in performing massage, they will learn to understand the power of positive healthy touch which is the foundation of our history of massage.
Learning about the history of massage is the first step in realizing the future of massage.
Practitioners of today need to have respect for those who have come before us because they have provided the wisdom and knowledge of massage that we can learn from.
15. What advice would you give to those who are just starting to explore the history of massage therapy?
My advice that I would give to those who are just starting to explore the history of massage therapy is: Think outside of the box on where to look for our history. I once found a book about massage in the law section of an antique store. People can call me or email me if they want advice in some category on our history.
Be patient if you really want to explore massage history because it takes time to for example read through a 200 page old medical journal for some small history.
16. How has your understanding of massage therapy changed as a result of your research?
My understanding of massage therapy is that it has changed as a result of my research. I now have an idea of how massage has been a part of the fabric of the history of the world. I am so proud of all of the many people who came before me and went through obstacles to try and spread the word about how important massage therapy is in our world.
Some of these people left the field that they were in and became a massage operator, or medical rubber.
17. What role do you think personal experiences play in the historical narrative of massage?
My role and personal experience that played in the historical narrative of massage was that I was able to travel all over the world for years and interview people in the field of massage and write about their style of massage and learn about the history of their technique and what their teacher taught them that they now pass on to students.
I also learned about their technique, from spending one on one with them. I could take just one thing they taught me in that interview and share it with someone.
18. Can you share how the history of massage has influenced your own practice or philosophy as a therapist?
The history of massage has influenced me in my own practice or philosophy as a therapist in that I read the old books on their technique and did my own research on my clients.
I learned that sometimes doing one technique on a client to help them might not work in that moment so go to another technique to see if it works to release that tight spot.
My research on liniments and creams was great because I could choose from different kinds to use on a client for a particular problem they had.
My philosophy is the same as the people from our past taught and that is massage has been significant in human history. Our positive touch makes a difference in people’s lives.
19. What legacy do you hope your work on massage history will leave for future generations?
My legacy that I hope for my work on massage history that I will leave for future generations is to get the information out to the public on a social media platform for all to enjoy and learn from in the future.
20. Is there anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t covered?
I would just like to share a quote from my husband Robert Calvert.
“Human touch as rendered by healing massage is an inherent need. The roots of massage lie solidly in the touch of a caring hand.”
21. Whose account of massage therapy (dead or alive) do you really wish were recorded and preserved
Whose account of massage therapy (dead or alive) do I really wish were recorded and preserved?
That is a hard question to answer because so many people both men and women have come before us to pave the way with their massage techniques to help mankind.
In the history of massage it isn’t the great personalities that have carried the banner forward and advanced the field, but has been the many individuals playing away at their loved work.
23. Who would you encourage or challenge to participate in this podcast’s future episodes?
I would encourage therapists that practice all different types of massage to be in future episodes.
I would encourage massage therapists to talk about one of their teachers who made a difference in their life as they moved forward in their career.
It would be nice to learn about different professions that work with massage therapists to talk about why they came together for the benefit of the patient.