Texts documenting the medical benefits of massage therapy date back to approximately 2700 BC. The Chinese tradition of massage therapy was developed from the combined expertise and methods of doctors in traditional Chinese medicine, practitioners of martial arts, Buddhists, Taoists... who viewed 'touch' as essential to their spiritual yoga, and laymen who offered massage for relaxation.

Chinese massage therapy methods originated from the principle that diseases and illnesses arise due to a deficiency or imbalance in the energy in specific pathways or meridians in the body that represent physiological systems. Through massage and other specific bodywork techniques, such as acupuncture, energy will flow more harmoniously through these pathways, allowing the body to heal itself naturally.

There are many types of massage therapy; in general terms it is the pressing, rubbing and manipulation of your skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Massage therapists typically use their hands and fingers for massage but may also use their forearms, elbows and even feet. Massage may range from light stroking to deep tissue pressure techniques. In the United States, massage therapy is sometimes part of conventional "Western Medicine"... in other instances, it is part of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, sometimes referred to as CAM.