What is Massage Therapy

Massage is manual (or mechanical) manipulation of the soft tissues of the body by such movements as rubbing, kneading, pressing, rolling, slapping, and tapping.

The word massage has been traced to these sources:
 * Greek root masso, or massein, means to touch
 * Latin root massa comes from the Greek masso
 * Arabic root mass'h, or mass, means to press softly
 * Sanskrit word makeh means to press softly

A male massage practitioner is called a masseur.

A female massage practitioner is called a masseuse.

Massages that help with health problems are called massage therapy.