Massage is the practice of applying structured or unstructured pressure, tension, motion, or vibration — manually or with mechanical aids — to the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, joints, lymphatic vessels, organs of the gastrointestinal system to achieve a beneficial response. Massage Therapy is performed primarily by a professional Massage Therapist but is often used as a form of therapy by other Healthcare practitioners such as Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Physical Therapists.

In professional settings, massage involves the client being treated while lying on a massage table, sitting upright in a massage chair, or lying on a pad on the floor. Except for modalities such as Acupressure, Shiatsu, Tui Na, Thai Massage, or Barefoot Deep Tissue, the massage subject is generally unclothed or partially unclothed, also referred to as disrobed, and their body would be "draped" with towels or sheets.

The practice of covering the parts of the body that are not being massaged is referred to as draping and its practice varies from one part of the world to another. In addition to making a professional statement and providing a boundary, draping helps keep the client warm which aids in the relaxation response. In some countries it is required that certain areas such as the genitals on both genders and the breast/nipple area on women be draped at all times.

In the United States draping is a standard of the profession, while in other parts of the world, such as some parts of Europe, it is not practiced at all. In most forms of massage, the session begins with the client face up, referred to as supine, or face down, referred to as prone, for the first part of the session and then the client rolls over for the second half. Relaxation is necessary for benefits to be achieved.

Good communication is essential to effective massage. The client and therapist should discuss the type of treatment expected: intention of the massage, areas to be massaged and to be avoided in full body massage, the amount of pressure that is comfortable, preferred techniques and how they affect the body. The client's medical history and current physical condition should also be discussed. This is called informed consent.

There are many different kinds of massage therapy, ranging from Swedish massage to Shiatsu. They are have the same aim to promote a feeling of physical and mentally well-being, and all involve stroking, pressing and kneading the soft tissues. However, each massage therapy works in different ways and on different areas of the body. Some work directly on muscles and soft tissues and others on acupressure points.

Recommended Book To Read

The Complete Book of Massage (Paperback)
by Clare Maxwell-Hudson

I found that this book has relatively good information, however, I found out most of this by myself. After reading through it once I already have most of the information memorized. This book is more the top layer of the muscle. I go to a choir college and a lot of the people here have deep knots in their shoulders and lower back. Trying to use this information does not help too much. Oh, don't get me wrong, there are several things in this book that I could use, although I might have to alter it a little. For someone that wants to go into massage therapy, I would suggest getting a few other books. I myself have purchased Art Riggs' Deep Tissue Massage book.

I would recommend this book for the people that just want to relax people for a short time. If however you would like to cause a deeper, longer lasting feeling of relaxation, purchase some other books. This book only provides the "icing on the cake" of massage.. I think. I sort of regret this buy, so think at least twice before buying.