Massage and other forms of hands-on healing therapies have been part of human culture for thousands of years. The Oil Massage in Suzhou use of myriad
massage tools as extensions or supplements to the use of hands, as well as to enhance the massage experience, is also an ancient practice.
Herbs, flowers, crystals and stones are examples of some of the earliest massage tools. The late Robert Noah Calvert, founder of Massage
Magazine and author of The History of Massage, wrote that the "oldest massage tool yet to be discovered is supposedly a Neolithic jade
ritual blade from the Longshan culture of China, dating back to the Shang dynasty (circa 2000-1500 B.C.E.). The stone is believed to have
been used either hot or cold for placing on tired and sore muscles".
Massage therapy devices
But even a thousand years before this, there is evidence of the application of massage tools. In Mesopotamia and Egypt various lightly
curved scraping instruments or strigils (from the Latin strigilis; akin to stringere, to touch) were used. In ancient Greece and Rome, the
strigil was also used to scrape oils from the body and produce friction as part of the process of massage. For superficial tapping
(tapotement) the Greeks and Romans found ferules (from the Latin ferula or giant fennel) quite effective.
However, it was in ancient China, with its elaborate medicinal traditions and high sophistication in body treatments, that the greatest
number of actual massage therapy devices were developed. For example, swan's feathers were used for light tapotement, Body Massage in Suzhou clubs
and bats (made of bamboo and mulberry wood) for heavy percussion. Knuckles made of jade provided a deep pressure for the client and
gave relief to the practitionerĄŻs own knuckles.
Chinese massage tools also included a variety of stones (jade, marble, volcanic) that were placed on the body either heated or cooled. The
temperatures used in treatments also fluctuated according to season and individual body type: from Yin (stones placed or simply held to
penetrate the surface) to Yang (stones rubbed and moved to activate the circulation).
China is the true orginator of stone therapy
Because of its history and archeological artifacts, many believe that China is the true originator of stone therapy. However, some
practitioners and historians of traditional Chinese medicine believe that stone therapy dates back as far as 5000 years, combining the
influences of both China and India, and draws from the Mayan culture as well.
For example, Yogis practising within the tradition of Ayurvedic medicine worked with the Pranic energy that is equivalent to Chinese Chi,
and used breathing, meditation and massage to alter consciousness for healing and longevity. In this tradition, hands are applied on the
body for manipulation, as well as crystals and stones.
Another influence on modern stone therapy could be the Hawaiian stone massage tradition that was developed mostly independently.
Volcanoes and volcanic stones are abundant in Hawaii. Smooth basalt stones and guava tree sticks were traditionally used in so-called Lomi
-Lomi treatments. Balls of Out Call Massage in Suzhou raw lava used prior to the treatment were one of the first known exfoliation tools. |
