15. George Downing (est. 1935-1978) was the author of The Massage Book (1972). This classic continues to be very popular with the general public, with more than 500,000 copies printed. Downing’s massage has come to be known as Esalen-style massage, named after the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, where the Human Potential Movement of the 1960s helped popularize massage and bodywork.
16. Moshe Feldenkrais, Ph.D., (1904-1984) developed the Feldenkrais Method of educational movement. Born in Russia, and trained as an atomic physicist and engineer, he escaped from Russia to England during World War II. He established the Feldenkrais Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1962. His book, Awareness Through Movement, is a classic in movement education therapy. His work has inspired many other systems of bodywork and continues to be taught and practiced worldwide.
17. Tiffany Field, Ph.D., (1942-present) is a leading researcher and spokesperson for the efficacy of massage and touch for a wide variety of applications. As director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Field supervises research projects, travels extensively to discuss her work and is one of the most respected advocates of massage therapy, crossing interdisciplinary lines both within and outside the medical establishment.
18. William Fitzgerald, M.D., (est. 1878-1935) developed Zone Therapy, upon which Eunice Ingham created reflexology, and provided the theoretical basis for several systems of kinesiology and energy-pattern methods.
19. Sandy Fritz (1953-present) is an educator, practitioner and the author of the best-selling textbook on massage, anatomy and physiology, Mosby’s Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage, which has outsold every other massage text
and is now a standard in hundreds of massage schools around the world.
20. Sister Rosalind Gefre (est. 1935-present) is one of the few modern-day nuns to pursue massage as a career, and the only one to establish five schools in the United States. She was a pioneer in bringing attention to how the Church and touch can have a healthy and successful bond.
21. George Goodheart, D.C., (est. 1928-1981) developed, in the 1970s, a system of muscle testing called applied kinesiology. He founded the College of Applied Kinesiology in 1974, and the system is now taught worldwide. It has had an enormous influence on others such as John Thie, D.C., who created the Touch for Health system.
22. Audrey Githa Goldbert (est. 1929-1980) was the British author of Body Massage for the Beauty Therapist (1972, 1989). Her book was the first in Europe to bring massage instruction to the beauty therapy field. The text provides the syllabus for the massage curriculum at the City and Guilds of London Institute, which grants the beauty therapist’s certificate. The book continues to be a standard text for students of massage in beauty therapy in England.
23. Axel V. Grafstrom, M.D., (est. 1870-1925) was the author of the popular book, A Text-Book of Mechano-Therapy, which was widely used by medical students, nurses and medical gymnasts in the United States. The first edition was released in 1897, the second and more widely used edition in 1904. Grafstrom was born in Sweden, but immigrated to New York where he practiced medicine. His book is one of the most clearly written on the subject of massage and medical gymnastics, and provided practicing physicians with up-to-date and accurate information.
24. Douglas Graham, M.D., (1849-1928) was a Boston physician and massage proponent who was, he claims, the author of the first book on massage in the English language, Manual Therapeutics, a Treatise on Massage, in 1884.
25. Thomas Hanna (1929-1990) was the creator of the Somatics Society and Hanna Somatics, and author of numerous books, most notably Bodies in Revolt: A Primer in Somatic Thinking. This book and Hanna’s legacy continue to influence the massage/bodywork field.
26. Hippocrates (460-355 B.C.) is known as the Father of Medicine, but is little known in the medical community as a proponent of massage therapy. Hippocrates charted a new course of massage from its shamanic roots of rubbing down (out the extremities) to rubbing up or anatripsis as he called it (in toward the heart or core of the body). Today both systems, rubbing down by the indigenous peoples of the world and the western model of massage via rubbing to the heart or with the venous flow exist side-by-side.
27. Eunice D. Ingham (1889-1974) was a physiotherapist who developed the Ingham Reflex Method of
Compression Massage (known today as reflexology) in the 1930s. Her books continue to be a source of instruction in the method. Reflexology is one of the most widely known hands-on practices and is taught worldwide. Her work initiated numerous other books and methods of reflexology
28. Kathryn L. Jensen, R.N., (est. 1890-1954) was the author of Fundamentals in Massage for Students of Nursing (1932), a textbook used in more than 30 nursing colleges in the United States and Canada. Jensen was director of
physical therapy instruction at Washington Sanitarium and Hospital School in Maryland.
29. Paul St. John (1955-present) introduced many of the laws of neuromuscular therapy to the trade. His work has been further developed by his successors and former students. St. John has taken his method to the dental and medical field in the United States and Europe, where it has gained considerable acceptance. His Tonus Concept theory, although not widely accepted in the trade, has caught the interest of the medical community.
30. Linda Tellington-Jones (1937-present), as the creator and teacher of her Tellington Touch® method of animal massage, is credited with bring healing touch to animals worldwide.
31. Deane Juhan (1945-present) is the author of Job’s Body, one of the first comprehensive texts to explore the many facets of bodywork in modern times. This landmark book explored the ancient philosophical foundations of bodywork by attempting to define, describe and explain underlying principles. Job’s Body continues to stand as a valuable resource of information and ideas.
32. Herman L. Kamenetz (est. 1921-1988) was a modern-day author of many chapters on the history of massage found in several books written about massage, exercise, manipulation and traction from 1960 through the early 1980s. The historic material provided by Kamenetz was the best available during the 20th century
33. John Harvey Kellogg, M.D., (1852-1943) was a writer, inventor, practitioner, eccentric, physician and entrepreneur. His most famous book, The Art of Massage, was published in several editions between 1895 and 1921. Some might consider him the father of massage in America. Kellogg created a school within his sanitarium at Battlecreek, Michigan, where he taught nurses holistic techniques like massage and hydrotherapy. His enduring contribution lies in his willingness to bring massage into the mainstream of medical spa practice. His book continues to be used in some schools.
34. Felix Kersten, (1898-1960) sometimes referred to as a doctor, but most often as a masseur, is responsible for saving the lives of countless human beings during World War 2. As personal physician to the Reichsfuhrer Himmler, Kersten administered massage he learned from a Tibetan practitioner, Dr. Ko. Kersten called this method ‘manual therapy’ or ‘nerve therapy.’ Through his ministrations to Himmler, Kersten was able to convince the S.S. boss to avert plans to send millions to their death. His contribution to the massage field is as its greatest humanitarian
35. Emil G. Kleen, M.D., (est. 1860-1921) was a Swedish physician, massage proponent and author of several texts on massage therapy. He was the first to suggest a separation between massage and exercise (gymnastics) and to criticize Peter Ling’s passive movements as not being massage. Kleen’s writings were translated into many languages and are responsible for bringing an elevated message about massage therapy to a wide medical audience.
36. Dolores Krieger, R.N., (est. 1923-present) and Dora Kunz (est. 1910-present), co-developed Therapeutic Touch, a type of bodywork that addresses the human energy field. Kunz, a nurse and natural healer, brought the ancient practice of laying-on of hands to the attention of her friend and colleague, Krieger. Krieger has written numerous books on the subject and taught Therapeutic Touch at dozens of colleges and universities. Therapeutic Touch is taught at more than 100 educational institutions throughout North America and is widely practiced within the nursing profession.
37. Freddrick LeBoyer (est. 1921-1986) was best known for his books about baby massage and labor, particularly the 1975 book, Birth Without Violence. LeBoyer can be considered the father of infant massage. Although his books are primarily about childbirth, his contribution lies in providing a worldwide audience with encouragement to include massage as a part of child care.
38. Kenneth Lubbowich (est. 1951-present) brought East and West together by taking practitioners from the United States to China and introducing them to Chinese tuina massage first-hand. Practitioners worked side-by-side with Chinese physicians of massage in traditional Chinese hospitals.
39. James Mennell, M.D., (est. 1890-1957) was an English physician and proponent of massage, and author of Physical Treatment by Movement, Manipulation and Massage. He worked as a medical officer and lecturer on massage at the Training School of St. Thomas’ Hospital in London from 1912 to 1935. He was perhaps the most prolific writer on massage during the early 20th century.
40. Aunty Margaret Machado (1916-present) is a Hawaiian kahuna. She introduced Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage techniques to the world, and is considered by many as the queen of Hawaiian Lomi Lomi. Although not the only Hawaiian kahuna practicing and teaching Lomi Lomi, she was the first to make this ancient technique available to the rest of the world. She did so as a representative of the Hawaiian people in order to reveal their way of life to the world so that it would be appreciated and perpetuated.
41. Mary McMillan, R.N., (est. 1888-1936) was chief aide at Walter Reed Army Hospital in 1918, and director of physiotherapy at Harvard University Medical School from 1921 to 1925. She made significant contributions toward introducing massage as an integral part of rehabilitative physiotherapy, and was also director of massage and medical gymnastics at Children’s Hospital in Portland, Maine. She was the author of Massage and Therapeutic Exercise (1925), and was elected as the first president of the American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association (later called the American Physical Therapy Association) in 1921. McMillan could be called the mother of massage in America.
42. Jack Meagher (1923-present) pioneered sports massage through his work with both human athletes and horses. His book, Sportsmassage (1980) is the seminal work on the topic. A former professional baseball pitcher turned massage therapist, Meagher knew he had achieved results through massage on human athletes, but team trainers and physicians were still skeptical, believing that the results were psychological—so Meagher tested his techniques on horses, with much success. Meagher is considered by many to be the father of both sports massage and equine massage.
43. Johan Georg Mezger (1838-1909). Thanks to Patricia Benjamin, Ph.D., Mezger may now be known as the true father of Swedish massage, instead of Peter Henrik Ling (1776-1839). It was Mezger, not Ling as commonly thought, who gave Swedish massage the French names—such as effleurage, petrissage, massage á friction, vibration and tapotement—used today. His enormous success in treating people with massage brought him worldwide acclaim, and he was widely respected by many physicians of his day.
44. Ashley Montagu (1905-1999) was born in East London as Israel Ehrenberg. He was a trained anthropologist and psychologist and the author of 50 books, the most acclaimed of which is Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin. Touching contributed immeasurably to our understanding of the human sense of touch and has provided an abundance of information for research, further writing and education. The book brought thinking and research about the relationship between animal and human behavior to an international audience and provided new appreciation for the value of and need for touch in animal and human populations. Montagu has been honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award of the American Anthropological Association and the Darwin Award of the Society of American Physical Anthropologists.
45. Michael Murphy (1932-present) and Richard Price (1932-1985), are the founders of the Esalen Institute at Big Sur, California, an incubator for developments and discoveries in bodywork and psychology since the 1950s. Esalen is considered the birthplace of the Human Potential Movement and the namesake of the Esalen massage technique.
46. William Murrell, M.D., (1853-1912) was an English physician and one of the strongest proponents of massage within the medical field of his day. Murrell traveled to Sweden, Russia, Holland, Finland and the United States to learn about massage first-hand. His book, Massage as a Mode of Treatment, published in 1886, was in its fifth edition by 1890—by which time the title had changed to Massotherapeutics or Massage as a Mode of Treatment, representing the first attempt to distinguish therapeutic massage from general massage.
47. Tokojiru Namikoshi (est. 1902-2001) is considered by many to be the founder of modern shiatsu. Although he did not invent nor develop the technique, he did systemize the therapy into a cohesive system. His teachings and those of his successors have inspired the development of numerous other shiatsu methods. His deceased son, Toru, is largely responsible for spreading the teachings of shiatsu worldwide.
48. Frank Nichols (est. 1931-1969) is the author of Theory and Practice of Body Massage, commonly known as ‘The Blue Book.’ This book was one of the most widely used in massage schools around the United States from its introduction in 1948 to the mid-1980s.
49. Hartvig Nissen (est. 1868-1940) was a Harvard University lecturer and author, from 1889 to 1932, of several books about massage. He also served as director of the Swedish Health Institute in Washington, D.C., and as president of the Posse-Nissen School of Physical Education in Boston. He was one of the few massage proponents of his time who was not a physician, and yet his influence was felt throughout the medical community.
50. Daniel David Palmer (1845-1913), born in Canada, was the founder of chiropractic. Palmer opened the first chiropractic school in the United States, the Palmer College of Chiropractic, in Davenport, Iowa, in 1897.
51. David Palmer (1948-present) invented the massage chair, which has had a significant impact on the massage trade and its supporting industry. It provided new opportunities for practitioners to do on-site massage, and is the most significant piece of new equipment since the invention of the portable massage table.
52. Thérèse Pfrimmer (1908-1980) was a Canadian nurse and massage therapist who developed the Pfrimmer Technique of cross-fiber massage. Pfrimmer’s method was self-taught, as she applied it first to rehabilitate herself and then struggled to convince the medical community of its value by working on many others throughout Ontario.
53. Bonnie Prudden (1914-present) is the creator of the Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy system of muscular pain relief. A well-known fitness guru, she was once a regular columnist for Sports Illustrated who brought national attention to the field of myotherapy. Prudden continues to teach, lecture and inspire.
54. Janet F. Quinn, Ph.D., (est. 1941-present) conducted groundbreaking research into the efficacy of touch and massage in the early second half of the century. Her work served as a model for other researchers who followed. She continues to research the effects of touch on infants.
55. Wilhelm Reich (1897-1957) developed the biological concept of character formation we refer to today as body armoring. His was the first body-centered psychotherapy and provided the conceptual framework and psychological map utilized by a variety of subsequent bodywork systems. Finding and releasing muscle memory through the use of body-probing techniques has been a significant contribution to the field of massage and bodywork.
56. Kaye Rive (est. 1953-present) is a South African practitioner who helped spread the word about massage throughout that country and lectured on its efficacy to international audiences in the United States and Europe. Although her field is beauty therapy, she has been one of the most outspoken proponents of massage in her country for more than two decades.
57. Ida Rolf (1896-1979) was an American biochemist who created Rolfing® bodywork (originally called Structural Integration, then Rolfing Structural Integration). The work synthesized her knowledge of yoga, physiotherapy and physics. Most deep-tissue methods used today have been highly influenced by Ida Rolf’s work. The Rolf Institute was established in 1971 in Boulder, Colorado, followed by the Guild for Structural Integration. Rolfing is now known around the world.
58. Franklyn Sills (est. 1948-present) is the author of the award-winning book The Polarity Process, which brought understanding of the complex and valuable work of Randolph Stone to a worldwide audience. Sills helped elevate the instruction of polarity therapy to new levels. He teaches around the world.
59. Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was an Austrian scientist and philosopher who developed an approach to medicine called anthroposophical medicine. His work has been highly influential in the development of movement therapies and in the field of humanistic medicine, and was an early precursor to other preventive and holistic therapies.
physical therapy, spawned craniosacral therapy and provided an alternative to traditional medical practice.
60. Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917) was an American medical doctor who railed against the medical techniques of the day in favor of a gentle technique that became known as osteopathy. He founded the first osteopathic school, the American School of Osteopathy, in Kirksville, Missouri, in 1892, and was a mentor to William Sutherland, who developed cranial osteopathy. Still’s work influenced numerous systems of physical therapy, spawned craniosacral therapy and provided an alternative to traditional medical practice.
61. Randolph Stone, D.O., D.C., N.D., (1890-1981) synthesized traditional healing concepts from around the world, particularly the Far East and India, to comprise a vibrational-and-energy concept he called polarity therapy. Austrian-born, Stone spent much of his professional career teaching and lecturing to the American medical establishment. His work has had enormous influence in the bodywork field, and polarity therapy continues as a thriving and beneficial practice taught worldwide today.
62. Madam Hawaio Takata (est. 1923-1954) continued the ancient Japanese practice of Reiki (raku kei) for 30 years after World War II. She was the world’s only remaining practitioner until 1974 when she taught the technique to others. Takata learned Reiki from its founder, Japanese physician Mikao Usui. Reiki is widely practiced today, and has influenced the spiritual and practical applications of energetic healing as a component of bodywork
63. Frances M. Tappan, P.T., (1915-1999) was a physical therapist and massage pioneer who first brought massage into the curriculum of physical therapy programs at the university level. She braved the cool attitudes of physical therapists and the medical establishment toward massage to bring its value into medical curriculum. She did so with awesome fortitude and enduring patience. Her book, Healing Massage Techniques, is in its third edition and is used in many massage schools as a supplemental text.
64. John Thie, D.C., (1933-2005) created and authored numerous books about Touch for Health, which has had an enormous effect on many bodywork styles. Taking his cue from Goodheart, Thie popularized the concepts of applied kinesiology into a system that is available to practitioners from many disciplines.
65. Jack Thomas (1929-present) was for eight years publisher of the newsletter Touch Therapy Times, the only independent North American publication to exclusively cover legislative and public policy issues for the massage and bodywork trade. Thomas continues his work as a staff writer for Massage Magazine. His coverage of legislative and credentialing issues is unparalleled in the field.
66. Zach Thomas (est. 1954-present) is the author of Healing Touch, The Church’s Forgotten Language. This book revealed for the first time the role of touch within religious institutions and practice. Thomas provided both a historic and contemporary view of how touch is an integral part of religious practice: The connection between spirit and love is often expressed through the laying-on of hands and other touching rituals.
67. Milton Trager, M.D., (1908-1997) developed Trager® Mentastics and the Trager® work method of bodywork. Born in Chicago, he was a professional boxer who later trained as a physiotherapist and physician, and discovered an intuitive method of healing and body therapy that became the Trager method. The Trager Institute, established in 1980, continues Trager’s work.
68. Janet Travell, M.D., (est. 1905-1997) creator of Trigger Point Therapy, has had a significant influence on massage and bodywork development. Even though her own therapy employed procaine injections, the concepts behind her work spawned many manual therapeutic ideas that developed into bodywork systems of their own. Travell also attended to President John F. Kennedy’s back problems.
69. John Upledger, D.O., O.M.M., (1932-present) is an osteopath who systemized and popularized his own therapeutic cranial technique, called CranioSacral Therapy. A master practitioner, author of numerous books on the subject and advocate of subtle therapeutic methods, Upledger built an international reputation for the Upledger Institute, which offers CranioSacral training worldwide.
70. Benny Vaughn (1951-present) is credited with bringing together the fields of athletic training and massage in the sports arena. His experience with collegiate and professional sports massage teams gives him tremendous credibility to advance his cause. His videos have garnered national attention among athletic trainers, with one receiving the American Athletic Trainers Association award for excellence.
71. Emil Vodder, M.D., (1897-1986) a Danish massage therapist and physician, along with his wife, Astrid, developed lymphatic massage technique to a fine science and conducted research into its efficacy. Their system, called Dr. Vodder’s Manual Lymph Drainage, was developed in 1932 and continues to be taught worldwide from their institute in Austria
72. Shane Watson (1949-present) is the author of The Massage and Bodywork Resources Guide of No. America (1981), the first comprehensive compilation of massage schools and equipment. He founded the Bodywork Emporium, the world's first and only chain of retail massage equipment stores, hosted the first commercial massage equipment internet site, and founded the Touch Foundation which provides free massage to the less fortunate.
73. Susan Salvo - She owns and operates "Bodyworks Massage Therapy by Susan Salvo and Associates" which she founded in Lake Charles in 1983. Bodyworks specialize in deep Swedish, relaxation massage, watsu, and spa packages. Ms. Salvo is a charter member of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Massage Therapy Association and has served as: President, Second Vice President, Secretary, Chairman of the Board, and Education Director. In 1989 she was honored with the title "Member of the Year" by the Louisiana AMTA. Ms. Salvo is nationally certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. In 1987 she founded the Louisiana AMTA sports massage team, which is still active today.
74. Dr. Dot - I wanted to meet the musicians, not just be in the audience, so I came up with the idea to go early to the concert halls and ask the roadies, management and musicians if they wanted to trade back or feet massages for tickets and passes. This was obviously a good idea and my massage is through word of mouth, known to be the best massage around. Naturally I don't trade anymore, it's now my profession. Meet the lady who took her two passions (music and massage) and made an exciting career and book about it!
75. Clair Davies (1937-2006) - Mr. Davies was a leading authority on pain treatment and the author of the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook and The Frozen Shoulder Workbook. Through his books and workshops with his daughter Amber, he touched the lives of hundreds of massage therapists and thousands of ordinary, hurting people over the last ten years of his life. For many years, Mr. Davies was a leading piano tuner, technician, and rebuilder in the Lexington area. He had trained at the Steinway factory in New York, served as president of the Bluegrass chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild, and was a pioneer in developing the capability for individuals to perform such large-scale piano rebuilding tasks as complete grand piano soundboard replacement.
