The History of Swedish Massage
Swedish massage is usually credited to Per Henrik Ling, a Swedish physiologist and gymnastics teacher who developed a system of 'medical gymnastics' in the early 1800s. Ling combined movement, exercise and hands-on techniques to improve circulation and mobility.
Later in the 19th century the Dutch practitioner Johann Georg Mezger gave the strokes the French names still used today – effleurage, petrissage, friction and tapotement. Through the 20th century this approach became the foundation of Western massage training and remains the base technique taught to therapists worldwide.