Massage in Medieval Europe: Hidden Healing
After the fall of Rome, public baths and massage culture declined sharply. 🛁
The Christian Church often discouraged bathing and massage, associating them with vanity or sin. As a result, most Europeans had limited access to self-care during this period.
🌿 But massage didn’t disappear entirely. Within monasteries, monks and healers continued using touch, herbal oils, and simple massage techniques to treat the sick. These quiet practices preserved some knowledge of healing touch.
💆 By the late Middle Ages, interest in classical medicine and hygiene slowly returned, paving the way for massage and bodywork to re-emerge in Europe.
✨ Even in restrictive times, the human instinct to care for the body found a way to survive.
📜 Fun fact: While Europe suppressed massage, other parts of the world like Asia and the Islamic world kept it alive — reminding us that self-care is truly a universal human need.
Text inspired by World Massage Champion 2024 Pinyapatch Chanyathunyaroj (Grace)
Jeppe Tengbjerg the Founder of International Massage Association and IMA Massage Museum together with Pinyapatch Chanyathunyaroj (Grace)
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