Practicing massage started between 3000 and 2500 BCE. The earliest written records of massage therapy were discovered in Egypt and China.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) states that Chinese writings dating back thousands of years describe the use of massage therapy to treat injuries and prepare for sporting events.

And Japanese monks studying Buddhism in China observed the healing methods of traditional Chinese medicine, including massage therapy. Japan soon began to import and customize Chinese massage techniques, giving rise to traditional Japanese massage or anma, which grew into Shiatsu.

Records indicate its methods date back to 2700, B.C., when ancient Greek Olympians were massaged with oils, herbs, and dirt with the goal of creating a better athlete, a better competitor, a better champion. It remains a pretty accurate view of what sports massage can do to this day, and elite athletes recognize this fact.