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Discover the traditional french massage
The traditional French massage is a style provided exclusively by the Massage Concept salon.
Nicolas M., a masseur and professor for the past 15 years with a passion for the art’s history, has spent two years combing through old records and sketches to design a massage method based on French spa traditions.
Such a massage will take you on a journey of well-being spanning 2000 years of history.
the traditional French massage technique applies high pressure to work deep into the muscle. Thanks to particular attention on the feet, hands and face, our traditional technique results in a complete relaxation and muscle release that cannot be resisted!
While adapting to your sensitivities, our work on your muscles will strengthen and revitalise your back, legs and abdomen – the cradle of emotions – to promise you an entirely unique experience …
The Traditional French Massage, its Origins and History
Lutèce
The architectural construct of the baths was comprised of the following areas:
- A gymnasium for exercising,
- Warm (tepidarium), hot (caldarium) and cold (frigidarium) baths,
- Massage and rest rooms
After the fall of the Roman Empire, marking the beginning of the Middle Ages, the practice of massaging was banned by the Christian clergy.
It was not until the 16th century, at the Symphorien Champier (1472-1539), did the physician of both Charles VIII and Louis XII propose that massaging be applied to treat the elderly and children. The scientist Ambroise Paré (1509-1590) showed the anatomical and physiological bases of massaging in post-surgical care. Laurent and Joubert studied the science of massage in 1582 and observed that it greatly increased blood circulation. Nicolas Andry de Boisregard (1658-1742), Dean of the Faculty of Paris and supporter of the therapeutic movement, noted the effects of friction on blood circulation and skin colour and proposed massaging to help maintain circulation.
In 1770, Clement Joseph Tissot (1747-1826), surgeon of Napoleon’s armies, published a book on exercise and mentioned friction generated by hand. He was the first to speak of kneading, « By flooding and triturating blockages in the ligaments of joints, we can rejuvenate circulation. In this manner we can prevent ligaments from clogging and forming a mass which would result in the full loss of mobility.”
At the height of their supremacy, the French armies discovered the curative effects of the Aix-les-Bains massage showers.
In 1818, the French physician Pierre Adolphe Piorry (1794-1879) was the first to research the physiological effects of massage. He noted its effect on the skin and its components, and on muscles and joints, for the first time mentioning the word tapotement [a rhythmic percussion technique most frequently administered with the edge of the hand, the French word Tapoter meaning to tap or to drum].
In 1847, Dr. Bouvier, a specialist in childhood diseases, proposed a method to heal neurological diseases involving a series of active and passive exercises, massaging and friction showing a close and inseparable relationship between gymnastics and massage.
A thesis on massaging, supported in Paris in 1863 by Dr. Jacques Estradere, confirms the importance of massaging techniques and marks the first work in French literature to list all the hand positions and manoeuvres defining the massage.
We should also note the history of French bonesetters, who have greatly contributed to the development of massage techniques since the age of the Franks, through the Gallo-Roman period to the present.