The Complete Guide to Massage: A Step-By-Step Approach to Total Body Relaxation

by Susan Mumford

Book Overview

Who hasn't responded to the blissful touch of massage as stress, fatigue, aches and pains melt away under practiced hands? This lavishly illustrated guide helps readers learn to create the delightful... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452275180
• ISBN13: 9780452275188
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.7" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Very nice Massage Book

This Massage Book is easy to read and the pictures are clean and clear. Bonus: I like the information included on different massage oils and scents you can make from scratch or purchase.

The Best Massage Book (for a weird reason)

A massage book isn't just for learning how to massage people, although this one does a fine job of that (as my boyfriend can attest). If you're like me, however, you know that just browsing through the pages of such a book can be very relaxing after a long hard day. Now, in my experience, all massage books have a few things in common - everyone looks peaceful and serene, and the language, while inevitably flowery, is nonetheless often indescribably helpful in getting me to unwind. I've spent a long time looking for a great massage book, and this is it. What distinguishes it from others? It's simple: THE PEOPLE IN IT AREN'T FRIGHTFULLY UGLY. What is it with all these other massage book authors, that they feel the need to feature such nightmarish examples of our species just to make the point that massage is for everyone? Yes, we're all "beautiful" inside, but why the headbands, the grossly obese, the skin-tight striped leggings and leotards, the hawk noses, the stark full-frontal nudity of 92 year old grandmothers? Now, don't get me wrong. If you want a massage book to learn to actually be a professional practitioner, then there are more complete, better written, and better organized massage books out there than this one. But if you feel that the point of such a book is not just for instruction (mind, this one is just fine for learning to massage your friends) but for leisure reading and enjoyment at home, then this should be your pick. Each page features many really great glossy color photos of blissful, attractive men and women having their backs scratched and their toes wiggled. If you look really closely you can even see some of the models cheerfully flirting with each other. You don't have to worry about your happy trance being trashed by a single example of freakish nudity; although the models are naked it's pretty discreet. There's also a nice bit about choosing oils that I quite like. This book is a definite winner.

A wonderful resource book for massage

I greatly enjoy this book. It has proven to be a wonderful addition to my book collection. The many pictures make this a very clear to understand and educational book. It has a section that covers anatomy, which is very helpful when giving a massage. Also it talks about how to prepare yourself to give a massage. The section on oils is very informative and usefull. I would recomend this book to anyone who is interested in giving a better massage.

Learn how to combat stress with this book

At some point, we have all experienced physical tensions due to stressful situations, not realizing that relief can be obtained through massage, one of the most successful ways to loosen up those knotted muscles and revitalize the system. We instinctively rub tensed, aching areas to get some relief, so why not learn the proper techniques that provide the best results, as outlined in this photographic tutorial. It illustrates the most effective massage sequences for alleviating stress and soothing those tensed muscles. Even beginners can easily access the techniques because of the easy to follow expert instructions that introduce simple massage strokes, before gradually going into more intricate procedures. This profusely illustrated training manual is structured to allow you to practice and complete one section before moving on to the next. Each section is built on the previous one, making it easy for you to develop your own style and special combination of strokes, adapted to suit your particular taste. Included are sections on sensual massage, self-massage, and how to eliminate headache and sinus tensions brought on by stress. In addition to performing the warm up exercises that should be done before beginning a session, - or learning how to mix essential oils to enhance the massage, - a brief anatomy guide is presented so you can become familiar with the muscles and where to place the hands to obtain maximum results.This step-by-step pictorial guide therefore teaches how to combat stress and its associated effects, and it doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a seasoned practitioner, as the knowledge gained will elevate your skills to a much higher degree.

The one massage book you'll ever need!

At a glance this book is easy to follow and understand. It has at least three color pictures per page, illustrating the techniques to lessen pain, or merely bring a peace of mind. A very good value for your money!