general

I'm not interested in massage professionaly, just for my boyfriend and I to have a way to treat each other. And this was the perfect book for us to learn. It goes over the three main types of massage in a clear precise manner, describes each kind of stroke, the positions the massuesse should be in for each stage of massage, everything! This is a great book for trying at home. It would be a cool if they did it with a spiral bound though so that you could leave it open to a certain page....

I found this book to be an excellent source for learning therapeutic massage. It also had an excellent section on reflexology. This book is easy to understand (like every book should be!). I disagree with the previous review. This is a massage book focusing on the wellness and holistic perspective. It is not meant to focus on the medical prospective which is mostly giving a medication for every condition, which only masks the symptoms. Masking the symptoms of a disease is the medical prospective and does not heal patients. Massage has been around thousands of years before the modernized concept of modern medicine in America. This book includes shiatsu also. This book can teach any massage therapist and bodyworker the essence of how to let a client heal themselves through the powers of touch.
I also used this book as a reference for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. In addition, I highly recommend getting these other books for preparing for the National Certification Examination:
The Ultimate Study Guide for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers (Topics: Human Anatomy, Physiology and Kinesiology) Volume 1
The Ultimate Study Guide for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers (Volume 2)
The Ultimate Study Guide for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers (Volume 3)
These study guide aided me in preparing for the National Certification Test. These 4 books are well worth your time. I give each 5 stars!

As someone who is about to graduate to be a Massage Therapist, I find the techniques in this book to be good, and the massage sequences outlined in the Sweedish Massage quite similar to the sequences I learned in school. The pictures and diagrams are thorough, and the instruction on Shiatsu is good as well.

From a professional perspective, I had some problems with this book though. One big probelm is the book discounts knowledge of anatomy as unnessicary for massage, and I strongly disagree with that. Massage is applied anatomy, and the study of anatomy is essential for anyone who wishes to be a massage therapist, or even a good ameture. Without understanding what it is you are pressing, kneading, rubbing, and tapping you're not going to be able to be very theraputic.

I was dissapointed that the book hardly touched on contraindications(cautions, conditions in which massage can be harmfull) such as cancer, diabeties, AIDS, alcohol consumption and others. Where it does mention contraindications, it's more of a short sidenote than anything.

The book has full nudity in most of the books pictures. While this isn't a bad thing nessicarily, I didn't see any information about draping procedures and protecting client modesty. Also, most of the massage is done on the floor, rather than a massage table and there was little discussion of body mechanics of the therapist. I get the feeling the book was actually meant for 'sensual' couples massage, rather than a guide for someone who is out to become a good massage therapist. In that light, it is a decent book for couples sensual massage.