The Complete Book of Massage

Rating:
Summary: Very good for learning massage
Review: After reading this massage book, I gained more confidence in giving other people massages to the point of making a career on it. It provided me with the right push towards the right direction. The insights and tips that the author gives are so helpful.

Rating:
Summary: A really great massage book that you should get
Review: After reading this massage book, I gained more confidence in giving other people massages to the point of making a career on it. It provided me with the right push towards the right direction. The insights and tips that the author gives are so helpful.

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Massage Book
Review: An enjoyable and very useful book. A Comprehensive step-by-step guide. Beautifully, clearly and richly illustrated! Covers everything : what to do before you start, basic techniques, massage for every part of the body, aromatherapy, self-massage, massage for babies and children, healing massage, and a little about pressure techniques (shiatsu and reflexology). This is "the book" to have if you want to learn about giving massage. Show it also to your partner and if you're lucky you may get to experience the magic of massage without having to spend a fortune.

Rating:
Summary: Novice at Massage, good reference book
Review: I am a novice at massage and treat it entirely as a hobby. This book was a great reference for learning new techniques and how to apply them. I heartily recommend this book to anyone learning to give a proper massage.

Rating:
Summary: Not enough..
Review: I found that this book has relatively good information, however, I found out most of this by myself. After reading through it once I already have most of the information memorized. This book is more the top layer of the muscle. I go to a choir college and a lot of the people here have deep knots in their shoulders and lower back. Trying to use this information does not help too much. Oh, don't get me wrong, there are several things in this book that I could use, although I might have to alter it a little. For someone that wants to go into massage therapy, I would suggest getting a few other books. I myself have purchased Art Riggs' Deep Tissue Massage book.

I would recommend this book for the people that just want to relax people for a short time. If however you would like to cause a deeper, longer lasting feeling of relaxation, purchase some other books. This book only provides the "icing on the cake" of massage.. I think. I sort of regret this buy, so think at least twice before buying.

Rating:
Summary: Very good for learning massage
Review: I found this book to be written in an interesting and understandable way. I used this book as a resource for helping me prepare for the massage national boards. The pictures are great in this book and serve to only facilitate greater learning. I also used the following for the National Certification Examination:
Tortora's Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. This textbook is needed for board preparation. It's easy to read, excellent reference. For the actual questions to prepare for on the National Certification Examination get the following.
The Ultimate Study Guide for the National Certification Examination for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Key Review Questions and Answers by Patrick Leonardi
Vol 1, isbn; 0971999643
Vol 2, isbn; 0971999651
Vol 3, isbn; 097199966x
These 3 study guides were right on the money for the type of questions that were of board type. These 5 books helped me pass the national certification exam by a lot!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for beginners and therapists
Review: This book is excellent and has every picture for every step and also shows you how to use oils, which types of strokes there are, and also talks a little about reflexology. It has all types of massage: Back,legs,arms,hands,shoulders,buttocks,stomach, and neck. Has massage for babies and pregnant women. Shows how to setup your own massage place and is excellent for beginners.

Rating:
Summary: Too Involved to Learn Easily
Review: This is a somewhat clinical approach to what should be a really warm and personal subject. The author has a tendency to go on and on, burying us with minutia that we don't really need unless we are involved in massage professionally.

Offputting for the novice, hobyist or hedonist; might work better for the professional-level massage practitioner.