From: sasqatch@access.digex.com (Sasquatch)
Subject: Reply to _The Massage Book_ (*LONG*)
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 17:35:04 GMT

cmarble@linus.claremont.edu (Chris Marble) writes:
>I picked up a copy of _The Massage Book_ recently and I was wondering if
>anyone out there has any strong opinions about this book.

Before anyone flames me for getting off topic, I have never seen the book
in question, however, my followup *is* related... just read on, McDuff...

>  I've been
>hand and back massages at Science Fiction conventions for years.  Some
>people come back to me year after year.  Closest thing to any formal
>training I've had was a 3 hour workshop at this years World Science
>Fiction Convention.  The group all had some experience so the host
>spent the time showing ways to massage without making yourself quite so
>tired at the end.

Glad to see there are others out there!  Next month i will be attending
the Con which will mark my 10th anniversary of massage.  Wow... how'd I
do that.  I, like you, have many repeat customers at conventions, and 
would have loved to have attended the afformentioned panel as the biggest
problem with massage that I run into at cons is that everyone wants one
and I rarely seem to have enough energy to go around. *sigh*  However,
that panel makes you 3 hours up on me as far as 'formal' training goes.
>:-)>=

>  The book seems to be more into oil, energy, body awareness and the
>like.  Are the massage techniques it introduces good ones?

Now for the reason this followup is posted, I would like to take this time
to sing the praises of another book:
 The Book of Massage 
 (subtitle: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Eastern and Western Techniques)
 Written by Lucinda Lidell with Sara Thomas, Carola Beresford Cooke, and
  Anthony Porter under the overall consultancy of Clare Maxwell-Hudson.
 (the 'written by' take right off the back cover.)
 Published by Simon & Schuster
 ISBN 0-671-54139-0
 Price (8 months ago) $13.95

As I said earlier, I have been giving massage from the school of Eclecticus
Maximus for almost 10 years now, and this book was purchased less than a 
year ago.  But the techniques it describes are the ones that, IMHO, worked
the best over all.  

It is divided into 3 main sections (plus 3 smaller ones which almost equal
a 4th section):  Massage, Shiatsu, and Reflexology. 

The '4th section' is best described from the table of contents:
THE HUMAN TOUCH
  Maternity
  Babies
  Later Life
  Massage and Exercise
  Self Massage
BODY READING
  Splits and Asymmetries
  Feet and Legs
  The Pelvis/The Belly
  The Chest/Shoulders and Arms
  Neck, Head and Face
  The Body Speaks
ANATOMY
  (10 pages worth of *useful* diagrams and explanations)

This book can be used by novice and noted alike.  After 9 years of no 
'training' but good OJT, it helped to refine minor points.  I didn't 
learn anything MAJOR out of it, but like I attribute this to good
victim^H^H^H^H^H^Hvolunteers over the years that have gotten from me
and have given to me.

Sorry for the long winded post, but I hope you find it useful.

--
This has been another 
blithering message from...                    --Sasquatch
Sasqatch@access.digex.com