Recently I was wondering where we ever got the idea of an hour massage from. Seems to me the hour massage is the most common. I am a voracious reader and I don’t just collect old massage books, I read them, so I thought I would pull out a couple and share them with you.
A Practical Treatise of Massage by Douglas Graham, M.D. 1885
Page 37
A good manipulator will accomplish more in 15 minutes than a poor one will in an hour,
Okay so this guy isn’t attached to the hour at all right?
Page 121
In 1870, a vigorous man in the incipient stages of locomotor ataxia was sent to me for massage. He was given daily massage for three-quarters of an hour, and at the end of a week he visited his physician, who, without waiting to question him, at once pronounced his walking better. “Yes,” said the patient, “I have had three times as much massage as you told me to have!” Not long after this, this same physician was prescribing massage by the hour, and soon many other physicians were following his example.
We can only hope more physicians will keep following this example!
Then I pulled out this iconic tome.
Massage and Therapeutic Exercise by Mary McMillan 1921
Chapter IV Outline for General Massage;
Page 21
This treatment should be given with effleurage and passive movement to each joint, and should not cover more than 20 minutes.
Afterward a general massage within a fifty-minute limit may be attempted.
Is it possible that the 50 minute hour massage might have come from this text in 1921?
If so, they may not have read thoroughly because the 50 minute general massage follows the 20 minutes on all the joints. Anyone want to switch to 70 minute massage sessions now?
Page 22
There is no hard and fast rule, but the following table, stating the approximate length of 
time for the limbs and trunk, is given as an aid to beginners:
Upper Limbs 10 minutes
Lower Limbs 15 minutes
Back 10 minutes
Chest 5 minutes
Abdomen 5 minutes
Wow! What a recipe. I am sincerely hoping no beginners take this seriously.
We are not beginners so feel free to make up your own recipe when you schedule an appointment with Christopher or I. Just remind us to do the 70 minute hour session. Please give us a call at 610-906-2322.