Massage is the practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical, functional, and in some cases psychological purposes and goals. Massage involves acting on and manipulating the body with pressure - structured, unstructured, stationary, or moving - tension, motion, or vibration, done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, forearm, and feet.

Massages may be preformed while lying on a massage table, sitting in a chair, or lying on a mat on the floor. It can be done with the patient being either fully or partly unclothed. Parts of the body are usually drapped with a sheet.

Massage started to become popular in the United States in the middle part of the 1800's. It decreased a little in the 1930's and 40's but then in the 1970's it again began to grow with a notable rise among athletes.  Nurses also started to use massage to help ease patients' pain and help them sleep.

Massage can be preformed by a massage therapist, or by other health care professionals, such as chiropractors, osteopaths, athletic trainers, and/or physical therapists. Massage therapists work in a variety of medical and recreational settings and may travel to private residences or businesses.

Peer-reviewed medical research has shown that the benefits of massage include pain relief, reduced trait anxiety and depression, and temporarily reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and state anxiety.