Championship category
Freestyle Western
Free routines built on Western technique: Esalen, lomi lomi, myofascial release, hot stone and more, judged on flow and originality.
Practices related to this category
Hawaiʻi
Lomi Lomi (Hawaiian Massage)
ロミロミ（ハワイ伝統マッサージ）Lomilomi
A name for manual practices carried forward through families and communities in Hawaiʻi. Some use hands and forearms, with accounts emphasising aloha, place and relationships. Practice, including prayer and sequence, varies; a single spa form cannot stand for the whole tradition.
Oil · Breath · Stone · Abdomen
Traditional healing systemTraditional massageView →Turkey
Hammam (Turkish and Moroccan Bath Massage)
ハマム（トルコ式・モロッコ式浴場マッサージ）حمّام / Hamam
The hammam is the steam bath-house that developed in the Islamic world from the Roman and Byzantine public baths, and the sequence of body care performed there. In the Turkish form, the tellak (bath attendant) scrubs the skin with a coarse kese mitt and kneads the whole body in foam (köpük) on a heated marble platform (göbek taşı). The Moroccan form uses black soap (savon beldi), a kessa glove, ghassoul clay and argan oil. It carries both the religious meaning of purification and the role of a social gathering place.
Steam · Water · Heat · Tool
Traditional massageSpa treatmentView →Sweden
Swedish Massage
スウェディッシュマッサージKlassisk massage
Swedish, or classic, massage was systematised in Europe and spread through varied educational and spa settings. Terms such as effleurage and pétrissage describe gliding, kneading and friction. This vocabulary is not a universal framework for describing or judging every massage tradition.
Oil · Pressure · Percussion
Modern bodyworkClinical massageView →France
Aromatherapy Massage
アロマテラピーマッサージMassage aromathérapique
Massage combining manual techniques with preparations such as appropriately diluted essential oils. Training includes effleurage (gliding) and petrissage (kneading). Techniques and scent choices vary, with the recipient’s preferences respected.
Oil · Herbal · Lymph
Spa treatmentModern bodyworkView →Finland
Sports Massage
スポーツマッサージSports massage
An umbrella term for manual work in sport and activity settings. Touch and timing are discussed around training, events and the person’s preferences. The label does not guarantee better performance, injury prevention or faster recovery.
Pressure · Stretch · Fascia
Sports massageView →United States
Esalen Massage
エサレンマッサージEsalen® Massage
Esalen massage is a style of bodywork that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s at the Esalen Institute, founded in 1962 at Big Sur, California. On a foundation of Swedish strokes it emphasises long, slow strokes that treat the body as one whole, rocking, passive joint movement, and the practitioner's presence and synchrony with the receiver's breath. Shaped by the human potential movement, Gestalt therapy and Sensory Awareness, it aims at relaxation and a deepening of self-awareness.
Oil · Breath
Modern bodyworkSpa treatmentView →United States
Deep Tissue Massage
ディープティシューマッサージDeep tissue massage
A name for manual work that attends to muscle and fascia through slow movements and sustained contact. Explanations vary by school and practitioner. Deep does not mean a contest of strength or that enduring pain is desirable.
Pressure · Fascia · Elbow
Modern bodyworkClinical massageView →United States
Myofascial Release and Trigger Point Therapy
筋膜リリースとトリガーポイント療法Myofascial release / Trigger point therapy
Myofascial release is a name for approaches using sustained contact or stretching with attention to fascia. Trigger-point therapy is a related but distinct explanatory system. School-specific theories and practices should not be equated with established tissue changes or benefits for symptoms.
Fascia · Pressure · Stretch
Clinical massageModern bodyworkView →United States
Hot Stone Massage
ホットストーンマッサージStone therapy
A format using warmed smooth stones, held or placed during a session. Local traditions involving heated stones should be distinguished from modern spa systems. Temperature, skin condition and the recipient’s ability to sense heat require careful attention.
Stone · Heat · Oil
Spa treatmentView →Kerala (India)
Four-Hands and Multi-Hands Massage
フォーハンズ／マルチハンズマッサージFour hands massage
A format in which several practitioners work with one recipient at the same time. Two-practitioner work in Ayurveda and contemporary spa menus each have their own contexts. More hands do not imply greater benefit; consent, coordination and comfortable pacing matter.
Oil
Spa treatmentView →
How it is judged
Competition scoring is separate from the value of a culture or practice. Check the official rules for each edition and category. This encyclopedia does not invent judging criteria or award advantages to particular traditions.