Massage is synonymous with relaxation for most people, but few know it is also a competitive discipline. In this world, Valjevka Anđela Milovanović has been dominant in the past month, winning gold medals performing massage in Serbian traditional attire.

Despite being as old as human civilization and widespread across various cultures, it is less known that massage can be a competitive event. Anđela Milovanović, a professional massager, won four medals in two international competitions held in the last month. She won gold in wellness and bronze in Swedish massage in Sarajevo, at an international competition featuring over 120 masseurs from 40 countries under the patronage of the World Massage Federation. In Novi Sad, at the Fourth International Championship of Serbia, she won two gold medals in the same categories.

Gold in Traditional Attire

Anđela’s performance in Novi Sad was not only impressive due to her massage technique but also because she performed in Serbian traditional attire instead of her usual classical massage uniform.

“I must admit that the attire, especially the opanci (traditional footwear) that slid on the floor, made the work a bit difficult. However, I worked hard and had a phenomenal professional experience. The reactions of competitors and judges from other countries were amazing, as they all came up and asked about the pogača, honey, and sesame seeds that I ‘served’ as part of my performance before the massage,” Anđela told “Blic”.

Swedish Massage as the Foundation

Depending on the federation organizing the competition, there are usually between eight and 16 different categories, including classic, Swedish, therapeutic, sports, wellness, Tai, Shiatsu, and many others. Anđela considers Swedish massage as the foundation of all techniques.

“Swedish massage is the mother of all massages. It was developed as a way to relax and bring the body back into balance, and all other techniques developed from it. It is the base upon which everything else is built. In Swedish massage, there are five basic grasps, and within a limited time, you must combine them in a way that is pleasant for the client and interesting for the audience. It is not enough to know the technique; you must have a sense and rhythm,” Anđela explained.

She personally favors wellness massage the most, as it offers the greatest freedom and creativity in movements and grasps.

Competitor and International Judge

Although she is a professional economist by degree, Anđela says that massage is her life’s calling from early childhood.

“I have been professionally involved in massage for nine years, but practically my whole life. My mother has been a therapist for over 30 years, so I have watched her work and learned the first massage movements from a young age. As a child, I already imagined that I would be doing this, so it came naturally,” the massage champion revealed.