All About Cupping Massage

a masseuse giving a cupping massage to a client: text: all about cupping massage Cupping massage, or just ‘cupping,’ crops up in the news and celebrity pages now and again, as some well-known fans of this treatment are based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) techniques.

It’s a massage technique that’s becoming popular in spas and clinics over the country. And it can be great for your overall health.

So, what exactly is cupping massage? It’s a healing therapy developed thousands of years ago. It involves placing glass, bamboo, or plastic jars onto your skin, creating a vacuum that sucks the tissue underneath into the jar. The suction help boost circulation, relieve pain, and help to stimulate the removal of toxins.

Despite having the word ‘massage’ in its name, it’s the opposite of regular massage. In traditional massage, a therapist will apply different pressure to your muscles and connective tissues. With cupping, the therapist uses suction instead, which pulls skin, muscles, and tissues upwards.

What happens during a cupping massage treatment?

Cupping works well on fleshier areas of the body, so it’s common for treatment that involves the back. It’s supposed to be pleasant and relaxing, so you shouldn’t feel any discomfort. You may feel a tightening sensation as the cup is placed on your body. But if you start to feel discomfort at all, your therapist will move the cups around elsewhere. Depending on the reason for your treatment, the cups are left in place for varying amounts of time. Cupping treatment is unique to your needs on the day you have it, so your ‘routine’ may change as different health needs arise.

After a cupping session, your skin may turn red, purple, or blue – this is more likely if you have any energy blockage in that area. It usually only lasts a few days, but it can last longer, even up to a few weeks, if there’s an injury, but it shouldn’t hurt. Once the marks have disappeared, you can have another session until the health issue you’ve been treating is resolved.

Are there different types of cupping massage?

Yes, there are a few different methods, but the two you’ll most likely come across are fixed and moved cupping.

In fixed cupping, the cups are placed on one area of your body and not moved once in place.

Moving cupping has more of a massage element as the therapist will use massage oil or cream along with the cups, placing the cups over the areas to be treated and then sliding them around – this type of session is often used for back treatment.

What is cupping good for?

Cupping is an excellent all-round spa therapy and is great if you suffer from:

  • Stress and/or anxiety
  • Pain – especially back pain
  • Allergies
  • Fatigue
  • Colds and flu
  • Muscle aches and pains

Do you suffer from any of these symptoms? Call us or book online now to experience the relaxation and goodness cupping massage can give you.

Brilliant Massage & Skin

Burlington, Vermont