Cupping Massage

Cupping Therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction. People get it for many purposes, including to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation and well-being, and as a type of deep-tissue Massage.

Cupping is a subtle, yet powerful addition to any healthcare practice and complements many healing modalities. This technique is also easily used at home for treating many common conditions.

Cupping developed over time from the original use of hollowed animal horns to drain toxins out of snakebites and skin lesions. Horns evolved into bamboo cups, which were eventually replaced by glass. Therapeutic applications evolved with the refinement of the cup itself, and with the cultures that employed cupping as a health care technique. The true origin of cupping therapy remains in obscurity.

The Chinese expanded the utilization to include use in surgery to divert blood flow from the surgery site. Cupping eventually developed into a separate therapy, with healers treating a variety of conditions. Early written records date from 28 AD, and a traditional Chinese saying indicates "acupuncture and cupping, more than half the ills cured". Chinese medicine observes that cupping dispels stagnation of Blood and Chi, along with external pathogenic factors that invade a weakened constitution. A depleted constitution is often a result of depleted "Jing Chi", or original essence. This will often progress to a weakened "Wei Chi", or defense (immune system).

Through several thousand years of clinical experience, the therapeutic applications of cupping have been documented. By creating suction and negative pressure, cupping is used to: drain excess fluids and toxins, loosen adhesions and lift connective tissue, bring blood flow to stagnant skin and muscles and stimulate the peripheral nervous system.

Varied techniques using stationary and moving glass cups greatly enhance many spa or body treatments and massage modalities. This method has been adapted and duplicated by modern lymphatic drainage machines. Cupping intensifies the therapeutic aspects of current treatments and is a subtle, yet very powerful, addition to any spa or private practice. The cups are inexpensive, the therapy is fun and result-oriented, and the treatments create the perfect add-on to a service.