Cupping therapy has been used for thousands of years for various reasons. “Cupping” is the attempt to create a vaccuum inside a glass or plastic object and apply it to a client’s skin. The vaccuum causes the client’s skin to be pulled into the void of the cup and away from the deeper layers of tissue.

Original cups were made from bamboo or hallowed animal bones to remove venom from snake bites. Later they were implemented as the world’s first breast pumps for lactating mothers. Today they are used for myofascial release, soft tissue relaxation, removing “cold wind” from the body in Traditional Chinese Medicine, or when combined with punctures in the skin can function as a controlled blood-letting similar to leach therapy.

Plastic cups remove the oxygen with a suction pump. Glass cups remove oxygen with a temporary element of fire.