Traditional Chinese Suction Cup Therapy
I’ve tasted turtle, horse, dog, pig tongue, duck brain, etc; I love to rock climb, rappel, river raft, and gosh-darnit if I go to an amusement park I ride every roller coaster! Ok, so I’m not saying that I’m a daredevil – anybody who knows me could tell you that any risk I take has been meticulously calculated – however I do believe that I do have an above-average control of my fears.
I almost met my match last Wednesday when I faced my fear of the Chinese massage.
I know what some of you are thinking. “Massage!? I sure could use a massage! Why in the world would you be afraid of a massage?” Just wait. You’ll be scared, too.
This is no ordinary massage. No, sirree. This massage dates back almost 2,000 years and is rumored to be able to cure anything from a sore shoulder to the common cold. This particular type of massage therapy is well-know to most people all over China and can be found in decent massage parlors from Beijing to Karamay.
And it sucks. Literally.
I’ll give you a general idea of the process of this therapy, even though its much easier to understand when watching the video below. After properly preparing the back by massaging oil on it for 5 minutes or so, a series of round, glass balls – or “cups” as I will now refer to them – are placed on the back.
A moment before placement a small fire is lit inside the cup and soon removed to heat up the air inside. Once the cup makes contact with the skin on your back the hot air creates a vacuum that sucks your skin far into the glass globe.
This method, known formally as “flash-fire cupping”, feels about as good as it sounds to be honest, but better yet it does a smash-up job of leaving a hickey on your back the size of a small pancake. Once the cups are secure you must allow them to suck at your skin for 10 minutes. As you can tell in the photo below, I got 18 of them (there’s one on my right shoulder barely visible if you’re counting).
So here’s the short story of how and why – questions that I would be asking if I were you right now. The man you see standing next to me in the picture above, Cons, is a friend who has been having some back difficulties. When we talked with a Chinese friend about it, he recommended this therapy which is supposed to (as I mentioned before) ease back pain and cure the common cold. He had back pain, and even though I didn’t have a cold to put that crazy notion to the test, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. All three of us agreed to meet on Wednesday and subject ourselves to this “therapy”.
I can now tell you that true male bonding only happens when you’re half-naked having your back sucked into what feels like a hundred tiny glass balls. You don’t get much closer than that.
I was the last person to get the cups, and as I sat there watching the grimaces on the faces of my “cupping” buddies, I can’t lie and tell you that I didn’t almost back out. You pay for pain with this therapy on the promise that it will make your life better in the days to come – and I don’t normally pay for pain! It’s too early to tell you how effective this method is physically, but it is already effective in giving my new “conquered fears” list some pizazz:
Fears I have conquered:
1) Eating pig brains
2) Rappelling a high rock face
3) Receiving 18 hickeys by fire-breathing suction cups
Who’s a daredevil now?
This is not a massage therapy. You cup somebody when he has cold. This is a technique which is also used in Central Europe, though maybe now kind of forgotten but very efficient and good. But nurses here shoud remember how to do this. It's better than taking hectic medicines. Cheers.
[Reply]
@Adam – Regardless of whether cupping is technically a "massage", it still takes place at a massage parlor therefore I have no problem referring to it as such.
I also disagree about your comment of it being "efficient and good". I'm sure there are positive aspects to it, but the Chinese claim that it cures the common cold is a bit bold and not at all scientifically proven. Still, it was an interesting experience and I have many friends here who do this on a regular basis…more power to them!
[Reply]
cupping is, in fact, therapy…it’s very therapeutic in the fact that it loosens up the many layers of skin and the membrane that surrounds the muscles of the area(s) being “cupped”
it’s not the typical “fluff and buff” type of massage that people are accustomed to…but it is a form of therapy in that it is very helpful to the human body
painful? yes, very
beneficial? indeed
[Reply]
As a massage therapist, I can say that Chinese cupping is therapy. There are different methods. And if the people giving the service paid attention…They would have released pressure in the cup after seeing that much blood coming to the surface. They now make plastic cups with a pump so you can regulate the pressure. You can get a massage with “moving” cups where the pressure is less and the cups are moved by the therapist. That technique is great for just increasing circulation. The stationary cups should be put over specific points no just thrown willy-nilly over your back (as they appear to have done to you). I’m sorry for your bad experience….Try and find an american therepist who does cupping. They tend to be more understanding of pain. Every experiemce I have had with an Asian therapist has been bad. They seem to think that if it hurts, it’s good….that’s not always the case!
[Reply]
Josh says: January 5th, 2011 at 8:03 am
Trish, thanks so much for your comment and clarifications! I’m sorry to give you the wrong impression, but I actually had a great experience with suction therapy. They offered both the moving cups and the stationary cups. They said they placed the cups strategically on my back but I have a feeling based on the age of the people who were working on me that they were just doing it “willy nilly” as you said.
The cups didn’t cause pain so much as cause discomfort. Plus, once they were finished my wife was horrified to look at my back!
[Reply]
Leave your response!
Recent Comments
Popular at FarWestChina
Other Xinjiang Sites
China's Best Blogs
FarWestChina on Flickr
Most Commented Articles
About FarWestChina
FarWestChina is a website dedicated to opening the door to Xinjiang, China's most mysterious province.
My name is Josh Summers and I have an unexplained passion for this region. Although I now reside in the US, I spent almost 4 years living and traveling in the region and I continue to research the history and stories Xinjiang has to tell. If you're interested there's plenty to read about Xinjiang on this website, or learn about me on my about page.
Connect with Josh
Feel free to connect with me on your social platform of preference: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or StumbleUpon.