Glass cups that draw the tissue up instead of pressing it down, reaching muscle that hands struggle to get into. It leaves round marks, and they fade.

Watercolour of a woman lying face down with six glass cups set across her upper back, each leaving a soft pink mark on the skin.

What we use it for

Upper back

Shoulders set like concrete

Deep soreness

After training or a heavy weekend

Stiffness

The kind that returns to one spot

Low back

The broad muscle either side of the spine

What the marks mean

Pale pink
Common where the muscle was fairly loose.
Red
Where the muscle was holding more tension.
Dark purple
Often where it has been tight the longest. It looks worse than it feels.
Fading
Usually gone within a week to ten days. Keep the area warm until then.
Book a visit

Cupping rarely goes alone — it usually follows needling in the same visit.