You've probably seen them: those red or purplish circles on an Olympic swimmer's back, in a photo, or on a colleague's shoulder in the changing room. Cupping intrigues people as much as it worries them. Does it hurt? Does it treat anything? And what's with the marks? As a massage therapist, I hear these questions every week, and I think they deserve clear answers — with no magic promises.
So what is cupping, exactly?
Cupping is a very old traditional practice, found across several cultures, that involves placing cups on the skin — glass, silicone or plastic — and creating a vacuum inside them. That vacuum gently draws the skin and the tissue beneath it up into the cup.
There are two main ways to do it. Fixed cups are left in place for a few minutes over an area; gliding cups are slid across oiled skin, a bit like a massage in suction rather than in pressure. In both cases nothing is pierced and nothing is added: it's simply a mechanical decompression of the tissue. That's the key difference from a classic massage, which pushes inward.
What cupping really does
Let's be concrete and honest. Cupping works mainly locally, right where the cup sits.
By drawing up the skin and tissue, the cup creates decompression: instead of compressing the muscles the way pressure would, it lifts them upward. This comes with a flush of blood toward the area, which is what produces the redness you see straight afterward. Many people feel, during and after the session, a sense of warmth, of release, of tension "letting go." That feeling of relaxation is real and very commonly reported — it's often the reason people come back.
Decompression and sensation, not a miracle
So what cupping offers, tangibly, is work on the soft tissue and a pleasant bodily experience during a moment of self-care. For a stiff area, a back knotted after hours at a computer, or muscles tired after sport, it can be a welcome comfort complement within a recovery routine.
I choose that word deliberately: complement. Cupping adds to good habits — moving, stretching, sleeping, staying hydrated — it doesn't replace them.
The round marks: not bruises, not hematomas
This is the question that comes up most, so let's settle it. The marks left by cups are not bruises.
A bruise, or hematoma, is caused by an impact that crushes tissue: it's tender to the touch and signals a small trauma. Cupping marks are petechiae: tiny red dots caused by the suction drawing a little blood toward the surface of the skin, with no blow and no crushing whatsoever. They are painless, they correspond to no injury, and they usually fade within three to seven days, like a redness that pales.
Their color varies a lot from one person to another, depending on skin and area. Contrary to a widespread belief, it does not measure your level of "toxins," your state of health, or how tense you are. It's simply a temporary skin reaction.
What cupping does not do: let's be honest
This matters and deserves plain language: cupping is a traditional practice whose clinical evidence remains limited. There's a genuinely real experience of relaxation and plausible local effects, but no solid proof that it cures any disease.
So I won't promise you that it "removes toxins," "detoxifies" your body, or heals a condition: those are popular images, not established facts. Cupping is no substitute for a diagnosis, medical treatment, or prescribed physiotherapy. As a massage therapist, I make no diagnosis and treat no illness — my role is wellbeing and comfort, and that's already plenty.
Caution and contraindications
Cupping is gentle, but it isn't right for everyone or every area. As a precaution, check with a doctor first if any of these apply to you:
- you take blood thinners or have a clotting disorder;
- you have poorly controlled diabetes;
- you are pregnant (caution — some areas are best avoided);
- the area has broken skin, an open wound, a flare of eczema, or varicose veins.
In those cases, a medical green light spares you unpleasant surprises. And whatever your situation, a good practitioner asks questions before the session, tunes the suction to how you feel, and stops if something's off. A session should never be painful.
When to see a doctor instead
Cupping is a comfort practice, not an answer to a medical problem. Certain signals should send you to a doctor rather than a massage table:
- intense pain, or pain with fever;
- pain that persists or worsens despite rest;
- neurological signs: pins and needles, numbness, loss of strength, trouble with speech, vision or balance;
- any mark that turns warm, swollen, painful or hasn't cleared after about ten days.
For emergencies in Israel, call 101. These situations are rare, but they don't wait.
In short
Cupping is a traditional practice that decompresses the tissue locally, brings blood to the area worked, and delivers a genuine feeling of relaxation. Its round marks are painless petechiae, not bruises, and they fade within a few days. It's a pleasant wellbeing complement — not a cure, and not a reason to put off medical advice when you need it.
If you're curious to try it, with a practitioner who takes the time to listen and adapt the session, you can find a massage therapist near you and book your slot in a few clicks on olamkal.com.
