05 Aug Mark-free cupping: a soft spring detox kiss

Spring is soon upon us. It’s the time to air out musty rooms and let the sunlight kiss your skin again. And time to shake off that sluggish winter feeling with the perfect detox – a different kind of kiss from one of the most happening therapies around.

The art of cupping has been rediscovered because, like most things that work really well, it’s been around since ancient times – the proof is in the pudding. And it’s become so popular that there are many celebrities who opt for a spot (or rather, quite a few spots) of this therapy that dates back all the way to the Egyptians and is well known these days as a Chinese healing modality.

Vampire Therapy?

There is just one drawback to this amazing health technique. The secret to cupping is the suction on your skin created with cups, a kind of reverse

massage

that really gets in there and gets the blood moving towards the surface of your skin, helping to treat a number of ailments, as well as give you a good detox. So the temporary result of this treatment is a spate of red marks, and sometimes even bruising. After a session with these little suckers, people could be forgiven for thinking you have had a run in a vampire (of course the marks do fade). This therapy must be really worth it for so many people to still want to do it then.

And because it’s so amazing, there have been some really innovative leaps to make this therapy more modern and user-friendly, so that you can reap the benefits of cupping without the alarming temporary marks.

Enter the Silicone Cup

Before we get into the benefits of cupping, let’s first introduce you to the innovative silicone cup. Silicone is soft and flexible, yet strong too. And you can squeeze it.  The perfect material to create suction and also move around on your skin in a massage-like movement.

Traditionally the cups were heated and placed on the skin so as to form a suction and left in place for a few minutes. Chinese practitioners say this removes ‘wind’ that is believed to cause the aches in our body. But with silicone cups, you get to experience the benefits of a cupping treatment combined with flowing massage, all without the marking.

This technique has been perfected by our very own local, Keren Trabelsi, an experienced, certified therapeutic massage therapist, beauty and health spa owner. After her second pregnancy, she rid herself of excruciating back pain after having a cupping session and was inspired to create the Bellabaci cupping system. She set out to find a system with the benefits of cupping minus the bruising and came up with medical grade silicone cups.

The beauty of this system is not only its enhanced modality but that you can safely do it at home (of course if you have serious health complications such as high blood pressure, heart or circulation problems you should always consult with a health professional first).

How does silicone cupping therapy work?

The cups are squeezed and applied to your skin, creating a partial vacuum. This draws the body tissues up, and the silicone cup is then moved about in massage-like movements, helping to shift stagnant blood and lymph, as well as open the energy channels in your body called meridians. The channels flow to every part of the body and through every organ and tissue and can become blocked and sluggish due to various lifestyle issues, stress being a huge one.

Throw in some aromatherapy for good measure

In order not to pull at and mark the skin, the cups need a lubricant, and base oils work wonderfully for this. Add some therapeutic aromatherapy blends tailor made for your health issues and you have upped this already powerful technique yet another notch.

What Can it Do For You?

Cupping can have effects that go as deep as 10cm into the body, that’s quite a reach – all the way into your organs. A deep tissue massage deluxe.

This deep stimulation has many benefits

• It releases stored toxins
• Activates the lymphatic system
• Clears colon blockages
• Helps activate and clear the veins, arteries and capillaries
• Activates the skin
• Treats stretch marks
• Improves the appearance of cellulite
• Helps alleviate aches and pains
• This list looks pretty much like a what’s what of detoxing.

After a few kisses from these cups, you’re sure to start feeling that soft spring feeling waking up after a long, cold winter!