Looks like a science experiment, but it’s a darn good healing method. How’s it done? A lit match is placed inside a plastic, rubber, or glass cup to create a vacuum; this is then quickly shifted to the surface of the skin where it’s left for up to 20 minutes. The suction pulls skin from the body (hence those red spots that linger afterwards), to promote blood flow and prevent build-up of lactic acid in your muscles – that’s why athletes love it, FYI.

There’s a number of perks to trying the treatment, from reducing fatigue to decreasing joint pain. The increased blood flow encourages the body’s natural inflammatory response, that gets the healing process going. Removing toxins from the body can speed up the recovery of muscle and soft tissue following injury or strain. For a number of athletes of 2016’s Rio Olympics, this was their go-to treatment for pain relief.

Though the back is the most common area for cupping treatments (just search the hashtag on Instagram for evidence), the treatment can be administered just about anywhere. Studies have shown that cupping can alleviate chronic pain all over the body, from the neck to the knees. In fact, practitioners suggest that the non-invasive therapy can even help to relieve skin conditions like eczema, and diminish cellulite (if you’re into that kinda’ thing).

A cupping session will usually last around 10-15 minutes, though the results may be visible a little longer (those red patches stick around for two weeks or so, right Gwyneth?). You’ll head into the salon just like a massage, lying on a treatment table with the affected area exposed and ready for the cup application. Though the process doesn't ‘hurt’, you may find it a little uncomfortable – ‘unique’ let’s say – but, if the reviews are true, the results outweigh it.

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