Updated February, 2026

Picture students in a class at a massage training school. You see thumbs, fingers, and elbows pressing into muscles. Or, if you’ve ever experienced Thai Massage, you might see massage therapy classes with trainees pulling and pressing while in yoga-like postures. For most massage modalities, this understanding of pressing or stretching into tissue to relieve pain and tension is correct. Cupping is an exception.

While most manual therapies use downward pressure to alleviate muscle adhesions, cupping uses suction to pull tissues up. As an analogy, think of a dirty rug. You could use a broom to press into the rug fibers, sweeping away any debris. Or you could use a vacuum to suck dirt up and away. Both techniques can be effective ways to clean. They are just different approaches. Similarly, traditional manual massage and cupping both work to dislodge debris and loosen adhesions in the body.

Cupping dates back 5,500 years to ancient Egyptian and Macedonian healers (Furhad et al., 2023). Cupping therapy is also present in Chinese, Tibetan, Korean, and Greek healing traditions.

Here’s how the method works: The practitioner uses bamboo jars or glass cups as suction devices positioned on the skin. Acupuncturists may use fire to create a vacuum within the vessels. The fire consumes the oxygen in the cup. In a massage class, you’d likely see therapists using silicone suction or plastic pump cups instead.

Cups may be held in one place, or slid along the skin like a moving vacuum – called “gliding cupping” or “moving cupping.” The practitioner uses his or her understanding of Chinese meridians to place cups effectively. In this way, cupping is similar to acupuncture and Amma therapy.

Benefits of Cupping in Massage Therapy

–Stimulates blood flow.

–Loosen muscles.

–Relieves pain.

–Reduces stress.

Formal research (2018, Aboushanab & AlSanad) has confirmed that cupping is beneficial for the following ailments:

  • Lower back pain
  • Neck and shoulder pain
  • Headache and migraine
  • Arm Pain (Brachialgia)
  • Knee pain
  • Facial paralysis
  • Carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Hypertenson
  • Diabetes Mellitus
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Asthma

While the bruises that sometimes follow cupping may appear painful, the treatment is actually quite enjoyable and relaxing for most recipients. Like other massage modalities, cupping soothes the nervous system, creating a parasympathetic “rest and digest” response, decreasing blood pressure and inducing deep relaxation.

When included in massage, cupping can allow tissues to loosen faster than traditional massage alone, and with less strain for the LMT.

Massage Therapy Science: Cupping Theories 

While scientists are still uncertain of the mechanisms of cupping therapy, two main theories exist: The immunemodulation theory, and the genetic theory (Aboushanab & AlSanad, 2018). The immune modulation theory proposes that cupping activates the neuroendocrine immune system through the skin. The genetic theory, on the other hand, posits that vacuum created by cupping activates anaerobic metabolism, which in turn activates physiological and mechanical signals to alter gene expression. Neither theory is conclusive. Additional research is needed to determine the mechanisms of cupping.  

Portland School of Massage CE Classes on Cupping

Hunting for massage schools in Portland that offer cupping classes? Look no further. Our Oregon massage school’s continuing education offerings include cupping instruction. To find a cupping workshop, head over to our continuing education page, BodyMindedCE.com. Upcoming cupping classes include:

Silicone Cupping for Massage Therapists
Learn dynamic cupping techniques, i.e. methods of moving the cups rather than keeping them static in one spot.
Instructor: Tina Smith, LMT and Reiki Master
February 28, 2026 from 9:00am to 1:00pm – Sold Out!
May 16, 2026 from 9:00am to 1:00pm

Therapeutic Facial Cupping for Massage Therapists
After discussing the experience of providing cupping to clients, and reviewing contraindications and cautions, this course dives directly into techniques for using cups to address tension in face and neck muscles. Using special cups with glass and small silicone bulbs, you’ll learn how to use gentle, controlled suction to lift facial and neck muscles.
Instructor: Tina Smith, LMT and Reiki Master
March 14, 2026 from 9:00am to 1:00pm
June 6, 2026 from 9:00am to 1:00pm

Sources

Furhad, S., Sina, R. E., & Bokhari, A. A. (2023). Cupping Therapy. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30855841/ 

Aboushanab, T.S., &  AlSanad, S. (2018). Cupping Therapy: An Overview from a Modern Medicine Perspective. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 11(3), 83-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jams.2018.02.001.