Cupping Massage in Pasadena, TX
At Spa Moments, cupping is a $25 add-on you book with a massage, usually Tension Relief ($85) or Intense Relief ($95). The cups work by suction and leave round red marks on your skin for a while afterward, so read the section on marks before you book.
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How to add cupping to a massage at Spa Moments
Adding cupping at Spa Moments takes three steps, and the main choice you make is which massage to put it on:
- Book Tension Relief ($85) or Intense Relief ($95), online or by calling (832) 688-3097.
- Ask for the Cupping Therapy add-on. If you don't see it online, call and we'll add it to your booking.
- On the table, point to the spot that's bothering you, and to any spot you want left alone.
At menu prices, massage plus cupping comes to $110 with Tension Relief or $120 with Intense Relief.
Pick Intense Relief if you already like deep pressure, since that's what it's built on. Choose Tension Relief if you'd like to skip the deep work and the cups are the main thing you're after.
Package shoppers, note: Massage Max ($118) covers any three add-ons except cupping and foot massage.
| Service | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Tension Relief | 60 min | $85regular price $125 |
| Intense Relief | 60 min | $95regular price $125 |
| Cupping Therapy | Add-on | $25 |
| Hot Stones | Add-on | $15 |
| Biofreeze | Add-on | $25 |
For the drive from Deer Park, see our page on massage near Deer Park.
What the suction feels like during a cupping massage
Your therapist's hands press down into the muscle, and the cups work the other way, using suction to draw your skin up into them. For a rough idea, press a suction cup onto your forearm and peel it off slowly. That tug, spread across a patch of your upper back, is close to it.
Our menu warns that you may feel pressure or mild discomfort, and that's an honest description. A sharp or hot feeling is different: tell your therapist right away and they'll ease off or take the cups off. You may feel a little bruised or sore the next day. Severe pain afterward isn't normal and is a reason to call your doctor.
Cupping suits a knot that keeps coming back
Cupping makes the most sense if you already ask for firm pressure and have one spot, often between the shoulder blades or across the tops of the shoulders, that keeps knotting back up. It's also the add-on to try if you've seen the circles on Olympic swimmers' backs and wondered what they feel like.
Firm pressure makes some people clench, and for them cupping probably isn't the right add-on; Light Flow is our gentle massage. For deeper work without any marks, read about deep tissue massage in Pasadena first.
The round marks cupping leaves, and how long they stay
Cupping leaves round red marks where the cups sat. The suction breaks tiny blood vessels called capillaries just under the skin, and the marks should fade in a week or two. They look like bruises, but they aren't the kind that injures a muscle.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) suggests telling your doctors about the marks, so nobody mistakes them for signs of abuse.
It sounds odd until you're at a checkup explaining a set of perfect circles.
Plan cupping around strapless dresses and pool days
Count back two weeks from anything where your back or shoulders will show: a strapless dress, a pool party, family pictures. Inside that window, get Hot Stones or Biofreeze instead and save the cups for after.
| Add-on | What you feel | Marks afterward |
|---|---|---|
| Cupping Therapy | Suction lifting the skin | Yes, round marks |
| Hot Stones | Warmth from heated stones | No |
| Biofreeze | A cooling gel on sore spots | No |
For anyone on the fence about the cups, Hot Stones and Biofreeze together make a hot-and-cold pair that leaves nothing on your skin. Everything else we can add to a massage is on the full add-on menu.
Skip the cups if you're pregnant, anemic or on a pacemaker
Leave cupping off your massage, or get your doctor's okay first, if any of these apply to you. Most of the list comes from Cleveland Clinic's overview of cupping therapy; the blood thinner line is ours.
- Pregnancy. Our Maternity Massage is the one to book instead.
- Anemia.
- A pacemaker.
- A bleeding disorder such as hemophilia, or a clotting problem such as deep vein thrombosis or a past stroke.
- Heart disease or other cardiovascular disease.
- Eczema or psoriasis, which cupping can make worse.
- A seizure disorder.
- Blood thinners. The marks are broken capillaries, and you'll bruise more easily on a blood thinner, so ask your doctor first.
We also keep the cups off skin that's broken, sunburned or irritated.
Recovering from surgery? Cupping isn't the add-on for that. Read about post-surgery lymphatic drainage massage, a much lighter session that starts only once your surgeon clears you.
Does cupping do anything? What the studies show
Cupping has been studied, but mostly not well. The NCCIH page on cupping says most of the research is low quality, and that cupping “may help reduce pain, but the evidence for this isn't very strong.”
So we offer cupping as an add-on for people who like how it feels. We don't offer it as a treatment for anything, and pain that keeps coming back or keeps getting worse is a question for a doctor.
When a cupping mark needs a doctor
Bruising, fatigue, headaches, muscle soreness and nausea are on Cleveland Clinic's list of cupping side effects. NCCIH adds lasting skin discoloration, scars, burns and infections. If a mark blisters, breaks open, or gets hotter and more painful over the next few days, call your doctor.
The rest of your day after cupping
Neither source linked on this page gives cupping-specific aftercare, so this is just what we tell people at the front desk:
- Wear or bring a loose top so nothing rubs on the marks on the way home.
- Shower like normal, and skip the hot tub and the sauna for the rest of the day.
- Leave the marks alone. They fade on their own, and there's nothing to scrub off or treat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does cupping massage hurt?
Cupping shouldn't hurt, but it isn't a light touch either. Expect tightness and a strong pull while the cups are on, and some tenderness where the marks are the next day. If a cup ever feels sharp or hot, say so right away and your therapist will ease off or take it off.
Why were my cupping marks darker than my friend's?
The color in cupping marks comes from small capillaries under the skin that break under the suction, and how dark the marks get varies from person to person and from one spot to the next. You may hear that darker marks mean you had more toxins. Nothing gets pulled out of your body during cupping. The color is blood from those capillaries, and it fades on its own.
How soon can I get cupping again?
We'd wait until the marks from your last cupping session have faded before putting cups on the same spot again. That's our rule of thumb at the front desk, not something research has settled. In between, you can still book your usual massage without the cups, or add Hot Stones to warm up the same area.
Can I add cupping to a different massage, and does it add time?
We usually pair cupping with Tension Relief or Intense Relief, since both are aimed at stiff or sore muscles. If you want it with another massage on our menu, or want to know whether the cups add minutes to your hour, ask when you book online or call (832) 688-3097, and the front desk will tell you.
Can I get cupping while pregnant?
Skip cupping while you're pregnant; pregnancy is one of the situations where medical sources advise against it. Book our Maternity Massage ($95) instead. It's made for expecting mothers and generally offered after the first trimester, so let the front desk know how far along you are when you book.
Do you offer wet cupping?
We only do dry cupping at Spa Moments: suction, no cuts and no blood. Wet cupping means the skin is pierced so blood collects in the cup, and that's a medical procedure we don't do. If you've seen cupping videos online with blood in the cups, that was wet cupping.
Add cupping to your next massage
Book Tension Relief or Intense Relief and ask for Cupping Therapy, online or by phone. We're at 6802 Spencer Hwy Ste B in Pasadena, open 9 AM to 8 PM every day, with parking right out front.