Dry cupping is a form of traditional therapy that uses suction cups placed on the skin to draw blood flow to a targeted area. Unlike wet cupping, which involves small incisions to draw out blood, dry cupping is entirely non-invasive. The cups create negative pressure that lifts and stretches the skin and underlying tissue, producing the distinctive circular marks the therapy is known for.
How Dry Cupping Works
A practitioner places a cup made of glass, plastic, silicone, or bamboo onto your skin and then removes the air inside to create a vacuum. With glass cups, this is traditionally done by briefly holding a flame inside the cup to burn off oxygen, then quickly placing it on the skin as the air cools and contracts. Modern plastic and silicone cups use a simpler approach: a hand pump or manual squeeze creates the suction mechanically, no fire needed.
Once the cup is in place, the negative pressure pulls skin and soft tissue upward into the cup. This stretching dilates the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) beneath the surface, flooding the area with increased blood flow. With enough suction, some of those capillaries rupture, which is what causes the round bruise-like marks left behind. Those marks are not just cosmetic. When blood leaks into the surrounding tissue, your immune system sends cleanup cells to the area. Those cells break down the escaped blood, and the byproducts of that process have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects throughout the body. This cascade of immune activity may explain why cupping’s benefits sometimes extend beyond the spot where the cup was placed.
What a Session Looks Like
Cups are typically placed on broad, muscular areas of the body: the back, shoulders, neck, and thighs are the most common sites. Your practitioner may apply oil to the skin first so the cups seal properly and can glide if needed. Some sessions use stationary cups left in place for several minutes, while others involve sliding the cups along muscles while suction is maintained.
Sessions generally last 10 to 20 minutes depending on the number of cups and the area being treated. Silicone cups have become popular for at-home use because they’re easy to apply yourself, require no special tools, and offer adjustable suction based on how much you squeeze them before placing them on the skin. Glass cups with fire are more common in acupuncture clinics and traditional Chinese medicine settings.
How It Differs From Wet Cupping
The key distinction is simple: dry cupping never breaks the skin. Wet cupping, known as hijama in Middle Eastern and Islamic medical traditions, adds a step where the practitioner makes small, shallow incisions after an initial round of suction, then reapplies the cup to draw out a small amount of blood. Wet cupping is considered a form of bloodletting and carries additional infection risks that dry cupping avoids entirely.
Both forms have roots in traditional medicine across China, the Middle East, Egypt, and Greece. Dry cupping is the more widely practiced version today, especially in Western physical therapy and sports recovery settings, largely because it requires no skin puncture and carries fewer safety concerns.
What Dry Cupping Is Used For
The most common reason people seek dry cupping is musculoskeletal pain. It’s frequently used for neck and shoulder tension, low back pain, and tight or knotted muscles (myofascial pain). Practitioners also use it for fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and cervicogenic headaches, which are headaches that originate from neck problems.
A systematic review published in BMJ Open found that cupping reduced neck pain compared to both no treatment and other active treatments, and also improved function and quality of life. However, the researchers rated the overall quality of evidence as low, meaning the results are promising but not yet definitive. Most existing studies are small, and the designs vary widely, making it hard to draw firm conclusions about exactly how effective cupping is for any single condition.
That said, many physical therapists and sports medicine practitioners incorporate cupping as one tool among several. It gained mainstream visibility after athletes at the 2016 Olympics appeared with circular cupping marks, and it’s now common in sports recovery programs alongside stretching, manual therapy, and other modalities.
Side Effects and the Marks
The circular bruises are the most visible side effect, and they’re a normal part of the process rather than a sign of harm. They typically fade within a few hours to two weeks depending on the amount of suction used and your skin’s sensitivity. The marks tend to be darker on the first session and lighter with repeated treatments.
Some people feel mildly feverish afterward as the body processes the cellular debris from the treatment area. Temporary dizziness, fatigue, headaches, or general achiness can also occur. These responses are generally short-lived and mild. Of the 18 studies evaluated in the BMJ Open review, only eight reported any adverse events at all, and those were mostly minor and temporary.
Who Should Avoid It
Dry cupping is not appropriate for everyone. You should avoid it if you have deep vein thrombosis, open wounds, bone fractures, varicose veins, or any area of skin that is inflamed, infected, or oozing. People with hemophilia or other bleeding disorders, those on blood-thinning medications, and anyone with a pacemaker or other implanted electronic device should not receive cupping therapy.
Cupping is also generally not recommended during pregnancy, for very young children, or for elderly patients with fragile skin. People with cancer, organ failure, elevated cholesterol, or cardiovascular disease should exercise particular caution, as the therapy’s effects on circulation could pose risks in those situations. Cups should never be placed directly over nerves, arteries, veins, lymph nodes, eyes, or body orifices.
Who Performs Dry Cupping
Licensed massage therapists are the most common providers, but physical therapists, acupuncturists, and occupational therapists also use cupping in clinical practice. In nearly all U.S. states, performing cupping requires a license that authorizes hands-on treatment. A specific cupping certification exists but isn’t legally required. It mostly serves as a way for practitioners to demonstrate specialized training to clients. If you’re seeking a session, looking for a licensed provider who has completed dedicated cupping coursework is a reasonable way to ensure they understand proper suction levels, placement, and contraindications.