What does the age-old practice of cupping do within BDSM?

“What does the age-old practice of cupping do within BDSM?“ was written for BDSMforyou.nl by Mistress Moriah.

Perhaps at a party you have seen someone walking around with (dark) red circles on their back or shoulders. This is not the result of some special paddle. Chances are it is the result of an age-old technique called cupping. Cupping is a technique where cups (small glass bowls) are placed on the skin and the air is sucked out to create a vacuum. After the cups are removed, the skin is super sensitive. But apart from that, it is also simply incredibly relaxing.

Relaxing

I use it myself during medical play, but also, for example, to round off an intense pain experience. A moment to find your balance again after all the pain stimuli. A lovely way to keep flying a little longer before the landing begins. Cupping is an alternative to painkillers, sports massages and relaxation techniques. So it is a perfect finish to an intense BDSM experience.

What is cupping?

It is an ancient treatment technique in which cups are placed on the skin to create a vacuum. This vacuum pulls the skin and the underlying tissue upwards, which reportedly helps stimulate blood circulation, loosen muscles and even detoxify the body. Think of it as a kind of massage that does not knead your body, but sucks it in.

Dry and wet

There are two forms of cupping: dry and wet. With the dry method, the cups are placed on the skin to create a vacuum. The cups can also be pulled across the skin (always apply oil beforehand). The wet form of cupping is also called blood cupping. Here you first make small punctures in the skin (with a sterile needle) before placing the cups on the skin. Because the cup creates a vacuum, a small amount of blood is drawn out of the veins.

Fire cupping

Nowadays all kinds of cups are available to buy. The simplest are the glass cups with a small rubber pump, as you can see in the photo. The most traditional way to create a vacuum, however, is fire cupping.

Instead of using a pump to suck the air out of the cups (as is often done in the modern method), fire cupping involves setting a cotton ball soaked in alcohol on fire. This ball is briefly held inside the glass cup before the flame is quickly removed and the cup is placed on the skin. The heat of the fire creates a vacuum in the cup, because the warm air cools and contracts quickly once the cup is placed on the skin.

How does cupping work?

The idea behind cupping is that it increases blood flow, removes waste products and restores the body's energy flow, also known as "qi" in traditional Chinese medicine. This may sound vague, but science says that the vacuum created by the cups widens the blood vessels and improves circulation in the deeper tissues. This can help with muscle soreness, stiffness and even with recovering from sports injuries.

In addition, the cups provide a kind of deep connective tissue massage. Whereas normal massages often apply pressure to the body, cupping works exactly the opposite way by pulling at the skin. This may help your muscles relax, remove waste products faster and reduce tension in your body.

The history of cupping

Cupping has its roots deep in ancient history. Think of ancient Egypt, China and even Greece, where cupping was used as a healing practice. Depictions of cupping have even been found in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Chinese physicians were already writing about its use in 300 AD.

In traditional Chinese medicine, cupping was often used to restore the body's energy balance and to treat illness by moving "stagnation". Greek physicians, such as Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, praised cupping for its ability to draw toxins out of the body and speed up the healing process.

And what do I do with cupping?

And me? With these cups I mainly let my subs enjoy themselves by giving them a relaxing massage. I sometimes joke: "Welcome to Spa Moriah". First I create a vacuum in a cup at the top of the back and then I slowly pull it across the skin (of course oiled beforehand). Wherever I move, the skin is lifted slightly, which gives a special sensation. On an unmarked back this is pure enjoyment, but if the back has also been decorated with red welts, you can imagine that this adds extra depth to the cupping experience.

Mistress Moriah

Source

Text & photography: Mistress Moriah