Massage therapy is compression — skilled hands pressing into tissue to release tension, break up adhesions, and improve circulation. Cupping therapy is the opposite: decompression. Instead of pressing down, cups create gentle suction that lifts tissue upward, pulling apart layers of fascia, drawing blood into areas of chronic restriction, and creating space between structures that have become bound together. This decompressive action reaches depths and angles that compression alone simply can't access, which is why cupping integrated into massage produces results that neither modality achieves alone.
I use medical-grade silicone cups that allow me to control suction precisely and move them dynamically across the body — a technique called gliding cupping. Unlike the stationary glass cups you might have seen leaving dramatic circular marks on Olympic swimmers, silicone cups can be placed statically for focused decompression or glided along muscle fibers and fascial lines for a broader releasing effect. The versatility means I can adapt the cupping to exactly what your tissue needs in any given area.
When a cup creates suction, several things happen simultaneously. Blood rushes into the area beneath the cup, flooding the tissue with fresh oxygen and nutrients needed for repair. Fascial adhesions between muscle layers are pulled apart, restoring the sliding surfaces that allow muscles to move independently. Lymphatic fluid begins draining from the area, reducing inflammation and puffiness. And the nervous system receives a decompressive signal that's profoundly different from compression — it triggers a release response that many clients describe as feeling like pressure being lifted off them rather than pressed into them.
Cupping is especially effective for chronic back pain, neck and shoulder tension, IT band tightness, respiratory congestion, and post-workout recovery. Athletes from every sport use cupping because the accelerated blood flow and fascial release dramatically speed recovery time. Here in Spokane, I see cupping produce remarkable results for desk workers with chronic upper back restriction, athletes with stubborn IT band and hamstring issues, and clients with chronic pain patterns that haven't fully resolved with massage alone.
Most massage therapists charge $20-$50 extra for cupping as a premium add-on. At Soothe & Sage, therapeutic cupping is included with every session at one flat rate with no add-on fees. You also get red light therapy, salt stones, steamed towels, aromatherapy, and warm packs — all included. When your body needs cupping, it gets cupping. No upcharge, no hesitation.
