*Audrey, 50s, Southwell — client since 2014*
*Treatment: Rockpod Cupping combined with myofascial release massage, early 2020*
TESTIMONIAL
"Other than one small patch above my left wrist, I didn't have any red marks on my skin — and that one faded after a couple of days. My lateral thighs were pretty sore and tender for a couple of days afterwards, but I think that may have been because I'd already been quite vigorous with the Yoga Tune Up balls, and it was the day after my first Kettlercise session in a couple of months — so many reasons for sore legs!
What I did notice was that the cupping seemed to really enhance the benefits of the usual myofascial release massage on my problem tight areas — my back and shoulders. I always feel better immediately afterwards, but that 'freshly freed up' sensation lasted all week, despite three rounds of golf and all the usual housework and gardening.
In summary — although I was probably a bit sceptical beforehand, I was pleasantly surprised by how effective the cupping was as a supplement to Susannah's excellent hands. I was also relieved I wasn't left covered in ugly red marks! I'd certainly ask for it to be included in my future treatments."
TEACHER'S NOTE
Audrey has been part of my practice since 2014, progressing through deep tissue massage, yoga, Yoga Tune Up and fascial fitness — so she knows her body well and comes with a well-trained awareness of how it responds to treatment. That makes her feedback particularly valuable.
What she describes here is exactly what cupping is designed to do when combined with myofascial release: not just provide immediate relief, but extend and deepen the results so they hold beyond the treatment room. The suction created by the cups lifts and separates the fascial layers rather than compressing them, which complements the hands-on myofascial work beautifully. Together they create more space, better glide between tissue layers, and a longer-lasting sense of freedom in the body.
Since this session — and particularly since Covid — my practice has moved significantly further towards working through a nervous system lens. I still do hands-on work, but the priority now is always downregulation first: helping the body shift out of a state of tension or low-grade threat before anything else. The diaphragm and breathing musculature sit at the heart of this. When we're stressed, guarded, or simply running too fast, the diaphragm tightens and accessory breathing muscles in the neck, chest and ribcage become overworked. Releasing that tension — through breathwork, myofascial release around the thorax, and creating genuine rest in the session — is often what allows the rest of the body to let go too.
Audrey's experience of that "freshly freed up" sensation lasting all week tells me the session landed at a deeper level than surface tissue — her nervous system had genuinely downregulated, which is what makes the results hold.
Audrey's concern about marking is one I hear often. Cupping does sometimes leave temporary discolouration — this is a normal physiological response, not bruising — but as Audrey found, it is very individual and often minimal, particularly when cupping is used as part of an integrated session rather than in isolation.
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