Ventosa Sunday

Last Sunday, my mom, my little sister and I went to Banahaw Heals Spa to try out their ventosa cupping massage therapy. I’ve heard of ventosa massage before and was actually tempted to try it, but spa outlets in Quezon City offered ventosa massage at a very high price. I got excited when my mom told me about this new spa found in Batangas City that offered ventosa therapy for only 300 pesos! Definitely a steal for massage enthusiasts like me, my mom and my siblings.I researched a bit about this ventosa cupping massage therapy.

According to spawhereveryouare.com, Ventosa means

"pulling out wind" or the familiar "lamig" - which refers to muscle spasm and tissue congestion, a technique in olden China which opens the body's Meridians and restores the flow of qi. Pain is believed to result from blockages in the pathway of these energy flow thus restoring balance is crucial in healing. This is done by positioning you face down and placing of glasses on specific accupoints in a negative pressure environment to activate blood flow, drive out wind and dampness. Vacuum created inside the glass lifts the skin and increases circulation, helps alleviate pain and allows the body to feel relaxed and rested. This method is generally pain free, and certain redness of the area is normal and is to be expected, a small price to pay for the invaluable relief that is sure to follow.“

Banahaw Heals Spa offered the same treatment, but it also had a steam bath before proceeding to the actual cupping. I love steam baths. I love how you can feel yourself sweating and feeling all that heat touching your skin.

After the steam bath and quick shower, the masseuse proceeded to the cupping. She used 8 glass cups on my back since I had a shorter torso. After all glasses were in place, she decided that it was best for the cups to stay not longer than 3 minutes so they won’t leave heavy marks on my back. I have to say, it was kind of painful when the glass was sucking my skin, but it was the good kind of painful. What I loved the most was the massage and stretching that followed after the cupping. It felt so gooood! I really felt that I’ve stretched myself fully after that whole session. This has to be the best massage I’ve had so far, better than my usual Swedish or Aromatherapy massage.

The only downside of ventosa massage though are the circular marks that are still very much visible on my back even until now. They look like giant hickeys, but one of my friends said I just looked like a wingless butterfly or fairy. Still, they don’t look nice at all, like circular bruises on my back.

Crappy photos I know. I should remember to always bring my camera with me all the time. :))