Cupping · manual therapy · recoveryCairoDahabFlorence

Tension has a way out.

Cupping is one of the oldest ways of asking a body to recover: after training, after a long week, after too many hours in one position. Scroll and we'll show you exactly what happens under the cup. Then tell us which city you're in.

See how it works I know, take me to booking

Glass cups along a client's back in the Zen Recovery studio

The studio · Florence

What happens under the cup

Massage pushes in. Cupping lifts.

Five things happen in a session, in this order. Keep scrolling and watch each one.

Step one

The cup rests on the skin.

Glass or soft silicone, warmed in the hand first. Your therapist chooses the spot: the length of a tight back, the top of a shoulder, the outside of a thigh. Nothing has happened yet, except that you've lain down.

Step two

Air is drawn out.

With a pump, or the flash of a flame that's gone before the cup lands. The pressure inside drops. This is the whole idea: instead of pressing down into a muscle, cupping pulls upward. You feel a firm, spreading tug.

Step three

Skin and fascia lift. Blood follows.

The tissue under the cup rises a few millimetres. Fresh blood moves toward the surface and the area warms. The tug settles into something closer to a deep stretch that's being held for you.

Step four

Five to fifteen minutes.

The cups stay put, or glide slowly over oiled skin. Most people go very quiet here. The room is warm, the breathing slows, and you're not asked to do anything at all.

Step five

The marks tell the story.

Round, plum-coloured, sometimes surprising. They're not bruises: nothing struck you. They're the trace of blood the cup drew up, and they fade on their own in three to ten days. Darker usually means the area needed it more.

Ways we work

One idea, six ways in.

Every session starts with a short conversation about what your body's been doing lately. Then your therapist picks the approach. You can also ask for one by name.

Dry cupping

Cups placed and left still. The classic session, and the one to start with if you've never tried it.

For · tight back, stiff shoulders, a first visit

Sliding cupping

Oil on the skin, and the cup glides along the muscle. Closer to a massage, with the lift built in.

For · athletes, long desk days, recovery

Fire cupping

A flame heats the air inside a glass cup for a second before it lands. The traditional way, warmer and deeper.

For · deep, chronic tension

Hijama (wet cupping)

Small, shallow incisions before the cup goes back on, drawing a little blood out. Rooted in prophetic medicine and widely practised in Egypt. Done with single-use, sterile equipment only.

For · those who ask for it specifically

Manual therapy

Hands only: deep tissue and sports massage, often before the cups go on. This is where every Zen session starts.

For · recovery between training days, anything that needs hands first

Facial cupping

Tiny cups, very light suction, always gliding, never still. No marks. Leaves the skin flushed and the jaw looser.

For · puffiness, jaw tension, a lighter session

In the room

Three cities. The same hands, the same quiet.

Client face down on the table with glass cups along the spine and silicone cups on the arms — Dry and sliding cups together · a full-back session

Hijama cups along the spine, the studio banner reflected in the mirror — Hijama · sterile single-use cups, every time

Round cupping marks on a client's back, seen from a balcony in Florence — The morning after · marks fade in three to ten days

Come back. Bring someone.

Recovery is a habit. We reward the habit.

10th

Every tenth session is free.

Sessions in any city count. Your account keeps the tally, and the free one appears by itself when you get there.

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Good to know

Small things that make a session better.

People come to us for muscle tension, recovery after training, and the simple relief of an hour where nothing is asked of them. Cupping sits comfortably alongside physiotherapy and massage. It doesn't replace a doctor.

Talk to your doctor first if you're pregnant, take blood thinners, have a skin condition where the cups would go, or have a heart or blood-clotting condition. If you're unsure, message us and we'll tell you honestly whether cupping is a good idea for you.

Before: Eat something light a couple of hours before. Drink water. Skip a heavy workout that day.
Wear: Anything easy to move out of the way. For a back session you'll be face down with a towel; for legs, shorts are enough.
Feels like: A firm pull, then warmth. It shouldn't hurt. If it does, say so and the cup comes off.
After: Keep warm and drink more water than usual. No cold showers, saunas or swimming for about six hours. Some people feel tired that evening; sleep well.
Marks: Three to ten days. Fine to show, easy to cover. Photos in daylight are entirely optional.
How often: Once every one to two weeks while something is bothering you, then whenever your body asks.

Three rooms, one team

Where would you like us?

Zen works from Cairo, Dahab and Florence. Choose your city and we'll show you what's on offer there, in your currency.

Your session

Pick a city first.

Prices, hours and the team change with the room. Choose Cairo, Dahab or Florence above and the booking form appears here.