Have you heard of cupping? A few years ago there was a photo of Gwyneth Paltrow wearing a backless dress but revealing a few round bruise marks on the back of her shoulders… You might have seen it too? That was my first and only exposure to cupping until recently.
About 2 months ago I was invited to attend an event where I was given a few beauty treatments to test and review – as I hadn’t been able to stay for too long I wasn’t privy to any instructions about the products so was a bit perplexed when I got home and opened my package to discover 2 round silicone objects… I really didn’t know what they were for (my husband had a few rude suggestions of his own!) I read up a bit about them and then put the parcel to one side and headed for bed. Unfortunately it happened to stay in that one spot for quite some time as my weeks just seem to be getting busier and busier… Imagine my surprise when a few weeks later while visiting a beautician friend I found the very same silicon cups. The product is from Bellabaci, (meaning ‘beautiful kiss’ in Italian) and is a modern version of the ancient cupping therapy used to remove toxins from the body by drawing them out through silicone vacuum cups! I jumped at the chance to ask her about them and how they worked and she explained the benefits. Typical that I wasn’t too convinced by the brochure but needed the advice of a friend to get started!
Anyway I headed home and decided I better try them out for myself. And I did. What a revelation. I have always suffered from very tense neck muscles and have huge knots in them which every masseuse I ever go to makes mention of them. It must be where I carry my stress but nothing really helps for them – until now! I have been using these miracle working silicone cups from Bellabaci to ease the muscles and over the past few weeks have definitely felt a difference in the tightness of that area.
The Bellabaci cups are used to release toxins from deep muscle and tissue as a partial vacuum is created in the cups, while placed on the skin by means of suction. This enhances circulation by causing local congestion and draws up the underlying tissues.
The way they work is to suction onto the skin and then to cause the knots or lipid pockets to eliminate the lactic acid build up – similar to massage but something you can use every day. These cups can also be used in a multitude of other ways according to the brochure:
Pain relief and decrease inflammation
Drain and move fluids and toxins
Nourish blood supply to the skin and increase its suppleness
Improves sluggish circulation
Breakdown fatty deposits
Release deep muscular tissues
Improve and soften scar tissue.
Increase range of joint movement
Clear colon blockages
Open chest and lungs (a great treatment for colds and pneumonia)
Smooth stretch marks and clear broken capillaries
Anti aging – from the inside out
It is also very beneficial for reducing cellulite by working on the connective tissue in the cellulite layer whilst improving micro-circulation to the tissues which floods the area with oxygen and nutrients. As the lymphatic flow is increased, the tissue detoxifies, eliminating waste, softening and elasticising the tissue as the bloated adiposities begin to burn their contents and shrink in size. This smooths out the dimples in the cellulite. I know have been known to spend a whole movie using the cups up and down my thighs much to the amusement of my husband!
There is also a smaller cup that can be used on the face and this is beneficial in reducing the stress we carry in our faces that leads to wrinkles!
For more information on this product visit the Bellabaci website – I’m off to give myself my daily massage!
Tried it a couple of times, when we were in China. Hubby thinks I looked like an alien with my back full of weird looking, black circles. Love every moment of it. I had them on my shoulders as well. While video calling my sister, she thought hubby was hurting me! lol