Gua sha or “muscle scraping,” uses a blunt edge like a chinese soup spoon to drudge the muscles in the neck and sides of hard-to-reach places like the elbow or calves to encourage lymphatic flow to reduce muscle spasm. A lubricant such as massage oil  or moisturizer is used to help glide the spoon over the muscle to induce more circulation. One unique advantage of gua sha is that it can get at hard-to-reach places where cups cannot reach, such as the neck and inner arm, and around the scapulae for example.  Gua sha is painless and can also leave some red or pink marks showing that lactic acid and other impurities that are dormant in the muscle have been expelled, leaving the muscle more supple and flexible. Gua Sha used on the body regularly, can untangle knotted areas and release built-up muscular tension.

Facial gua sha applied to the face can eliminate fluid build-up, which in turn reduces puffiness.  A special rubberized small cone is used to make gentle “kiss” marks with minimal pressure on the face to accomplish this lymphatic massage. Participants report the procedure relaxing with zero pain or permanent marks. A red hue on the face can occur which is normal. Typically to “shape” the face, specialized acupuncture needles would be better suited for more specific work on reducing signs of aging and wrinkles.