The last time we delved into Addison Rae’s beauty and wellness rituals for her Vogue Beauty Secrets moment, it was all about a 16-step skincare and makeup routine—a matcha and a coffee, plus an immediate swipe of lippie in the morning. It seems the “Diet Pepsi” singer has expanded her wellness practice since then, trying out an alternative therapy that was as popular in ancient Egypt as it is among a certain set of celebrities today.
Rae stepped out in Los Angeles wearing a pink frilly babydoll dress, and while her long blonde hair billowed in the breeze, it didn’t do much to obscure the faint circular welts on her back. More than likely, these bruise-like marks are from cupping therapy.
At the 2016 summer Olympics, the discolorations on swimmer Michael Phelps’ back while he cut through the water to glory got people talking about cupping. He posted the process on Instagram, which showed him having the cups applied to the backs of his legs.
The tell-tale cupping marks have been spotted on the backs of plenty of celebrities over the years, but during the early aughts, it had a particular resurgence. One of the most prominent being Gwyneth Paltrow on a 2004 red carpet. “It’s a common procedure for her,” a rep for the Goop founder told press at the time. Jennifer Aniston and Victoria Beckham have also taken part in the practice. In more recent years, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga (who suffers from the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia), and Hailey Bieber have also been spotted with faint cupping marks.
Cupping therapy can be traced through ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern Cultures across thousands of years. The ancient form of alternative medicine sees a practitioner place cups across a patient’s back, stomach, arms, and legs. The force of the suction pulls the skin into the cup, breaking small blood vessels under the skin (that’s what causes the circular marks). The idea is that it stimulates blood flow, drawing blood to or away from the targetted area of the body can relieve pain and supposedly release toxins. It is believed to reduce pain and inflammation, and has been used for treatment of back pain, high blood pressure, arthritis, migraines, and irritable bowel disease.
There are a few ways to practice it: “Dry,” “Running,” and “Bleeding.” The dry method means adding heat to the cup, while the running method involves applying lotion to the skin so as to move the cups across the body dynamically. The bleeding method requires the puncturing of skin to draw blood. While medical doctors can provide it as a service, so can acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, and physical therapists.
In traditional Eastern Medicine, cupping therapy is closely associated with acupuncture. In Taoism, is thought to harmonize Qi by balancing Yin (negative energy) and Yang (positive energy). In India, Ayurvedic medicine also incorporates a blood detoxification technique known as ‘Ghati Yantra,’ which bears similarities to wet cupping.
Ada Ooi, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and wellness expert, previously explained the practice and its results to British Vogue. While the marks fade after about 10 days, according to Ooi, they “indicate the level of blood and qi stagnation and toxin accumulations, with their color and pattern reflecting the level of stagnation in that area. This, Ooi says, will vary from person to person. “Once the accumulation is broken down, qi, fluids, and blood circulate better—it’s almost like murky water being filtered and flushed away.”
There’s not a significant amount of research to back up its benefit claims. A small 2023 review found that cupping might provide some relief for some musculoskeletal and sports-related conditions (like neck and back pain), but it was limited in scope. A 2022 review found that wet cupping was effective for low back pain. As noted by Harvard Health, it’s difficult to make judgments on its effectiveness because it’s hard to even perform a high-quality study on cupping. The best research studies are “blinded placebo-controlled trials”—this is where neither a patient or researcher knows if they’re getting a real or placebo treatment. Practically, that’s an almost impossible environment to create with cupping. Pain is also a difficult thing to measure, as Harvard Health notes.
It’s not recommended to take part in cupping therapy if you’re pregnant, have anemia, have a skin condition like eczema or bleeding disorders like hemophilia. It’s believed to be low risk in terms of complications, but you should always consult a healthcare provider if you’re looking to treat specific personal symptoms. But as Ooi told British Vogue, cupping has experienced a bit of a renaissance in the post-covid need for a quick wellness fix. “It feels good during and after the treatment, while also tackling prolonged and unresolved tension within the body,” Ooi says.
Well, Addison Rae has a pop girl anthemic album of the ages to finish, so we won’t deprive her of any short term relief she needs to turn it out.
