Gua sha is an ancient Chinese healing technique used to help improve circulation and manage chronic pain. This natural approach touts countless benefits, from lowering inflammation, to alleviating migraine headaches and relaxing tight muscles - to name a few.
Gua sha therapy involves scraping your skin with a smooth-edged massage tool. These tools are most often made from jade or quartz but can also be created from other types of stone, wood, or metal. Our experienced practitioners use these tools to help break up stagnant energy within your body and promote healing.
At One Agora Integrative Health Clinic, our trained practitioners use gua sha techniques as a stand-alone therapy or in combination with other services, like acupuncture. We also offer facial gua sha - a gentler form of gua sha that brightens and tightens your skin.
Gua sha literally means “to scrape sand.” The therapy and tools are straightforward, simple, and effective. One of our gua sha specialists will apply oil to your skin before the treatment. This helps the tool to glide smoothly.
Using this smooth-edged tool, we sweep across your skin in specific directions. We'll use a combination of short and long strokes, depending where on the body you're receiving gua sha. The stroking of the skin's surface helps to start breaking up and moving stagnant energy within your body. This, in turn, helps to:
Like with a massage, gua sha does involve the use of pressure. Because of this, you might notice light bruising after your session. You could also see red spots that look like a rash. This is caused by blood flowing to your skin's surface and tiny blood vessels breaking. This is common and typically disappears within a week.
Gua sha can help relieve symptoms from a variety of ailments, conditions, and concerns. These include:
As a natural healing therapy, gua sha can be used on different parts of the body . Common locations for treatments include:
While gua sha therapy can bring much-needed relief, we don't recommend it for everyone. We suggest those with clotting disorders, taking blood thinners, or those who've had surgery within the past six weeks avoid gua sha therapy.
Though similar in many ways, facial gua sha is quite different from gua sha therapy on the body. It's a gentler form that doesn't leave marks. Think of it like a facelift without the surgery.
Similar to gua sha on the body, one of our licensed practitioners will apply a special facial oil to your face and neck. We then use a smooth, jade massage tool to gently massage your face. The massage helps to:
After a session, most patients notice results immediately. This includes brighter skin and a more sculpted face due to excess fluids being flushed out. Patients may also notice:
Our patients love that there's no downtime after their gua sha session. You can get back to your day as soon as you leave our office.
For the best results, we recommend facial gua sha sessions once or twice a week. Patients who regularly receive facial gua sha therapy treatments also notice improved skin hydration and the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles. Some of our patients report fewer headaches and jaw pain.
While gentler than traditional gua sha, we don't recommend facial gua sha therapy if you've had fillers. Also, if you've had Botox® injections, please wait at least two weeks before scheduling your facial gua sha appointment.
Gua sha is a natural, non-invasive way to lower stress, pain, and inflammation. It can also help you have brighter, younger-looking skin. Gua sha is effective as a standalone therapy and is especially beneficial when paired with other treatments.
If you'd like to find out how gua sha can help enhance your health or are interested in scheduling a session, we invite you to reach out. Please call our Bloomington, MN office at (952) 234-5898 or fill out this short contact form .
One Agora Integrative Health Clinic
9220 James Ave S.
Bloomington, MN 55431
Phone: (952) 234-5898
