Cupping is something I was sure most folk would be aware of – but it turns out they aren’t so I am happy to try to help and spread a little knowledge as well as telling you all about what cupping means to us.

At this point, I’d like to say I am not a medical professional and this post is based on my thoughts and experiences with cupping. Please research it fully before attempting to try it.

First things first, it isn’t specifically related to kink – it’s kinda been perversed and used in the kink world.

“It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.”

Cupping is the technique of applying glass cups, or in our case plastic, to the skin as a suction device. The idea behind it is – the suction cups help break up stagnated blood and disperse congested blood. There are several ways in which cupping can do this. The original method involved applying a flammable liquid inside of glass cups, setting fire to it and applying it to the skin. As the air cools, a vacuum is created. I would love to try the version at some stage to see how much it differs from the pump and plastic cups.

There are two versions of cupping – wet and dry.

The most commonly practiced method is dry. A medium is applied to the skin – we opt for organic massage oil or sometimes the Butters lube – and is spread all over the body and once the cup is in position, it usually can stay there for as long as is tolerable. Though, I personally feel people should start off with a few minutes and build a tolerance. The good thing about these is once the seal is broken, the cup is released instantly, which in my opinion, helps to take the scary feel out of the situation.

Wet cupping is a little different. While the same methods as the dry cupping are still there, the skin is actually nicked with a blade to release the blood. The cups are places as normal but removed after a few minutes and the skin is nicked with a blade. The cup is then put back on and the suction draws out the blood. Some therapists will actually include the addition of acupuncture needles and leave them in place while cupping, I’d love to try that as I love acupuncture.

We have tried both versions – aesthetically I like the look of wet cupping. So far we have only mildly dipped into this. This is something I don’t recommend at all unless you are doing this with someone you trust 100%. It isn’t a life-threating practice but all the same, a blade is involved so please don’t attempt this with someone you don’t have 100% trust in. Some of those marks in the tweet below were actually wet cupped and as a result, they aren’t as bruised as the ones that were dry cupped. The idea is old, stagnated blood is actually being removed through those slots in the skin.

So what the hell has all this gotta do with kink and what is Erotic Cupping?

So while I wasn’t certain you’d have heard of cupping – you are bound to have heard of a pussy pump (if you haven’t – I wrote about those here). Cupping is essentially the same thing in a way. Why do folk use a pussy pump? Well, some like the aesthetics but the main reason is to increase blood flow to the area and make the area more sensitive. Erotic cupping works on the exact same principle. The cups are just a little differently shaped than that of the typical pussy pump. The cupping set we were sent works in the same way though.

We received lots of cups – 15 in total in all different sizes, plastic tubing and a hand pump. The cups are made from medical-grade acrylic plastic. We don’t actually use the plastic tubing as the pump connects directly onto the rubber valves at the top of the cups. The set is supplied with spare valves and it is also worth mentioning that some of those valves aren’t fully opened so if they aren’t holding suction – catch the valve and give it a little pinch to release the rubber fully. Oh, and as the images below display, the set also comes in a super handy storage case.

The joy of all different sizes means they can be placed absolutely anywhere and the benefit of using the plastic cups over the glass ones, apart of the obvious they won’t break as easy, is they are easier to place rather than the fire cup method.

Cupping is an awesome way to add another level of sensation play to your sessions. Aesthetically, they leave some beautiful marks, they can, when high levels of suction are applied, make a masochist very happy in terms of pain and make you super sensitive. Sounds like an awesome bunch of reasons to try to out <3

We personally signed up to try them from both a kink and a health perspective. I suffer from issues in my shoulder and my kidneys – all on my right side. They say the bruising you experience from cupping will be darker in areas of trauma/issues. I personally thought that was a load of crap until my right side was far more bruised than my left. I have, no jokes, actually felt a difference in my pain levels I experience in my shoulder – the cupping has definitely made a difference. While I don’t notice much difference in kidneys (I don’t suffer now as much as I did) – the marks that were left were certainly darker.

Overall, this is something we both enjoy – (you can see my OH’s thigh in cups here). Not only is it an awesome set to use for sensation play – no need to worry about these guys falling off like the typical nipple suckers out there but having multiple cups means multiple areas all at the one time. The pump allows exact precision on how much pressure you want to apply and because the pump is automatically disconnected once the cup is placed it means, you can keep adding more and more cups. It is definitely beginner-friendly given how easy the cups can be disconnected if needs be too.

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Sadly Meo don’t seem to be selling this set anymore 🙁

I would like to take the opportunity to thank MEO for sending me the Cupping Set in exchange for an honest and impartial review this however in no way changes my opinion on the item. What I honestly think, you read! All images displayed of the Cupping Set are taken by myself!

No affiliate links have been used in this post.

BDSM Diaries: What is Erotic Cupping and our experiences with it was last modified: by