Gua sha is a method of traditional Chinese medicine that I incorporate into my treatments. Its used by scraping the skin with a special tool (like so in the photo) that fundamentally stimulates microcirculation of soft tissue to promote blood flow, eases muscular tension, promotes lung function to help dispel pathogenic factors and opens up the pathways of the body in order to allow all of this to happen.
Depending on the patients condition, I may apply different levels of pressure in order to increase circulation. As Guasha gives rise to new blood under the skin surfacing, this can result in side effects such as skin discoloration, which looks like bruising but isnt, this can linger for about 4/5 days. You also may feel very relaxed, so it is advised not to do anything strenuous for the rest of the day following your treatment. This treatment should only ever be performed by a licensed acupuncturist or chinese medicine practitioner, as there are specific techniques in performing gua sha safely.