Cupping therapy is a familiar part of traditional care in Vietnam: cups create gentle suction on the skin, drawing blood towards the area. At Ngải it usually comes together with gua sha — the therapist reads how your body is doing and chooses one, or both.
When people come for it
For a body that feels heavy and sore — the kind of tiredness with no clear cause, shoulders and back weighing on you, a general dullness after a stretch of hard work or after being caught in cold rain. In everyday Vietnamese this is what people call bị cảm or trúng gió.
Most guests find the body feels lighter and the breathing easier afterwards. The round marks left on the skin are normal and fade over a few days — darker on some people, lighter on others.
Gua sha — two ways at Ngải
With a smooth-edged tool — the therapist strokes along the back and shoulders, covering a wide area.
With the cups themselves — moderate suction, then the cup is slid across the body rather than left in one place.
Which one you get is the therapist's call after looking at how you are that day.
After a session
Drink warm water, keep the treated area warm, and avoid a cold shower for the first few hours — the pores are open and the body takes cold more easily than usual. It's also worth skipping alcohol for the rest of the day.
A few small things to know
Ngải doesn't perform cupping on expecting mothers, anyone with a fever, over broken skin, or for anyone with a bleeding disorder. If you take blood thinners, tell your therapist before you start.
Getting here
The Lãn Ông branch sits inside the Old Quarter, on the street Hanoi has known for generations as the place for herbs — walkable from Hoàn Kiếm lake. The Phan Kế Bính branch is in Ba Đình, quieter and easier if you are coming by car. Both run the same treatments, by therapists trained the same way.
Booking and what comes with it
Ngải is open 11:00 to 22:00, every day, at both locations. Booking ahead is worth it at weekends and in the evening, when the rooms fill up.
Chrysanthemum tea and Herbalism nut cookies come with every visit, however short the treatment. Most guests add cupping to the end of a massage, when the muscle has already softened.
Price and where to find us
Cupping and gua sha is 200 (thousands of VND, before VAT) for 15 minutes, added to any treatment. Two locations in Hanoi: 53B Lãn Ông in the Old Quarter, and 102 Phan Kế Bính in Ba Đình.
Add cupping to your session?
15 minutes, added to any treatment at either location.