Gua Sha
Gua Sha is one of the so-called external therapies and is combined with Chinese tuina massage and traditional Qi Gong health exercise.
In gua sha, a therapist scrapes your skin with short or long strokes to stimulate microcirculation of the soft tissue, which increases blood flow. They make these strokes with a smooth-edged instrument known as a gua massage tool or scraper plate. The therapist applies massage oil to your skin, and then uses the tool to repeatedly scrape your skin in a downward motion.
This can lead to significant discoloration of the skin, which will disappear after a few days. The stronger the blockage, the stronger the skin color.
Here, above all, the blood circulation and the metabolism are activated and regulated and thus the flow of energy (so-called Chi flow or Qi) in the body is balanced.
Gua Sha is also often used to prevent and boost immunity.