I know Gywneth Paltrow does it. I just don't know what it is. So I did some research...

My first impression: Mtherf##**in OwCH!!! My second: Is this some new fangled torture practiced by deviant chefs? My last: Fearful curiosity. Apparently it's good for you?

According to Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, cupping refers to "an ancient Chinese practice in which a cup is applied to the skin and the pressure in the cup is reduced (by using change in heat or by suctioning out air), so that the skin and superficial muscle layer is drawn into and held in the cup." In a technique called gliding cupping, the cup may be moved while the suction of skin is active, causing a regional pulling of the skin and muscle.

Uh-I don't know. I'm a massage junkie and a fan of alternative medicine, but anything that leaves me looking like I barely escaped a trap of bottle rings is questionable. Apparently the medical jury is still out...although the American Cancer Society gives it tentative credit (or at least doesn't discredit it) with this statement:

"Although not widely used as an alternative method of treatment for cancer, some practitioners may use it to rebalance energy in the body that has been blocked by certain tumors."

If I can work up the courage, I'll let you know first hand what this glassware taken to new levels is all about.