So....I ended up coming here for coining, also known as Gua sha or cao gio. This salon is pretty new actually, and since it was close by and did coining, I decided to check it out. For those who are not aware, coining is part of traditional Chinese medicine and involves scraping/rubbing the skin to produce light bruising and eliminate toxins.
I don't speak Chinese so I feel like a little was lost in translation at times lol. The guy at the welcome desk spoke French and translated to the massage therapist what I wanted, but after that it was just me and the massage therapist who really didn't speak any French. The Gua sha was 35€ for a 40 minute treatment, and since I only wanted it on my back (and not the rest of my body since its summer and I don't want people to think I'm being beaten up), I guess he started off with a "massage". For background info, I have a lot of back and shoulder pain, and the massage was no joke. I mean no joke. I cried away every last bit of my mascara. LOL. But I remembered telling myself, no pain no gain. I think it was maybe super painful cuz he kept really working on my knots. Like kneading them away. And the massage therapist was a huge Chinese dude. I just remember thinking "I can't wait for these 40 minutes to go by." Haha. The Gua sha part was less painful than the massage I guess, but still painful when he went over my sore areas. No pain no gain!!!
How did I feel after? That's the most important part - I was completely rid of all my back and shoulder pain - a miracle!!!! And as for my chronic hives (the reason I went in for Gua sha)? I only had to take an anti-histamine once in nearly 2 weeks (that from taking them daily!) woot! I'll be back for sure!
If you have any chronic pain, give a Chinese massage a try. It hurts like a b but is worth it in the end. And why not try some coining if you have a cold or other chronic problems? Besides that, the place was clean. The "cabins" are separated by thin curtains but it's all good! read more