Therabody TheraCup Review – The Suction-Heat Combo….and More!

Welcome to this Therabody TheraCup review.

Therabody was busy last year; they released 8 new products – the most in a year. What were those? Did we review them? Maybe not all, but we sure mentioned some, or we will get to them eventually.

We enjoyed reviewing their massage guns (5^th gen Pro and 2^nd gen mini), but today we’ll discuss their smart cupping device – the TheraCup.

Is this the first smart cupper? Not really. We reviewed the Smart Cupper by Achedaway about a year ago. We got a hold of Therabody’s cupper, used it, and we are ready to tell you about it. Perhaps we will compare it to Achedaway’s device, or not.

We’ll see!

What is Cupping, and How Does it Help in Muscle Recovery?

So what’s cupping? If you were part of the folk that was taken aback by Michael Phelps’s “gory-looking” marks on his back at the Olympics in Rio 2016, you are probably already familiar with cupping.

The Background

It’s an ancient Chinese treatment used to loosen up fascia around your muscle. It is sort of the reverse of massage therapy in that it works by pulling on the skin rather than pressing against it. Multiple cups are placed on the patient’s back, shoulders, or neck and left for a short while. The medical name for cupping is myofascial decompression.

If you don’t know what fascia is, it’s the connective tissue that holds muscles to the skin. The fascia tends to stiffen when the muscle is overworked (from exercise) or underworked (from a sedentary lifestyle).

Cupping can help release the pressure within these connective tissues.

There is a reason celebrity athletes love cupping. They are top-level performers that need to be in tip-top form to do what they do best. Apart from Phelps, we saw Conor McGregor with cupping marks early last year.

We’ve also seen the peculiar cupping marks on NBA players like Stephen Curry, Steven Adams, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. We also saw former New England Patriots linebacker James Harrison using the cupping method for his recovery routine.

This tells you just how popular (and definitely effective) the cupping therapy method is.

These are just a few areas people have reported relief in after using cupping. But there are more proven benefits (backed by scientific studies) of cupping, including;

• Relieving lower back pain – studies in 2015^​1​ and 2017^​2​ found cupping to be effective against chronic lower back pain. 
• Helping in sports recovery – A minor study in 2020^​3​ found that cupping can effectively improve hamstring issues like tightness and strains. 
• Reduction of heavy metal levels in the blood – A study in 2018^​4​ found that cupping helped lower the levels of aluminum, zinc, and cadmium in the bloodstream. These heavy metals cause toxicity in the body. 

You can also check out more cupping benefits from our Achedaway Smart Cupper Review. 

Types of Cupping – Which Ones Does the TheraCup Utilize?

There are different types of cupping techniques used today. Some of these techniques may be new because of new technology. Some, however, are as old as the treatment itself.

Let us look at some of them.

Traditional, Fixed, or Static Cupping

This method uses negative pressure. One example is when a flame is lit inside the cup to suck out the oxygen. The cup is then quickly placed on the skin, creating a vacuum.

Another non-flame method (also negative pressure) is when pump cups are used; a pump is attached to the cup that sucks the air out.

Dynamic Cupping

This method incorporates both negative pressure and movements. It can take different forms.

For example, you can use rubber cuppers that create weak suction allowing you to glide the cup over the skin (usually the skin is oiled).

Or you can use the more advanced smart suppers that dynamically change pressure. The Achedaway Cupper utilizes this technique.

All these methods represent a type of cupping known as “Dry Cupping.” This type of cupping is non-aggressive. There is also “Wet Cupping,” where incisions are made over the Dry Cupping areas, and new cups are placed over the cuttings.

So, what about the TheraCup? 

The TheraCup promises vacuum cupping therapy via suction combined with heat to create a versatile portable smart cupper.

However, it’s not just the heat and the suction; they have added vibrations for a soothing effect or to enhance tension release within the tissues.

In theory, it looks like a robust device – but is it?

Therabody TheraCup Review

Therabody TheraCup Specs

Design

The device comes in a tiny package – a small box measuring 6 x 6 inches. We noticed the new approach to packaging by Therabody; they reduced the plastic.

The device comes in a neoprene carrying pouch. Everything is inside.

The device already has a cup attached to it.

There are two extra cups – all different sizes. But the cups have the same height and the same outer diameter. The inside diameter, though, is different for each cup. These cups are meant to work on different muscles.

The cup diameters (inner) are as follows:

• 35mm or 1.38 inches
• 45mm or 1.77 inches
• 55mm or 2.17 inches

Apart from the device and the cups, there is also a USB-C cable for charging the device and a basic manual in different languages.

It’s a very compact device measuring 4 inches tall, and 2.3 inches wide with the cup mounted. It’s also very light, weighing just 8 ounces (228 grams) according to our scale. It has a quality feel, as you’d expect from Therabody. 

The cups are all made of transparent, tinted plastic, but they all look slick with nice rounded edges. The device feels nice to the touch. Even though it’s mostly plastic, it has rubber around it.

Therabody chose a simple minimalist approach here – nothing feels overdone. The blue rubber ring on top adds to the overall visual appeal.

How to Use the TheraCup by Therabody

Here’s how to use this essential device:

• Decide where you want to apply the treatment and place the cupper (choose one of 3 cups included with the device). 
• Turn on the device using the On/Off toggle switch at the side (the device beeps when it’s ready). 
• Short-press the central button (the cupper indicator) to begin the suction. Press the button again to increase the suction level – there are up to 3 levels. 
• The side buttons activate vibrations (the wave icon) and heat (the fire icon). These too have 3 levels. 
• While the device works on your skin, you can adjust the suction, vibrations, or heat intensity to your liking. The 3 LEDs next to the buttons indicate the selected setting. 
• In case you don’t want to combine the suction with the vibration or the heat settings, you can long-press the respective buttons to turn them off. However, you can’t use the complimentary settings without the suction. The suction is the main attribute of the device – it’s cupping, right?

How Does the TheraCup Perform?

Therabody promises three therapies in one device: suction, heat, and vibration. Let’s see how does it performs then.

The Suction

You’re probably wondering, how well does this thing perform? To give a straight answer, we’d say it performs pretty well. Here’s how the suction works.

There are 3 suction levels, as we just saw above. They are measured by strength as 30kPa, 40kPa, and 50kPa – or you can read them as 4.35psi (0.2 bar) to 7.54psi (0.5 bar).

What’s with the numbers? Do they mean anything?

Simply put, you’re getting a pretty powerful suction out of this thing. Even at first level the suction is pretty robust. No chance the device falls off once you’ve hooked it onto your body.

The last level can be pretty intense for ordinary folks – unless you are a demanding user, we advise sticking to the first two levels.

But can you do gliding cupping with the TheraCup?

Yes, we tried gliding the cup on the skin, but it’s quite a hassle. The suction is pretty tight, even at the first level, to allow the cup to glide smoothly.

But when we put some oil on the application area, the process was still sticky, but we had better success gliding the cup.

TIP Just a heads up – it feels slightly painful when you try to force-glide the cup on the skin. 

But we are aware of people who love gliding the cup along the application area. We know that ladies especially love doing it to get rid of cellulite. In that case, we believe there is room for an upgrade here – maybe even a new device with the same concept but slightly less suction to allow for gliding cupping? 

The Heating

There are 3 levels for the heating setting: 41 degrees Celsius, 43 degrees Celsius, and 45 degrees Celsius (106F, 109F, and 113F).

When the skin gets sucked into the cup, it touches the ceramic lining inside the cupper, which gets warm. It heats up pretty quickly too – it takes about 10 to 20 seconds.

The feeling is fantastic – we have to praise Therabody’s execution here.

But the heating isn’t just to warm you up and keep you comfortable, it greatly affects the cupping process. Heating hastens the loosening of the fascia in the muscle and boosts blood flow to the tissues. 

The combination of cupping and heating brings back the good old flame cuppers. Unlike the Achedaway Cupper, the TheraCup by Therabody doesn’t utilize red light therapy; but the heating component works great.

The Vibrations

Vibrations also add to the effectiveness of the cupping therapy. They penetrate deep into the tissue and help to relieve tension.

But you’d need high-tempo vibrations for even better effectiveness, which the TheraCup doesn’t seem to have. Granted, they advertise 1800 to 3000 shakes per minute in the manual, but somehow, the vibrations are gentle (even to the 3^rd setting). They are not quite as effective compared to the suction-heating combo. 

We are assuming Therabody only included the vibrations to provide a soothing effect to help you relax.

But maybe Therabody really did want the vibrations to add to the intensity of the cupping therapy. But then, why make the vibrations so gentle?

If that’s the case, then we believe the intensity is lost along the cup – the vibrations have to travel from the top to the bottom where the cup meets your skin. We are guessing that’s where the vibrations may be lost.

Safety Features

It’s amazing the number of safety features Therabody chose to include here.

They include:

• The auto-shutoff after 3 minutes; to indicate that you need to move the device to a different spot. 
• Pressure detection – the device automatically shuts off when the pressure exceeds 60kPa. 
• The device also monitors heat levels
• There is a warning when you select the highest suction level

Is there Bluetooth Connectivity and an App?

Well, this may be somewhat surprising, but Achedaway beats Therabody here. This TheraCup doesn’t have Bluetooth connectivity.

The Achedaway Cupper has an app you can use to control the device – especially when using it on your back. It proved to be a handy feature.

Let’s hope Therabody thinks about connectivity for future TheraCup iterations.

Battery

We’re not sure about the battery’s capacity, but the device can last for 120 minutes with a full charge.

However, if you use high-level suction and too much heat, you might not get enough juice for 2 hours. Even so, the treatment per spot takes only a few minutes; two hours will be enough to treat a large area. 

Kudos to Therabody for making this a USB-C charging device – you can charge it using a power bank. We’re assuming there isn’t too much juice to recharge because it takes 1-2 hours to fully charge the device.

The charge indicator is simple; it lights green when it’s fully charged, blue for a mid-charge, and orange for a low charge. The light flashes when charging and turns solid green when fully charged. 

Cleaning

Cleaning is not an issue. The shape of the cups makes them easy to clean. They are removable too.

You can read the cleaning instructions on the manual. Use a clean cloth to clean the device and the cups. You can also use soap and water to clean the cups. 

Pricing and Warranty

One device costs $149, while a double pack costs $279. A 6 pack will peg you back $799. We believe the price is fair for what you’re getting here.

You may want to try the X8YZF10 promo code at checkout, to save a few bucks. This coupon will only work here at therabody.com.

The device has a 1-year warranty; you get 90 days cover for the cups.

But you can’t put it past Therabody to charge exorbitantly for their devices. The competition offers similar devices but at fair prices. You can check the alternative below.

Therabody TheraCup vs. Achedaway Cupper

The Achedaway Cupper is the only viable alternative to the TheraCup we’re aware of. It’s a proven device that’s been on the market for well over a year now. It has gathered many positive reviews, including our very own Achedaway Cupper Review.

Let’s clash it with the new TheraCup device:

Different Sizes

The Achedaway Cupper is flatter and shorter and will stick on the body better vertically (relative to the ground – for instance, when you put it on your back while standing). Also, the Achedaway Cupper has large cups.

However, TheraCup’s smallest cup is great when you need to use it on smaller muscles.

Performance

The Achedaway Cupper offers a slightly different proposition to the TheraCup. We’d say it’s slightly more robust.

The suction is dynamic, which means the pressure fluctuates to move the skin up and down. This effectively increases blood supply to the tissues and helps to release toxins faster. The TheraCup can’t do this.

Instead of direct heat, the Achedaway Cupper utilizes red-light therapy, which has proven benefits. The Achedaway Cupper doesn’t vibrate.

How does the suction compare to Achedaway? The Achedaway Cupper has a wider range, from 20kPa to 60kPa, and up to 5 levels. This makes the Achedaway Cupper stronger at higher levels.

Can the Achedaway Cupper glide comfortably? In theory, we believe it should be easier to glide the TheraCup than the Achedaway Cupper. Since the strong suction hinders the gliding and the Cupper is stronger, it might be harder to move the Cupper along the body. Practically though, it feels about the same as TheraCup.

Connectivity

The Achedaway Cupper can be controlled via an app. It also has a lanyard that makes it easier to use than the TheraCup. 

Battery

The battery feels stronger than TheraCup’s. It has a capacity of 1800mAh and lasts 2-3 hours. Even so, the Cupper is lighter than the TheraCup – it weighs 215 grams. 

Price

The prices are similar, though the base price is slightly higher for the Cupper. Use the MGA25 code to get it with $25 OFF. The cupper too has a 1-year warranty.

Therabody TheraCup Review Summary

Before we close this Therabody TheraCup review, it suffices to say that this is an excellent cupper from a trusted brand. We are totally sold on the suction-heat combo (sprinkle in the vibrations to relax).

It’s not just a gadget that you buy to try out; it does what it claims to do. It’s a great choice for amateur and pro athletes. It’s also great for physios. On top of that, it is a reasonably priced device.

We are glad the Achedaway Cupper has competition now. We are hoping this drives the prices down further. Even so, they are fairly priced. Plus, you’re getting them from top brands.

Until next time!