Similar to other Eastern medicine practices like gua sha , Goldstein and others trained in facial cupping move the cup in rows from the base of the neck up to ensure the lymphatic fluid can easily drain out. Then, they work their way up to the forehead, with the cups moving from the center of the face out to sides, following the drainage path down the neck. “When you slide the cups, there are certain patterns and directions that you want to use in order to promote lymph flow, and force it to the primary lymph nodes, which are at the base of the clavicle towards the center of your breastbone,” she explains. “You’re going to bring everything out to the side of your face and down the sternocleidomastoid muscle, which is that big [neck] muscle that turns your neck from side to side...that’s where the major lymph drainage portals are.”