A more personal way into China.
The real China not just seen, but experienced firsthand.
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Inside the treatment room
These are the treatments we most often accompany. Each page says what happens, how long it takes, what you wear and whether it leaves marks. What it does for you is a question for the practitioner, not for us.
All treatments
Gentle placement of hair-thin needles at targeted body points
Read what happens
Traditional Chinese therapeutic bodywork, performed fully clothed
Read what happens
Therapeutic suction to relieve tension; temporary circular marks may remain for a few days
Read what happens
Gentle heat therapy using burning mugwort; produces a unique herbal aroma
Read what happens
Traditional press-stroking therapy using a smooth tool; leaves temporary redness
Read what happens
A warm, mineral-rich smooth stone glided over muscles — gentle on skin, with little or no marking
Read what happens
A conversation about your history and, if useful, a custom herbal formula
Read what happens
Practical reading
Clear advice on hospital queues, what to pack, and when to ask for someone — written for a foreign guest on this kind of morning.
How the day runs
A walkthrough of a traditional Chinese medicine clinic: registration, the queue, the conversation, and pharmacy payment — so you know what to expect.
Read the guide
Before you leave the hotel
What to pack for a TCM outpatient visit: passport, payment, clothing for tui na or cupping, and what the marks can look like afterwards.
Read the guide
When to ask for someone
When an English-speaking companion helps on a TCM visit — language, forms, a first time in a Chinese hospital — and when you should talk to us first instead.
Read the guide
How your visit unfolds
Three simple steps — with room to stop at any of them.
We arrange the visit, not the outcome. We are a companion and interpreting service. We are not a medical provider, we do not give medical advice, and we will not tell you what any visit will do for you. The practitioner speaks for themselves, and we translate it faithfully — including when the answer is discouraging. You hear the real price first. What you tell us stays with the visit.
Plan a visit
01
Share what is bothering you in plain language. A person reads it and writes back within 24 hours with a suggested clinic, a time slot and the full cost. You can stop there.
02
Your companion meets you, handles registration and the queue, and interprets the whole conversation both ways — including the price of anything extra, before you agree to it.
03
You leave with a written summary of what was said, in English, so you are not reconstructing the morning from memory. Follow-up is only arranged if you ask.
Our fee covers your personal companion and translation service only. You will always see two separate totals before you decide. Your companion will tell you what something costs before you agree to it, and you can decline anything at any point.
You pay the hospital
$11–$55per item, typically
¥80–385 at the hospital
Paid directly at the hospital on the day. A visit with several items typically comes to $170–$250 (¥1,200–¥1,750). These are the hospital’s prices, not ours, and they can change.
Our fee does not include:
You pay us
$59.90per health concern / specialty area
Each area adds about 2 hours to the visit. You see the full figure before you send anything.
This covers:
Voices on TCM
Independent comments about traditional Chinese medicine. They are not our guests, and they are not a promise about what a visit will do.
@aunz0101
I just had my first cupping experience and it definitely worked! I've been suffering from muscle pain, stiffness, and deep knots the past few months and this one just removed all of that. As someone who had a post-grad science background, I wouldn't normally rely on this and would rather go to physiotherapists. But after so many unsuccessful sessions with different physiotherapists, I decided to do chiro and this and I would say they are waayyy better than what physiotherapists do (with the exception of dry needling--that sh*t slaps and is super effective as well). Note that I've paired cupping with acupuncture.
@afiefsky
If you're hesitant to try cupping therapy and wondering if it really works, based on my experience (I’ve done it around 10 times), it does help relax muscle pain. Just be very careful when choosing a therapist—research their reviews and make sure everything is clean, especially the cups and needles used for wet cupping. Personally, I believe the blood that comes out during the process is 'dirty blood,' and it's better to remove it from your body, similar to how blood donation works.
@_JimS
I have had chronic knee pain for five years post replacement surgery and my doctor threw his hands up and said I don't know what's wrong. During hip surgery post-op therapy my rehab team introduced me to dry cupping for the hip, which led to the knee. We attacked the knee and I had instant relief after five years. The fascia in my body gets extremely tight for some reason and this cupping released the tight fascia immediately....highly recommended.
@chadvalliere8697
Just had it done for the first time couple days ago and o can certainly say it WORKS! Have had some deep deep knots behind my right scapula and normal massage therapy couldn’t relieve very well. Knots were bad enough that for the last year my right arm and shoulder feel unbelievably fatigued. A 30 minute massage and 5 minutes with the cups on me made such a massive difference. The fatigue is practically gone over night.
@JustinGarfield1
I am a massage therapist. Cupping works. Bruising isn't good, but marking is normal. Bruises has pain, marks don't. Dont use strong suction over kidneys, you can damage them. But cupping affects the deep layered mucles that the hands can't touch (4 inches in the body. It helps improves lymphatic system. It also helps get old blood to move and not be stagnant. The list goes on.
@cameronbacon7868
It works! First time last night and it completely took away my neck and shoulder tightness. I was taking pain meds everyday from the tightness and tension headaches. Instantly it felt great and I could actually feel the muscles releasing. Amazing. My wife didn’t like it because it felt weird, so I think only do it if you need it.
@viviennebartlett9456
I do DIY cupping with electric cupping that has red light therapy on my cellulite on my thighs . 2 months later and weekly cupping and massage my celliute has dramatically reduced by 80% i can feel all the fatty nodules have gone or flattened out for me its a game changer
@rightbro
I bought the REVO smart cupping massager. It’s easy to use and uses red light therapy. I’m dealing with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis, I use it twice a week . My Doctor recommended it to me. I feel it does relax muscle tension.
@odetteborg865
My culture has been doing cupping for years. .My mother would do this on my back when I could get no relief from other methods.
@yourfutureisnow6480
Ive been doing it for years. It relaxes my muscles and definitely improves the tension. I sleep better and next day much more relaxed.
@KevinWilliams87
I always notice immediate relief of knots and mild back shoulder pains after cupping.
@gernotritzau5948
I just tried it and it's an unbelievable thing. It helped me with my chronic sore muscles from working in construction
@ceceh9742
I used it to help bad sciatica pain and it combined with acupuncture really helped
@SVANERT
Cupping 😊 👍 just one time healed my hip pain… that I suffered with for 9 mos.
@murdoc4794
Cupping cured my depression!
@ssenh
This is very common Asian or South East Asian therapy for treating body aches from the common cold or flu. I learned it from my parents. The basic essentials that you need are menthol oil/tiger balm, ginger and round object (coins or spoon). Message the back with menthol oil/tiger balm liberally, then rub ginger with slight pressure. Once that is done, just coined/rubbed the back with a spoon repeatedly around 5 to 15 times until you see the red "sha". I can't speak for anyone else, but I feel immediate relief each time my parents helped with me "gua sha". The redness or "sha" usually dissipates after a day or two.
@MyAura
The purpose isn’t to create bruises… when you scrape with oil, you feel knots on tendons. The point is to make sure the knots disappear through scraping with oil. I tried it yesterday, felt knots on the parts where it hurts during scraping. After a couple of scrapes with the tool, I feel a lot better.
@northernangel8
Just had a session of Gua Sha tonight during my physiotherapy. I was injured 2 weeks ago. This therapist did a great job showing me what to do as I was given a Gua Sha. My grandma use to perform it on my mom's sore muscles. Yes, I am Canadian born here to Chinese parents.
@lizagates419
Chinese medicine is so intense, but so "-- is it workimg? I cant feel it". I thought I had ALS but I had a brain tumor, and went to an Chinese doctor who specialized in neurology, two sessions later I was like, healed completely
@Dragon-gl1rw
I love TCM. Just like a Canadian Chinese professor trained in both western and TCM medicine, said, "If western medicine cannot cure a disease, that does not mean Chinese traditional medicine also cannot cure."
@ReyaStarR11
It WORKS!!! I do it on my lower back and hips I’ve been suffering for Years It took a few months but I have no pain now whatsoever. Thank God for this knowledge
@angelagrace6443
Anecdotally for me this would make sense because I get knots and pain points in my back that sometimes will only be relieved by having someone punch me in that spot repeatedly
@mamamcfreeman105
I never believed in chinese medicine bs but my massage therapist recommended I try this and OH MY GOD. It feels AMAZING! I honestly felt like I could breathe better.
@Lo08001
My grandparents taught me this to do on them when I was younger till now I still do this passing it down to my wife and siblings. It really works!!!
@helenahung1945
Actually my mum used this technique for pain treatment for herself and for friends. Good to know that this ancient treatment is still being used today!
@sweetvonbettie1
I do this but from my recollection is it doesnt have to be that aggressive works for me. Not too red
@canpoling
It works!!! I was amazed. I've been dealing with pain for years and was skeptical. I'll be doing this forever!
@younglihying
Sure works every single time. I tried and tested. I always have a porcelain spoon in my bag.
@yattung2501
I have been having Gua Sha massage .. amazing for tension relief , but we don’t use spoon !
@kelliprescott-70
Gua sha is fantastic. I have Lupus and I can tell you- it helps.
We cannot answer that, and we would be wrong to try. We are not clinicians. What we can tell you is what a visit involves, what the practitioner is likely to ask you, and what it will cost. If you want a view on whether it is appropriate for you, that is a question for your own doctor and for the practitioner on the day.
No. Your companion interprets the whole conversation in both directions, including the parts you would otherwise have to guess at — what a form says, what a receptionist is asking for, what the practitioner just recommended and why.
Your passport, which the hospital needs to register you, and a way to pay. We will send you the full list once we have confirmed a time and a hospital, so nothing is a surprise on the morning.
Individual items are usually in the ¥80–385 range, and a visit with several of them can come to around ¥1,200–¥1,750. That is the hospital’s money, not ours, and the exact figure depends on what you and the practitioner decide. Your companion will tell you the price of each item before you agree to it.
Plan for roughly two hours per area you have asked about, including registration and waiting. We will give you a realistic window when we write back, and we would rather over-estimate it than have you miss something else in your day.
Yes. Sending the form books nothing and charges nothing. Even after we have arranged a time you can tell us to cancel, and you can decline anything at the hospital itself. If plans change, email hello@chinaandyou.me.
It goes to the person arranging your visit and to the practitioner who needs it, and nowhere else. We keep it only as long as we need it, we never sell it, and you can ask us to delete it whenever you like.
Within 24 hours, from a person rather than an automated system. If a day passes with nothing, check your spam folder and then email us directly — it means something went wrong on our side.
It takes a couple of minutes. Nothing is booked and nothing is charged — a person reads it and writes back within 24 hours.
