Acupressure mats: which one to buy, and how to actually use it
A licensed acupuncturist on what an acupressure mat can and cannot do for a tight back, how to pick one, and the mistakes that make people give up after a week.
Small tools. Real relief. Advice from someone who does this all day.
I'm Jessica, a licensed acupuncturist. Patients ask me every week what they can do at home between visits. This site is my answer: the mats, cups, stones and habits I actually recommend, and the ones I don't.
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All guides →Heat therapy at home: what to buy for cramps, a stiff low back and cold hands
An acupuncturist's guide to heat packs, moxa and warming therapies, including when heat helps, when it makes things worse, and the few products worth owning.
Home cupping sets: silicone vs. pump vs. glass, from someone who cups all day
Which cupping set to buy for home use, the one type I tell beginners to avoid, and how to cup a tight back without leaving yourself covered in marks.
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AcupressureMats, tools and points you can use with your own two hands.CuppingHome cupping sets, and what those marks actually mean.Gua ShaStones, technique and the difference between face and body work.Heat & MoxaWarming therapies for cramps, stiff backs and cold hands.Sleep & CalmWind-down routines and the few tools that help.
Learn the why
All articles →Three acupressure points for a tension headache, and how to press them
The points I teach patients for a tight, band-around-the-head headache, with plain instructions and the mistakes that make acupressure feel like it does nothing.
Acupressure points for a racing mind at bedtime
Four calming points you can press in bed, taught the way I teach them to patients who lie awake thinking.
Cupping marks explained: what the colors mean and what they don't
Why cupping leaves circles, what darker and lighter marks tell a practitioner, how long they last, and why 'toxins' is the wrong word.
How I pick what goes on this site
I only recommend things I have used in clinic, used at home, or sent patients home with and heard back about. If a product has a cheaper version that works just as well, I say so. If I would not put it in a patient's hands, it is not here.