Peggy Regis Robinson
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Dr. Peggy Regis Robinson is a holistic health care provider with more than 20 years of experience in ethnobotany, herbal medicine and acupuncture.
Dr. Peggy Regis Robinson is a holistic health care provider with more than 15 years of clinical experience. She uses her expertise in ethnobotany, herbal medicine and acupuncture to heal, educate and empower patients in the greater New York City area and around the world. In 2002, she co-founded Cornerstone Healing, a Brooklyn-based private practice that uses Western and Eastern holistic philosoph
07/16/2026
Gua Sha. ✨
One of the questions I hear all the time is…
“Is facial gua sha the same thing you do on the body?”
The answer is yes…and no.
The principles are the same. The intention is different.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, gua sha (刮痧) literally means “to scrape” (gua) and refers to the “sha”—the temporary red or purple marks that can appear during a therapeutic treatment. The practice is used to help move what Chinese medicine calls stagnation and support the smooth flow of Qi and blood.
When Qi and blood aren’t flowing as they should, the body has a way of letting us know—through pain, muscle tension, stiffness, swelling, or sometimes skin that simply looks dull and tired.
Body gua sha uses firmer pressure to help release muscle tension, ease discomfort, improve local circulation, and support the body’s natural healing response. The red or purple sha marks are a temporary therapeutic response. Medically, they are tiny petechiae that result from superficial capillaries releasing a small amount of blood beneath the skin. They typically fade within a few days.
Facial gua sha is a completely different experience.
The pressure is gentle. The strokes are slow and intentional. There should be no bruising or sha marks.
Instead, facial gua sha is believed to encourage lymphatic drainage, reduce puffiness, improve local circulation, relax facial muscles, and leave the skin looking refreshed and naturally radiant.
One of the things I love most about gua sha is that it reflects a core principle of Chinese medicine:
Healing isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about helping the body remember what it was designed to do.
Like any therapeutic technique, gua sha isn’t one-size-fits-all. The most effective treatment is always the one that’s tailored to the individual.
🍂 This fall, I’ll be offering a Facial Gua Sha Workshop, where I’ll teach the foundations of this beautiful practice, explain the purpose behind each technique, and show you how to safely incorporate it into your own self-care routine.
I hope you’ll join me.
Have you ever experienced gua sha? I’d love to hear what surprised you most.
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