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Stainless Steel Gua Sha Tool Sets / Guasha Tools Essential to TCM Massage Practice

Matt Hajzl, DC • May 5, 2021
There are still adherents of traditional folk technique that recommend coin edges, jade, horn, and the lid of your Vicks Vapo-Rub jar as Gua Sha tool sets. For home care this is perfectly acceptable. However when performing as a modern health care practitioner, polished stainless steel edges are worth the investment for better “feel” of the tissues, durability, and obviously sanitization.
Medical Grade 304 Stainless – “Whale” Gua Sha Tool 

Yes, stainless steel is better for TCM massage or Gua Sha.

The stainless steel gua sha tool above was inspired by a timeless design seen perennially in ancient tool artifacts. Modern improvements in the design include finger hollows/scallops for ergonomic handling and ultra polished edges. It has the right sized edge radius for following Folk Medicine protocols, but can also be used for Western soft tissue approaches.

No matter what your particular philosophy, your patients will benefit from treatment of fibrous tissue, trigger points, & fascial densification. With ease and accuracy- you can actually “feel resonance” as the edges ride along the skin and give valuable information about the tissue topography and possible myofascial dysfunction in the layers below. From an energy medicine point of view you can “feel” chi blockage/stagnation in the meridians.

Eastern & Western Rationales for Gua Sha Tool use are becoming integrated. Listen to what these authors say about dry needling & acupuncture points.

With the research of Helen Langavin, and Luigi Stecco the sharp lines between Eastern energy medicine and Western science are being blurred. Fascia may be the missing structure involved in the success of diagnosis and treatment with meridians. Dr. Langavin has created landmark studies showing that dry needling signals healing changes to the both the visceral and myofascial systems via microtubule force transmission in the fascia.

Dr. Stecco takes a different approach- his theories involve explaining acupuncture points as intersections of fascial layers central to movement in one or more planes of motion. Painful or blocked “energy” in the points may be thickening of hyaluronic acid (HA) within the ground substance. Reducing the viscosity of HA in the system can be achieved with acupuncture, but (maybe even more so) with focused manual therapy like guasha or trigger point therapy.

If you are a practitioner apt to integrate many approaches like use of Gua Sha Tools or trigger point work consider that IASTM profiles may serve your purposes better.


The MyoBar GS Tool working out the wrist flexors
Fusion That Clearly Offers Better Clinical
 than Legacy Gua Sha Tools


If your interest has been piqued in upgrading to a stainless steel gua sha tool set / guasha tool set there is a TON more info/video on instruments, choosing tools, and myofascial IASTM technique to find on the MyoBar website. Although leaning more toward the Western approach with tools (instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization), the reality is techniques are very similar to Eastern approaches- its just the language that is different. Here are some jumping off points for you:

Research Articles- We have PDF copies available of Dr. Langavin's and Dr. Steccos key articles. A must read for all hands-on practitioners.

IASTM Primer- get to know the state of the art in application of edge tools from the Western point of view.

The Ultimate :  in Gua Sha Tools for Clincial TCM Practice
MyoBar: Master GS Fusion Set (Special Order)

A picture is worth a thousand words.  Many design improvements that benefit your clinical practice can be found in the Master GS Fusion Set.  Although you have many options for less expensive cheaper quality Gua Sha tools, its worth checking out this set.  Even if you already have some myofascial tools you can upgrade for less than you think.

Besides other informative blog posts, you may also want to check out the Technique Page and watch the 4 basic IASTM tissue stroke videos and download our 45 Page IASTM Technique Primer PDF on the Must Read/Technique Page.

SPECIAL NOTE:  This GS set is custom made and is special order.  It is not available for immediate purchase in the web store.  If you would like this set made for you, please contact Dr. Matt Hajzl on the Contact page.
About Dr. Matt Hajzl
I attended the first Graston Technique seminar in Chicago in 2001 and realized the potential of instrumented soft tissue therapies could be improved greatly with three things: expanded range of profile geometry, ergonomic hand hold features, & non-proprietary educational resources. In 10 years, MyoBar has become a leader in the field with thousands of instruments in use in the United States and over 50 countries worldwide.
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