About Cupping
When you visit ThrIVe for a massage in Wheeling, you have the option to include cupping. Not sure what exactly cupping is or whether you should include it? Read on.
Cupping Basics
Cupping involves applying suctions to targeted areas using cups. The suction draws more blood flow to the targeted areas. An increase in blood flow brings extra oxygen and nutrients, and it can also provide pain relief to those areas.
If your massage includes cupping, your massage therapist—who is also a certified massage cupping practitioner—places the cups on the targeted areas. Then, using gentle suction, the cups pull on your skin. Your therapist will leave the cups in place for several minutes before removing them.
After cupping, it’s common to experience red or purple circles where the cups were applied. Unlike true bruising, which affects the underlying muscles, this is from broken capillaries in your skin. These are completely normal and will fade within the next 7 to 10 days.
Traditional Wellness With a Long History
Cupping is an ancient method of promoting health and wellness. The first records of cupping appear in an Egyptian medical textbook from 3,500 years ago! Besides Egypt, many people in China, Greece, Rome, and the Islamic World used cupping to improve their health and treat a variety of illnesses.
Up until the 1800s, cupping was also commonly practiced in Europe and America. While it fell out of fashion for a few centuries, its popularity has increased in recent years. Now, more and more people are discovering cupping’s whole-body benefits.
Many professional athletes use cupping to prepare for and recover from competitions. Famously, Michael Phelps appeared in the 2016 Olympics with visible cupping marks. He explained that he uses cupping before every meet to maximize his performance.
At ThrIVe, we’re proud to make cupping accessible to the Ohio Valley. If you’re ready to experience it for yourself, contact us to set up your massage in Wheeling.
What to Expect From Your Massage
At your massage appointment, we lead you to a private, serene massage room. Then we give you privacy to undress to your comfort level and lie down underneath the provided sheet.
Your massage therapist enters the room, and they will ask you briefly about any concerns, tension, or pain you’ve been experiencing. During the massage, you are free to make conversation, or you can simply relax.
If your massage includes cupping, your massage therapist can talk you through the process and let you know exactly what to expect. At the end of the massage, your massage therapist gives you privacy to re-dress, and then you return to your day.
If you’d like your massage therapist to apply more pressure, or if they haven’t quite hit the right spot, let them know! We want your massage in Wheeling to be the most relaxing and effective experience possible.