A little treat for me

I’m not the best at looking after myself if I’m honest. I go to the gym regularly, play hockey and try and control 75kg worth of Labrador on a walk every day (the recent snow was quite a challenge) All of which takes its toll on this ageing body… so I decided to treat myself to some cupping!!

I’ve had sports therapy before when I’ve been injured but never a massage or anything like that. So when I saw that there was a place not to far away called everybody massage that did cupping I was very interested in trying it. I’ve had acupuncture before and my mum had Chinese acupuncture for her back and it worked wonders. I’m all for trying alternative therapy!!

When you google it the images can be a little off putting (the one that’s the featured image is from google, it’s not me)    It looks like a form of torture if I’m honest  it doesn’t feel like to though. It’s amazing.

Cupping is about 3000 years old apparently the ancient Egyptians use to use it, if it’s good enough for cleopatra it’s good enough for me (think I’ll pass on the donkey milk baths tho..) it was explained to me that the idea is that the cups are filled with hot air placed on the person and this creates a vacuum in which the skin lifts into it and takes some muscle too. It helps to lift the muscle and draw out impurities. The darker the purple mark left the more tension/impurities there are in that area.

Firstly cups are dotted on and off the area to increase blood flow and then they are put on the skin and moved up and down giving the opposite effect of a a deep tissue massage but instead of pressing its lifting the muscle. Then the cups are placed over certain points to deliver the treatment. It felt odd, like bulldog clips all over my back for a few seconds then it went away. It was a nice pain, the type of pain you like having, like when you had a wobbly tooth as a kid and your tongue kept finding it. They stayed there for 12 mins and then they were removed. They were replaced elsewhere and left for another 12 mins. And then we were done.

My back looked a bit of a mess after it. It looked like I was into some form of BDSM, I’d been I was left with loads of circles, some darker than others. The darkest parts were on my shoulders and that’s where I keep all my tension. I walk like the hunchback of Notre Dame when I’m cold or stressed.

The advice I was given was to drink loads of water to flush out all the toxins. I must admit I was soooo thirsty that evening. So I just drank and Drank. Felt like you do the morning after a heavy night where you can’t quench your thirst!! I slept so well that night. The best I’d slept for ages. The next day I felt like I’d been battered if I’m honest, I ached. The day after though I felt really good, my shoulders felt relaxed and the knot that was there seemed to have gone!!

It’s been a week since the therapy and the bruising has almost gone. I still feel like the tension has gone. It was certainly worth a trip there. And I will be going back in the future. I’m intrigued about trying it on my legs to see if it helps.

6 hours post cupping

(I felt a bit like a dinosaur with all the lumps down my spine)

One week later…..

Almost gone!!!

If you’re in the north west then get your arses down to everybody massage and get yourself booked in. You can find them on Instagram @everybodymassage