I Can Skip the Spa With This At-Home Cupping Kit That Saves Me From My Sore Muscles

There is nothing better than a long, relaxing massage. Too bad massages, along with everything else that is good in life, were cancelled because of coronavirus. During the shutdown, I spent hours working from my dining room table, sitting at a chair that provided sub-par support at best. I ended my work days stressed because of the end of the world and tense from sitting hunched over my computer all day. I longed for a massage.

While sheltering-in-place I made some questionable but amazing purchases. I bought a $300 bounce house which lived in my garage and brought my children endless joy on rainy days. I upped my sweatpant game significantly. But the best purchase, and by far the greatest return on investment, was the Professional Silicone Cupping Therapy Set. The pack of cups set me back approximately ¼ the cost of an hour-long massage and has gotten me through the long days of “having it all” during this time at home.

To be honest, I am a delicate little stress ball and also have a congenital hip problem. The combo of my naturally tight muscles and lifestyle choices (read: parenthood), leaves me with more knots than the average mamabear. Before the pandemic, I treated myself to semi-regular stretch therapy sessions, Thai massage, and Swedish massage on a monthly, rotating basis along with regular exercise. All three practitioners, as well as my physical therapist used cupping on me and I found it helped significantly with my muscle tension.

To use this kit, you simply push them down on your sore or tight muscles until they seal. They hurt a little bit if you do them too tight, but mostly it’s the productive kind of pain you’d get from someone squeezing a knot. They are easy to adjust if they’re too painful. You DO NOT want to fall asleep wearing these, I’m told, but they can stay on for a while. Usually, I cup my shoulders while clickety-clacking away at the computer. I like to do a biggie on my traps surrounded by smaller suction cups along the tops of my shoulders and leave them for 10-15 minutes.

At night, while my husband and I engage in the parent edition of Netflix and chill (sit on opposite ends of the couch and do not touch), I like to tackle my IT band with systematic clusters of suction cups around all my tender spots. If I’m feeling frisky, I cup my butt cheeks and the muscles around my hip joints. I’ve even done my outer shoulders and found I had tight spots that every masseuse had previously neglected. That was fun!

Word of warning: the cups CAN leave a mark. If I’ve done my job right, I get circular bruises for a few days after cupping. Fortunately, I see very few people besides my family, but I will need to lay off of them the week before my sister’s socially distant wedding. I’ve had some friends over to sit outside and whine and wine this summer and they have seen my special circles. Several of them have asked for the link to the product. These make a fabulous gift, but, for sure, give them to yourself, too.

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