The bruise you can use…

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By contributor Arden Andrews.

Victoria Beckham.
Jennifer Aniston.
Nicole Richie.
Justin Bieber.
Lady Gaga.

These are just a few highly lensed personalities who have been captured strolling around town with noticeable cupping bruises.

At this point, the circular body marks have become a symbol of one’s commitment to health and wellness (though they still attract the occasional “what happened?” kind of questions). Here, I’ll take a moment to explain what does happen, and why WTHN’s new Body Cupping kit makes a DIY version not just possible, but realistic, for at-home use.

What Is Cupping?

For thousands of years, cupping has been a practice within Traditional Chinese Medicine (or TCM) as a form of acupressure that works like the opposite of a massage, with similar results. Instead of smooshing down on skin, cups lift tissue with gentle suction to release tension and promote circulation, detoxification, and drainage.

Athletes love the results (like olympian Michael Phelps, often seen swimming with telltale cupping bruises) for everything from pain to tight muscles, and anyone who works at a desk or on a laptop all day might benefit from their ability to release shoulder tension and soreness. Devotees also report everything from lowered anxiety to boosted metabolism.

Appointment vs At-Home

The first time I tried cupping was at Chicago’s ultra-luxe Chuan Spa, which specializes in TCM, and after walking through their signature “moongate” entrance and settling onto a massage table, glass cups were placed onto my back and heated with open flames to create suction. This was in no way a try-this-at-home system, and the bruises that emerged were deep purple. Generally, the darker the bruise, the less circulation you have in that area — which often means the more you cup, the lighter the marks.

Fast forward to 2023, when the kit from New York-based wellness brand WTHN arrives at my doorstep. Made of 8 silicone cups that create suction with the push of a button, the kit costs a bit less than a single cupping session. They can be used on any area you want to stimulate or relieve — I choose shoulders and back first, just to see if I can reach them on my own (I can, but a partner could make the experience more spa-like).

The Cupping Application Process

1. First, I apply each cup about an inch or two apart on bare skin.
2. Next, I press the button and hold for a few seconds — a suction sensation is obvious as I let go, and it’s a soothing amount of pressure, not painful. I imagine them pulling anything I don’t want (stress, toxins, a slightly sour mood) to the surface to evaporate.
3. After about 15 minutes, I pop off the cups.

When I check my back in the mirror, the marks are much lighter than those from my professional, firepowered treatment. In spots where I held the button down for a few seconds longer, the marks are more prominent (and the cups less likely to pop off on their own).

I try the entire process again on my upper arms, with similar results. There’s definitely a circle left behind, but the depth of color is less intense than I expect. It’s more of a blushy berry color than a dark aubergine. This pleases me, because I’d rather use the kit a few times a week (like tiny upside-down massages whenever I want) than go hard every time.

As I write, I’m wearing 4 cups on my shoulders, and the suction is doubling as a posture corrector, reminding me to sit up a bit straighter to let them work their magic. Their zippered carrying case is also sleek enough to leave lying around as a reminder, which makes it more likely that they’ll be used — and often.