An at-home guide to “Cupping” (for beginners)

We’ve all been giving each other hickeys for years, but now, Olympians are doing it. More specifically, they’re paying people to do it.

So… Cupping. What is it? And how can I get paid to do something I usually do for free behind gas stations?

In Chinese medicine, cupping is defined as “a therapy in which heated glass cups are applied to the skin along the meridians of the body, creating suction as a way of stimulating the flow of energy.” Widely described as feeling like “a super deep-tissue massage,” cupping has become a practice of choice for Olympians seeking to increase performance.

Cupping has been a well-kept secret for years among America’s cultural elite. For instance, a skill he picked up from his time in Hollywood, then-California Governor Ronald Reagan was frequently found “cupping” Richard Nixon during the 1968 RNC as a display of affection (this statement was corroborated by both men’s personal journals and the Watergate Tapes).

As a semi-professional swimmer, cupping has been at the back of my mind for weeks as a potential method to lower my times. Knowing there are countless others like me — people looking to swim faster, moms looking to improve their at-home yoga performance, teenage boys wondering what it would feel like to be fondled by an octopus — I thought I would publish this guide to cupping to protect you from scams, money grabs, and overpriced cupping kits off the internet.