Friday, April 02, 2010

Buying Bruises

My friends and I had a hard week last week and in order to encourage us to complete tasks we were dreading we had set up a reward system. If we got certain tasks finished we were allowed to go for a massage (in hopes of removing some of the tension).

My friend went for the whole body massage, but I have tried that before and the massage therapist spends more time trying to get my legs to move in directions that they can't reach. So I decided to just get a simple back and shoulder massage. When I asked the price they told me something reasonable and then said it was an extra two dollars for something else. They lady was speaking really fast and I didn't really catch what the extra two dollars was for, but I agreed anyway and lay down to relax.

The first thirty minutes were great and I was almost asleep, when it was time for the two dollar extra bonus part of the message. The next thing I felt was this huge suction cup feeling on my back in not one or two places but a total of nineteen places. They take glass jars, light a candle inside them to suck up the oxygen and create a vacuum or sorts before sticking them to your back. The vacuum sucks up the skin and creates big black and blue bruises.

When I realized what they were doing to me, I tried to ask what the purpose of this particular treatment was. The answer was somewhat confusing; it was something about keeping me from getting sick by getting rid of the cold in my body. I didn't have a cold and I didn't feel like I was getting sick, and I really didn't see how bruising me was going to help get over these none existent symptoms.

It was a good cultural experience, but it was a little painful sleeping on my back filled with nineteen bruises all about four centimeters in diameter for the next few days.

1 comment:

~ Amanda ~ said...

i had this done when i was in mongolia. i did some research on it and what it's supposed to do for your body. apparently it can help release built up toxins in your muscles. the darker the bruise, the more toxins you had. i had it done because i woke up one morning with unbearable pain under my shoulder blade. that was where the darkest bruises were, so i'm pretty sure it worked!