Well we got to our regular place just across the street from our apartment and sat down. They could only massage one of us at a time so Nick went first. The whole time the man was telling him what was wrong with his body. (Reflexology is crazy! I don't know if they can fix other parts of your body by rubbing your feet, but they can always tell what is wrong with me... One time a girl even knew how often I wear my hair in a ponytail just from rubbing my feet) Apparently Nick has way too much stress, because the guy had a lot to say and kept telling Nick he needs to come back more often. I know most of it was a sales pitch, but we are going back for the next few weeks to see if it makes a difference.
Well towards the end of the massage the guy convinced Nick to try fire-cupping. He said it was good for people who have a lot of stress. It was cheap so we figured why not?
Fire-cupping is a traditional Chinese medicine technique. They basically suction glass bowls onto your body by heating them up inside with fire. It is supposed to help open up your body to improve blood and qi circulation. They put the bowls on and left them for 15 minutes. As the air cools inside them it creates more suction and pulls on your body.
It was pretty painful judging by Nick's face and the comments he was making. I was trying to take pictures with his phone while getting my feet rubbed, so they aren't great but you can definitely get an idea of what it was like. Nick has crazy bruises on his back from it. The first night he was a little uncomfortable sitting or laying on them, now I don't think he notices it much, although it will probably take a few weeks for the bruises to fade.
He won't ever try the fire cupping again, but the next morning he did tell me his feet felt good. So the night was a semi-success!
They banned this and other Chinese therapies on my mission. Too many missionaries getting really bad injuries from it.
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