Benefits of Cupping: All About The Circular Marks Spotted on Olympians

If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you’ve likely noticed the circular, bruise-like marks across the back of swimmers like Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi (who won the gold in this year’s Men’s 100m Breaststroke) and star of the Rio Olympics, Michael Phelps.

Cupping therapy, simply called cupping colloquially, is an Eastern medicine practice loved by professional athletes and the Goop-set. But unlike other wellness practices, this one comes with an unusual party favor. “Think of cupping as a reverse massage,” says WTHN’s lead healer and acupuncturist Dr. Laura Sniper, DAc, LAc, LMT. “Massage therapy is a positive pressure downward on the muscles and fascia to stretch them and stimulate circulation. In cupping, the tissue is getting lifted and stretched by the application of suction cups that creates pressure on the muscles and fascia and increases localized circulation.”

The suction cups are left on the body somewhere between five to 10 minutes, which is why the circle marks (which are comparable to a bruise… or even a hickey) appear. “The darker the marks, the more history of tension in that area of the body,” Sniper says. “It generally signifies that the muscles in that area have been overworking for a longer period of time.”

Actor and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow was also an early adopter of cupping (and potentially the first time you ever heard of the practice). In 2006 she was papped with the marks at a film premiere in New York City—though the celebrity obsession has passed on to stars like Jennifer Aniston and Hailey Bieber.

Hailey Bieber

Gwyneth Paltrow

Athlete, celebrity, or humble Vogue reader—Sniper says anybody can benefit from cupping therapy. “Anyone with muscle tension or body aches and pains would benefit from cupping,” she says. “One cupping session will already bring you immediate relief for your muscles and fascia. For athletes, I recommend cupping twice a month, especially during training seasons. For everyone else, once a month is a great cadence, but you can always do it more frequently if you need relief from muscle pain or soreness.”