rating my favourite wellness experiences in China 🇨🇳

rating my favourite wellness experiences in China 🇨🇳 fire cupping 火拔罐 what it is when you see people walking around in china with huge, painful-looking dark purple circles on their back, this is it! they heat glass cups with fire before placing them on your skin. lots of chinese people do it after intense workouts 3/10 not my favourite. i couldn't sleep on my back for days. i had marks for almost a month, although they usually disappear after around two weeks gua sha 刮痧 what it is a stone is scraped HARD across your neck, shoulders and back until your skin turns dark red. according to tcm, it's believed to help remove 湿气 "dampness" 5/10 somewhere between painful and satisfying. if you don't have a lot of 肉 they will scrape over your bones, especially your spine, which hurts A LOT the shoulders feel good though herbal foot bath 泡脚 you get your feet soaked in burning hot herbal water (there are crazy combinations like MILK+Rose, Ginger+ Salt, 艾 草)while they massage you, then they will scrap of your feet with a sharp blade, remove dead skin and clean your nailbeds 10000000/10 RECOMMEND I LOVE THIS!! I dont know how to live in a hot humid place without this place I LOVE is called 郑州元, it's everywhere in China tuina massage 推拿 what it is this is NOT a relaxing thai massage! you will be ON EDGE!!! 推拿 literally means "push" and "grasp" you will be stretched and pressed in every direction (there are many shady places, make sure you go to a properly trained practitioner!!!!!) 9.5/10 it hurts during the massage but feels incredible afterwards. perfect if you sit all day. office workers in china love it moxibustion 艾灸 what it is the therapist burns dried mugwort 艾草 near acupuncture points to warm your body. lots of people do this in winter or if they constantly have cold hands and feet. it's believed to improve the flow of 气 (energy) 9/10 cozy rainy day activity. it makes you feel warm from the inside out. the whole room smells like FIRE ear picking 耳朵 what it is there's a tiny camera on one of the tools, so you can watch the inside of your own ear on a big tv while lots of strangers watch they clean your ears and stimulate acupressure points i have seen many people fall asleep during this 10/10 for randomness 1/10 for relaxation i cannot chill with someone sticking tools inside my ear TCM wellness workshops across china, you can join small workshops where you'll learn how to make traditional herbal teas and wellness drinks you can find lots of these events on 小红书 8.5/10