Booking Hijama for Your Mother or Your Spouse

She has mentioned it more than once. At a family dinner, after a talk at the masjid, once in passing on the phone: I have always meant to have hijama. And each time the conversation ends the same way - maybe later.

If you are the son or daughter who keeps hearing that, this post is for you. So is it if you and your husband or wife have both been meaning to go and have never quite worked out how.

The short answer

You can book hijama for somebody else, and it is simple. Book on their lane - the sisters' calendar for your mother, the brothers' calendar for your father - at hikmahealing.art/appointments. A woman practitioner sees sisters and a man sees brothers. A husband and wife who both want a session each book their own time, on their own calendar, with a practitioner of their own gender.

What "maybe later" usually means

Often it is not about the hijama itself at all. It is about the unknowns around it. Who will see me? Will it be a man? What will I have to take off? Will I be hurried? Will I look foolish asking questions?

Those are fair questions, and every one of them has a plain answer. Hand her the answers, and "later" often becomes a date.

What to tell your mother

A woman will see her. Sisters are seen by a woman practitioner, always. This is not a request she has to make; it is how the practice is built.

The room is private. One person at a time, with the door closed. Only the area being cupped is uncovered. If she would like to know what to wear, there is a whole piece on that.

Nobody will hurry her. The visit runs about an hour and a half to two hours, door to door. There is time for her questions before anything begins, and there is time to rest at the end.

She will be asked about her health first. The screening questions exist so that the honest answer can sometimes be not today. If she takes medication or is being seen for something, she should tell us at intake and speak to her own doctor too. Hijama is not a substitute for medical care.

There are two things to do before she comes. No food for two or three hours beforehand - water is fine - and come in a state of wudu, because the session is a Sunnah practice and not a clinical appointment.

What to tell your father

Exactly the same things, with one change: a man will see him, on the brothers' calendar. Brothers can come every day, at midday or early afternoon, which often suits a retired father well.

When a husband and wife both want to come

This is common, and it needs no negotiation. Sisters and brothers book on separate calendars because they are seen by different practitioners in different windows. So each of you takes your own appointment. Brothers' times run every day from 12:00 to 13:30 and 14:00 to 15:30. Sisters' times run Tuesday to Thursday from 16:00 to 18:00, and on Saturday and Sunday from 17:00 to 19:00.

On a Tuesday, a Wednesday, a Thursday or a weekend day, that means you can both come on the same day and each be seen by a practitioner of your own gender - one trip to Fair Lakes, two separate sessions, and neither of you has to explain anything to anybody.

Booking it for her

1. Go to hikmahealing.art/appointments and choose the calendar for the person who is coming.
2. Choose hijama ($135) or dry cupping ($115). If she is unsure, book hijama and tell us in the notes; she will be talked through both on the day.
3. Pay the $55 deposit. It holds the time and comes off the price; the rest is paid after the session. There is more on why there is a deposit.
4. Tell her the three facts that matter most: a woman will see her, the room is private, and nothing starts until her questions are answered.

Getting there

We are inside the HAWA Fairfax Community Center, 4401 Fair Lakes Ct, Fairfax VA 22033 - Room 401a, on the fourth floor. If you are driving her, plan for the whole visit to take an hour and a half to two hours. By appointment only.

If she would rather ask her own questions first, she can message our Facebook Page or Instagram, or write to hikmahealing@gmail.com. Some people find it easier to type a question than to say it.

Book at hikmahealing.art/appointments

Hijama is a traditional practice and is not a substitute for medical care. If you are on medication, pregnant, or unsure for any reason, speak to your doctor first and say so at intake.