Hijama Cost in Fairfax: What $135 Actually Pays For

How much does hijama cost? At Hikma Hijama Cupping in Fairfax, Virginia, hijama (wet cupping) costs $135 and dry cupping costs $115, the same for sisters and brothers. A $55 deposit, paid when you book, holds your time and comes off the price; the balance is paid after your session.

It is a fair first question. Before you let someone near your back with a blade, you want to know what you are walking into, and the price is the one thing you can check from home. But a price is only half an answer. The other half is what it pays for, and that half is what this page is about. The full breakdown also sits on our pricing page.

What does the hijama cost cover?

The $135 is for the whole visit, not only the minutes the cups are on. It pays for the health questions at the start, the session itself with a practitioner of your own gender, a single-use kit opened in front of you, and the time: an hour and a half to two hours, door to door.

The questions come first

Before anything is opened, you sit down with your practitioner and answer questions about your health - anything you are being seen for, anything you take, anything that has changed. It can feel slow when you have come ready to begin. It is also the part that decides whether the session goes ahead today, and it is included in the price.

The session itself

We will not pretend there is nothing to it. Hijama is cups, suction, a few small shallow scratches, and the cups again. It is done at an unhurried pace by a practitioner of your own gender: a woman for sisters, a man for brothers. Hijama is a Sunnah practice, and a Sunnah practice deserves to be done carefully rather than quickly.

A single-use kit

Every cup and every blade is new, opened in front of you, used for your session only, and thrown away afterwards. You do not have to take our word for it; you watch it happen.

The time

A visit takes an hour and a half to two hours, door to door, including a few minutes to rest before you get up. If you are fitting it between other things in your day, plan for the full two hours.

What does dry cupping cost?

Dry cupping costs $115. It is the same visit without the scratches: the questions, the cups and suction, the single-use cups, the time. If you are not sure which of the two you want, we set out the difference in our piece on wet cupping and dry cupping.

How does the $55 deposit work?

When you book online, a $55 deposit holds your slot. It is not an extra fee; it comes off the price. For hijama you pay $55 at booking and $80 after the session; for dry cupping, $55 at booking and $60 after.

We know a deposit asks something of you before you have met us, so here is why we ask it. There is one room and one person in it at a time. A slot that goes empty without notice is a slot someone else could have used. We explain the reasoning more fully in our piece on how to book hijama, and why there is a deposit.

Why is the price the same for sisters and brothers?

Because the service is the same. There is no separate price by lane. A sister booking with the women's practitioner and a brother booking with the men's practitioner pay the same for the same service. The lanes are about who you will see, not what you will pay.

What should you ask when you compare hijama prices?

Prices for hijama vary from place to place, and a price tells you very little until you know what stands behind it. If you are comparing, these are the questions that make the numbers comparable:

1. Are the cups and blades single-use, opened in front of you and thrown away afterwards?
2. Are you asked about your health before anything begins?
3. How long is the visit, door to door?
4. Is it in a fixed room, or somewhere that changes from visit to visit?
5. Will a practitioner of your own gender see you?

Here, the answers are yes, yes, an hour and a half to two hours, a fixed room, and yes. We would rather you chose on those five questions than on the price alone, wherever you end up booking.

What if today turns out not to be the day?

Sometimes, after the questions at the start, the honest answer is that today is not the day. We would rather tell you that than keep the booking at any cost; it is the reason the questions come first. If it happens, we will talk through what comes next, and you can come back another day, insha'Allah.

Where do you book?

Both calendars, one for sisters and one for brothers, are at hikmahealing.art/appointments. We are inside the HAWA Fairfax Community Center at Fair Lakes, on the fourth floor, Room 401a. By appointment only.

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.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay the full price on the day?

Not all of it. You pay $55 when you book online, and that holds your slot. The rest is paid after your session, once everything is done: $80 for hijama, $60 for dry cupping. So on the day itself you settle the balance at the end, not before you begin.

Is the deposit an extra charge on top of the price?

No, and it is worth being clear about this, because the word "deposit" can sound like a fee. It is part of the $135 or the $115, not added to it. It comes off the price, and what is left is the balance you pay after your session.

Does a brother pay the same as a sister?

Yes. There is no separate price by lane. A brother is seen by a man and a sister by a woman, each on their own calendar, and both pay $135 for hijama or $115 for dry cupping. What changes between the lanes is who you will see, never the price.

Why does a visit take up to two hours?

Because the price pays for more than the cups. There are the health questions before anything is opened, the session done at an unhurried pace, and a few minutes to rest before you get up. Door to door, that comes to an hour and a half to two hours.