Lymphatic Drainage Massage – Light Hands, Slow Rhythm
Lymphatic drainage is the lightest work we do. The pressure is barely more than the weight of a hand, and the strokes are slow, repetitive and always in the same direction.
Lymphatic drainage massage is often a good choice on a day when even an ordinary massage feels like too much.
This is not a deep massage. There is no kneading and no working into muscle. What you get instead is just rhythm, light contact, and an hour with nothing to do.
What Happens in a Lymphatic Drainage Session
A session usually runs 45 or 60 minutes and happens wherever you are: your home, your hotel room, an apartment. Your therapist brings a table, and you undress to the level you are comfortable with and lie under a sheet. The room is kept warm, because the strokes are light enough that people cool down quickly.
The work usually starts at the neck and moves down from there: chest, arms, belly and legs. Each area gets the same slow, repeated pass, often for several minutes at a time. Most people find the repetition makes them sleepy, and plenty of clients drift off entirely.
Lymphatic drainage is a gentle, slow-paced treatment that many people find deeply relaxing. If you have a diagnosed medical condition, or you are recovering from surgery or illness, please talk to your doctor before booking a session. Sessions are intended for relaxation and comfort only, and are not a treatment for any medical condition.
Tell your therapist at the start if there is anywhere you would rather not be touched, or if an area feels tender. You can change your mind part way through a session and nobody will mind.
Afterwards you get a glass of water and a few minutes to come round. There is no oil to wash off, so you can go straight back to your evening. We are on the road daily from 09:00 to 03:00.
How Many Sessions Do You Need?
Entirely up to you. Some people book one session after a long flight, others book the same slot every few weeks simply because they enjoy the hour.
If you have a diagnosed medical condition, or you are recovering from surgery or illness, please talk to your doctor before booking a session.
Book whenever it suits you. There is no schedule to keep to.
What a Session Is Like
Lymphatic drainage is the lightest thing on our menu, and the hour is quiet from start to finish.
What to expect:
Pressure barely heavier than the weight of a hand
Long, repeated strokes instead of kneading
Little or no oil, so no shower needed afterwards
45 or 60 minutes, at your home or hotel
A warm room and a sheet over you throughout
Quiet throughout, unless you feel like talking
An hour in which nothing is asked of you
Sessions are intended for relaxation and comfort only, and are not a treatment for any medical condition.
Why the Touch Is So Light
If you have had a firmer massage before, this one will feel unfamiliar. The hands stay flat and very light, stretching the skin rather than pressing into what lies underneath. Nothing is rubbed or squeezed, and the pace never speeds up.
Because the contact is so light, the room needs to be warm and the sheet stays over the parts of you that are not being worked on.
Most people stop noticing the individual strokes after ten minutes or so, and the hour goes by quickly from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Very light. Closer to a slow skin stretch than a rub. You will not feel anything working into muscle. If you would like more pressure than that, just say so and we can switch to a firmer style of massage instead.
As often or as rarely as you like. Some people book once or twice a month because they enjoy the hour. Others come once and leave it at that. We do not run courses of treatment, and there is nothing to commit to.
You might not during the session—but most people simply feel very relaxed by the end of it. A lot of clients get sleepy during the session, and some fall asleep. That is fine, and we carry on regardless.