“I noticed my jeans were a bit baggier post-treatment”
Eliza magazine "love(s), decoded and reviewed" Yumiko's lymphatic drainage treatment and "it does really reduce puffiness".
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When Kate Moss was still the quintessential party girl, long before she turned her attention to wellness, she said something in an interview I never forgot. When asked what the best beauty treatment she’d ever had was, she replied ‘a massage.’
While I was surprised (I’d have thought Kate would’ve chosen a medical facial or a good manicure to prep for a night out), as a massage aficionado, I was delighted.
If Kate Moss, with access to every treatment under the sun, thought massages to be the ultimate form of pampering, maybe I wasn’t absolutely mad to have spent my paltry student savings on them. (True story: I even spent some of my loan on massages, then realised that was incredibly poorly thought out and had to make up the shortfall by doing extra waitressing shifts.)
Different phases of my life were accompanied by different massage obsessions, from an acupressure devotion while I was doing a LOT of yoga, to a deep tissue addiction during a stint working in the city (10 hours at a desk daily did terrible things to my shoulders).
Whatever the style of massage I’ve been into at a particular time, the desire to have them in some form has never waned, and over the years I’ve tried every single one going.
Here are some things I’ve learned:
1) At least 80% of whether a massage is magnificent or meh comes down to whether the person giving it has ‘the touch.’
Do their hands find knots? Do they just *know* how to simultaneously kill tension while also making you feel zen? If you find one of these people, treasure them.
Oh, and FYI, someone who has ‘the touch’ in your opinion, may not for someone else. It’s all about how you gel with the massage therapist.
2) Different things will suit you at different times of the year, and when you’ve been doing different activities.
If you’re very sedentary, you’ll probably need circulation worked on. If you’ve got knots, you’re need something which remedies them.
3) Feeling self-conscious kills the joy of having a massage.
If you feel weird about someone touching your stomach/thighs/chest, ask them not to (ideally before they start). They only want you to enjoy the treatment and will be happy to make adjustments so that you can.
Convinced to book one, stat? Here are some I love, decoded and reviewed:
Lymphatic Drainage
Tried at: Yumiko Inoue at Urban RetreatLymphatic drainage is designed to help speed up and drain a sluggish lymphatic system by encouraging flow towards the lymph nodes. It’s a bit of an odd sensation: lots of work on the stomach, very rhythmic movements, occasionally a bit uncomfortable as something moves around in the gut (I experience this as a slight cramp, which then eases quite quickly).
I went to see Yumiko at Urban Retreat, where she works two days a week, and she incorporated a little bit of fascia release, too (fascia is a thin membrane that runs under the skin, which can become pinched in certain areas so the release feels really good).
You’ll see lots of people posting before and afters of lymphatic drainage because it does really reduce puffiness; I noticed my jeans were a bit baggier post-treatment.