Always feel bloated and sluggish after a flight? It’s not just jet lag – and lymphatic drainage massage could be the solution you’re looking for. Here’s why.
Whether it’s Jennifer Aniston posting on Instagram in spacesuit-esque trousers or Hailey Bieber waxing lyrically about the treatment’s benefits, there’s no doubt about it, celebrities are obsessed with lymphatic drainage massage. And it turns out that it’s brilliant for frequent flyers too.
That feeling of puffiness and heaviness after a flight – or even a long day of sitting at a desk – isn’t imaginary. Our bodies rely on the lymphatic system to flush out toxins, move fluids, and keep us feeling energised, but unlike the circulatory system, it doesn’t have a pump of its own. That’s where lymphatic drainage massage comes in.
Read on to discover everything you need to know about the technique, especially all the body-boosting benefits and where to book in for a treatment yourself.
What is lymphatic drainage massage?
Instead of focusing on muscle tension like many of our favourite traditional massage techniques, lymphatic drainage massage is designed to support the body’s overall lymphatic system – a network of vessels and nodes that helps move fluid, remove waste and support immune function. Because these vessels sit just beneath the skin, the pressure used is extremely light and rhythmic, focusing on stretching the skin rather than pressing into deeper muscle.
The technique uses slow, precise and directional strokes of pressure that follow your body’s lymphatic pathways (not areas of tension). The idea is that stimulating these pathways will encourage excess fluid to move towards your lymph nodes, where it can be processed and eliminated by your body.
“Lymphatic drainage techniques provide regular stimulation of the lymph vessels under the skin, encouraging them to work harder and to find new pathways to drain away the lymph,” explains the leading osteopath at Portugal’s Longevity Health & Wellness Retreat, Ricardo Rosa. “The lymphatic system is referred to as our waste system, so by ridding the body of this waste, you can expect your body to function much better, including less bloating, improved digestion, boosted immunity, balanced hormones, and increased metabolism.”
What are the different types of lymphatic drainage massage?
Manual massage
Manual lymphatic drainage is the traditional approach and it can be used on both your body and face to reduce puffiness and support your body’s natural detoxification process. Your therapist will use a series of signature hand movements, including gentle stationary circles, slow pumping motions, scooping strokes along the limbs, and soft rotary movements across broader areas like the back or abdomen to move excess fluid through the lymphatic pathways. Sometimes specific tools, such as gua shas, will be used to facilitate the process, particularly when the technique is used to sculpt and depuff your face.
The massage tends to begin by stimulating the lymph nodes closest to the drainage points – often the neck, collarbones, or underarms – to ‘clear the path’ before working on other areas of the body or face. From there, slow, repetitive strokes guide lymph fluid toward the nearest lymph nodes: from the legs toward the groin, from the arms toward the armpits, and from the face toward the lymph nodes along the neck.
Compression suits
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The second type of lymphatic drainage massage is a more recent phenomenon – with the massage provided courtesy of a rather space-age compression suit, which inflates and deflates at regular intervals. Yes, you may feel a bit like the Michelin Man while wearing it, but it’s this version that celebrities often rave about. In fact, Jennifer Aniston has even proudly posted her experiences with the contraption, which is worn from the chest down.
If the tech-focused approach is of interest, two leading examples are Body Ballancer (the one loved by Jennifer Aniston) and SLIMYONIK® AIR Bodystyler (which also focuses on helping with body tone). “Think of the Body Ballancer like a high-tech sleeping bag created to help improve circulation, shift stubborn fat and water retention, and firm and smooth the skin,” says the leading facialist Joanne Evans.
While these compression systems can’t be used to depuff your face (they look like trousers after all), they can be incorporated into facial treatments – as tried and tested by the CF team for a Tweak of the Week.
Why is lymphatic drainage so good for frequent flyers?
A massage can feel like the perfect pampering treat after a long flight, but the best thing about choosing to make it a lymphatic drainage massage is that it will directly target the most common niggles that frequent flyers have after a day of travelling.
Long hours in a plane cabin slows circulation and causes fluid to pool, leading to swollen ankles (which is why you might wear compression socks), puffy eyes, and that heavy, sluggish feeling. Lymphatic drainage massage can help combat all those niggles, by reducing water retention, boosting circulation and getting rid of that puffy, heavy feeling from head-to-toe. It can support your immune system too. The result: a more energised body and faster recovery from travel fatigue, so you can hit the ground running again, feeling refreshed instead of drained.
What does lymphatic drainage massage feel like?
The sensation is more like a gentle rhythmic wave of pressure across the skin than a muscle massage. That makes it, in general, a rather soothing massage technique, but it can often focus on more sensitive areas of the body such as the stomach, as well as the legs and arms, which can get a little bit of getting used to (and may be a little uncomfortable if you have heavy IBS or are on your period). The results can be surprisingly visible though. Many people notice reduced puffiness almost immediately, particularly in the face, stomach or legs, as well as improved circulation.
How to try lymphatic drainage massage at home?
If you don’t have time to head to the spa, you can support your lymphatic system at home with self-massage too. Use your fingers or the palms of your hands to apply very light, rhythmic pressure to puffy faces or heavy limbs, keeping your touch soft and intentional. Start near your lymph nodes, like the sides of the neck or above the collarbones, then move outward: legs toward the groin, arms toward the armpits, and face down toward the neck.
Tools like gua shas and facial rollers can enhance the effect and really turn your session into an at-home spa day. With a roller, sweep outward and downward; from the jawline to ears, and in a C-shape from the top of the cheekbone to the collarbone. With a gua sha, use slow, gliding strokes along the jaw, cheekbones, and neck. Even a few minutes can help reduce puffiness, improve circulation, and leave you feeling lighter and more energised.
Where to book
Looking for some professional help? Here are our tried-and-tested recommendations:
1. For the full body: Immersive 360° by Katie England
This incredibly comprehensive face and body treatment, conceived by top facialist Katie England, is a complete head-to-toe reset that uses scent, sound, pressure therapy massage and boosted oxygen intake for ultimate relaxation and to reactive your lymph. In fact, you benefit from lymphatic massage for both the face and body, delivered through a combination of targeted manual massage and the use of a compression suit. Interested? Read our full Tweak of the Week review.
2. For ultimate relaxation: Skin Matters Lymphatic Body Massage
At Joanne Evans’ Skin and Wellness clinic in London’s Holland Park you can choose from both manual and compression-suit lymphatic drainage treatments, which can be added onto the facialist’s signature ‘skin health check’ too. Our recommendation: the manual massage is one of the most soothing (but still effective) that you will experience. With a focus on gently stretching out your limbs, the relaxing upgrade on your conventional massage can improve the quality of your skin, so pockets of fat and cellulite are less obvious.
3. For a health reset: Longevity Health & Wellness Retreat
In the Portuguese Algarve, the Longevity Health & Wellness Hotel offers a wide range of exciting trending treatments, including lymphatic drainage, as part of its myriad of health-boosting programmes. In particular, whether you are focusing on detoxing, smart ageing or stress management, you should try Medical Pressotherapy – the hands-free type of lymphatic drainage massage that is especially effective at promoting the body’s natural toxin-eliminating functions, by supporting blood flow, reducing water retention, and soothing heavy legs.
Becki Murray is Citizen Femme’s Beauty and Wellness Director. As one of the only UK journalists to hold a Distinction-grade diploma in cosmetic science, she combines her unique knowledge with an editor’s eye to help you make smarter choices about beauty, wellbeing, and aesthetics. Becki also heads up CF’s spa guide so you could say she’s an expert in the science of relaxation too…
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