Wednesday In Review: Lymphatic Drainage Massage with La Brasileira Massage

So it’s not a Wednesday – I’m aware, but this was supposed to go up on a Wednesday, so I left the title haha.

So I have been wanting to get a lymphatic drainage massage for years. Yes, actual years. I originally heard about on a podcast where I learned about all of the major benefits and I was craving to go somewhere just to see what all the hype is about. Fast forward to this year, I ran across Morgana’s instagram page in JUNE. Yes, basically like 6 months ago and saw that she was going to be moving to Charlotte and moving her practice which specializes in lymphatic massage. I of course told her to reach out to me when she was here and being the amazing person she is, she did!

So finally, on Halloween, I got my first lymphatic massage and you guys, I asked 6,000 questions and got so much good information for you all.

Okay, so let’s start with the basics – what is a lymphatic massage? In order to understand this part, I think you need to understand what your lymphatic system is first. So, we all have a lymphatic system in our body. It makes up your lymph nodes, lymph (colorless fluid), lymphatic vessels, and a few other key body parts. But to make it simple, the most important part of the lymphatic system is collecting excess fluid and fighting infection via our lymph nodes. If you would like to read more on this, I will leave a link HERE so you can do a bit of a deeper dive on this. The lymph system is a very low pressure system, and is only moved through the body via movement because it is separate from that that is connected to the heart. As this fluid moves through the lymphatic vessels, debris is removed until it is put back into our bloodstream.

So what does a lymphatic massage do? Essentially a lymphatic massage works to move the excess fluid in our bodies and tissues to the lymphatic system, while also helping that system move the fluid back into our blood vessels. It is very good for inflammation and excess fluid retention, but can also help boost our immune system as it works the fluid through our lymph nodes, as well.

As you can see, it has some pretty great health benefits and I couldn’t wait to try. Here are the results –

So I opted to do a full body lymphatic massage and a facial massage. We hold so much inflammation and fluid in our faces, I wanted to see what the possible difference may be. Morgana told me that because of how she helps to move the fluid along, I may have to use the bathroom a lot, I should drink a lot of water afterwards to help remove more of that debris, and I may even lose a couple of pounds on the scale depending upon how much excess fluid I have in my body.

The feeling of the massage is slightly different technique than that of a relaxation massage, but still very relaxing. So you will definitely still enjoy the massage. For me personally, I think the most interesting part was the stomach. The stomach is part of the massage, so unlike other massages, that will be included and it was such an interesting thing to experience. Morgana explained to me that a lot of emotions, especially anxiety can be stored in the stomach and lymphatic massage can help with getting things moving, as well if you struggle with that. She also explained that a lot of fluid can get trapped there, so by doing the massage it can remove that excess fluid, decrease bloating, and essentially slim your stomach.

You guys, it was wild. The before and after was so crazy of my stomach, I couldn’t believe it and even for a few days afterwards my stomach started looking better and better. During the manipulation of mine I had a lot of pain in my stomach in the beginning (which she explained could be emotions and/or tension) and by the time she finished it didn’t hurt at all. I was also curious about if lymphatic massage could help decrease inflammation of the uterus because as you all know, I had a very traumatic pregnancy and birth (you can read that here) leading to pre-eclampsia and I do believe that because of that, I still retain inflammation within my uterus. Morgana said that some of my pain could also be related to that.

Anyways, it was extremely interesting and I had no clue how much “stuff” we can retain in the tummy, but it makes sense given all the organs there and that sort go gut-brain connection there.

Now, let’s talk about the face. We retain so much inflammation and puffiness in the face. It is pretty crazy. If you think about what you eat and all the sodium food can contain, alcohol can cause puffiness, and overall general inflammation, as well. With the face you can have decrease jaw discomfort (if you suffer from TMJ), activation of the immune system due to all of the lymph nodes in your face and neck, and chiseling of the face in general. After mine, I felt like I had gotten cosmetic surgery on my face. It was so crazy to see how chiseled and tight my face looked after this massage you guys.

Anyways. Clearly I am a HUGE fan and will definitely be going back. I don’t feel like I retain a ton of fluid, which is good, but I do love immune support it provides, the work on my stomach and all of the tension there, and just how it helps to get everything moving.

If you are local to Charlotte, I highly recommend Morgana at La Brasileira Massage. Morgana is originally from Brasil, but opened her first lymphatic massage practice in Chicago. She is currently practicing in Chicago, as well as, Charlotte, but Charlotte will be her home base. She just started taking clients October 30 here in Charlotte. I personally booked that Combo that included lymphatic drainage massage and the facial massage so I could try both. Both of these work to boost immunity, decrease inflammation, decrease stress, remove excess fluid and toxins, and relieve tension. I feel like this gave me the best bang for my buck.

Morgana was absolutely fabulous and I would highly recommend seeing her if you are interested in a lymphatic massage. I think she is extremely knowledgable and was kind and answered all of my 6,000 questions. It was such an amazing experience and I will definitely be back for more massages with her and her team!

I hope this helped to answer some of your questions about lymphatic massage. Please don’t hesitate if you have any additional questions or there was something I didn’t answer.

xoxo,

Melissa