A few years ago, I noticed that a few of the celebrities and wellness minded influencers I followed were all going to the same person for a full body massage. But not just any massage. They were experiencing a new type of method that seemed to flatten their bellies almost instantly.
After a little bit of investigation, I learned that they were all getting a full-body lymphatic drainage massage by a woman who brought this technique to LA from Brazil. I wanted to try this lymphatic massage badly but, I figured that because, I didn't live in a trendy city, my chances of ever experiencing this body-transforming massage were nonexistent.
Turns out I was wrong. A little bit of research was all it took before I found a lady from Brazil offering the same type of massage only 15 minutes away! I booked an appointment immediately and went back again for follow-up sessions. You can read about my first experience here and the follow-up here. Once covid hit, I stopped going to get any and all beauty treatments out of an abundance of caution. But now that inflation is through the roof, I'm brainstorming ways to implement some of the luxuries that I once enjoyed but in a budget friendlier way. I want to get another drainage massage to kickstart my lymphatic system again but I also want to incorporate the process at home.
When we talk about lymphatic drainage at home, the first thought that probably comes to mind is the art of dry brushing. I have a large dry brush hanging near the shower door that I barely use. I could chalk it up to my forgetting to grab it for a quick session before jumping in the shower but, if I'm being really honest, I think it has more to do with my perception of true lymphatic stimulation thanks to the vigorous massage I received from a professional.
I needed something a little more intense.
Then, one day, I came across the existence of an oversized gua-sha-like tool meant specifically for use on the body.
This was it!
This was exactly what I was looking for. Dry brushes are cool and all but I'm not sure they can stimulate the lymphatic system nearly as deeply as something like this or this. I've seen the toning and lifting benefits that gua sha can have on the face so I have no doubt that I'd consistently use one on my body. The woman who did my lymphatic massage advised me to continue doing them on my belly at home but when I did them manually, I felt like I wasn't able to apply the same level of pressure as her. But with a gua sha tool in hand, I'll do a much better job.
I still believe in traditional dry brushes for promoting exfoliation and smoothness of the skin. But if you're looking to stimulate the movement of lymph at a metabolic level, a body gua sha tool is a must. I've already played around with using a (smaller) facial gua sha tool on the body and I can already feel the difference between this method and dry brushing.
If you're on a budget and a $100.00 celebrity lymphatic massage just isn't practical, a body gua sha is the tool is what you need.
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