I tried a Brazilian lymphatic drainage massage to get rid of bloating

Putting the cult-favourite practice to the test. 

The world of beauty and wellness is full of strange and unseemly practices. The vampire facial, slimy snail mucin, foot botox… you can miss me with that kind of behaviour. Luckily, despite having a mouthful of a name, the Brazilian lymphatic drainage massage is nothing to be afraid of. A sworn-by treatment of celebrities and beauty gurus alike, the practice aims to reduce swelling and get rid of toxin build-up.

The treatment involves using massage to stimulate the lymphatic system and help the body process excess liquid and toxins. To find out what all of the fuss is about, I headed over to Ms Massage in Kew to try it out for myself in the capable hands of founder and massage therapist, Melissa Scudeller.

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After eagerly telling all my friends I was off to “get drained”, I realised that I didn’t actually know much about the practice.  A quick Google search taught me the basics – the practice was designed to improve the natural flow of lymph, a fluid that can grow stagnant in the body and cause bloating. By using gentle motions, the lymph is redirected toward the nodes, where it’s then processed and expelled as waste (through sweat and pee).

“If you think of something like gua sha, it’s essentially a lymphatic drainage using tools,” said Melissa. As I settled into her cozy studio, she told me she found the practice in a roundabout way. She started her career as a beauty editor where she often tested different procedures and products. “I hope it’s okay to say this, but I am an absolute beauty whore,” she said. “I’ll try it all, I’ve got no loyalty.”

She enjoyed having drainage done on herself, and after marrying her Brazilian husband and spending some time in the country, her interest grew stronger. She did her training and brought the practice over to Melbourne, where she opened one of the few studios to offer the treatment.

In Brazil, she tells me, most women typically get it done once a week. “My sister-in-law, for example, gets it done three times a week,” she says. There, the process is actually required following surgeries to help reduce swelling and promote wound healing, which is one of the main benefits. 

“It makes me a bit sad that it’s so unknown here because I think, ‘Gosh, how much better could your recovery have been if you’d have known about this?‘” Unlike the cardiovascular system, which helps move blood through the body, the lymphatic system has no pump of its own, which means that sometimes it can need a little manual help. 

“People report feeling that they sleep better [and] that their energy levels are higher. In terms of aesthetic aspects, helping the body detox means that our skin often looks better. Some people will say that they lose weight… I don’t like to talk about that a lot, but it can be a side effect because fluid is often weight that we are holding.”

I undressed and lay on the table with two towels covering me. Melissa began by tapping on my lymph nodes to ‘awaken’ them and then began using coconut oil-coated hands to softly rub my body, pushing upwards. Almost immediately after she started working on my stomach, she noticed something was wrong. I did too. It was more uncomfortable than I expected. She told me I carried more fluid than was usual – not a 10 out of 10, but still quite high. 

She said this could be due to multiple factors: illness, PMS, digestive issues, injuries, medical procedures, dehydration, sedentary lifestyles and just plain-old genetics can all cause the lymphatic system to get backed up. As a person with a history of gut health dramas, I was surprised that this could have such a noticeable impact.

After an hour of working her way across my body, I felt utterly refreshed. As I stood up, I felt almost lighter – a little light-headed as well, but that went away as soon as I had some water. She told me it was important to add at least one litre of extra fluids to my daily intake to make up for lost liquid. 

Before the treatment, Melissa had given me a form to jot down my intentions and expectations. Unsure of what to say, I wrote ‘clarity of being’ and giggled to myself at how silly it sounded. But in the end, I did feel clarity of being – more vital, less sluggish and more awake.

Melissa believes in the treatment so strongly, she offers it for $90 – significantly less than a traditional massage or different wellness treatment – to make it as accessible as possible. And after my experience, I’m a big believer too.

For more on lymphatic drainage, head here.