A specialist massage that works with your lymphatic system rather than against your muscles. Slow, light and rhythmic, for puffiness, temporary fluid retention and legs that feel heavy by the end of the day.
Manual lymphatic drainage, usually shortened to MLD, is a specialised form of gentle massage that encourages the movement of lymphatic fluid.
Your lymphatic system is part of your circulatory and immune systems. Unlike your heart, it has no central pump. Movement, breathing and muscle activity are what keep it circulating normally.
MLD uses slow, light, rhythmic strokes to work with the superficial lymphatic vessels and encourage fluid towards functioning lymph nodes. Unlike a traditional massage, it does not rely on deep pressure at all.
Not because of a diagnosis. Because their legs ache by evening, their stomach feels full, or their rings are tighter than they were yesterday.
The face and neck hold a dense network of superficial vessels and nodes, which is why a lymphatic drainage facial feels nothing like a normal facial massage. The strokes are lighter still, and the direction matters more than the pressure.
Clients usually book a facial session for:
It can be booked on its own or added to a body session. If your concern is the skin itself rather than fluid, corrective skin treatments are the more appropriate route and we will say so.
This is the part people are most often surprised by. It should feel gentle, rhythmic and genuinely relaxing.
The lymphatic vessels sit close to the surface of the skin, so heavy pressure pushes straight past them into muscle. More pressure does not mean a more effective treatment. It means a different treatment entirely.
You should not expect the aggressive pressure of a deep-tissue massage or a body-sculpting session. If a clinic tells you it needs to hurt to work, they are not describing MLD.
If you have seen Brazilian lymphatic drainage online and wondered why it looks so different, it is because it is a different technique. Here is the honest comparison.
The original clinical technique, developed from the Vodder method. Slow, light, rhythmic strokes directed towards functioning lymph nodes, working the superficial vessels just beneath the skin.
It should feel gentle and relaxing throughout. The skill is in direction, sequence and rhythm, not in how hard anyone presses.
A more vigorous, sculpting-led style popularised on social media. It typically uses considerably firmer pressure and is often marketed around immediate visual change.
Some people genuinely enjoy it. Our position is simply that firmer pressure is a different treatment, not a better version of the same one, and it should be described honestly rather than sold as clinical drainage.
If firm body sculpting is actually what you want, that is a fair goal and we offer it properly as Wood Therapy. We would rather point you to the right treatment than rebrand one as the other.
This is not a deep-tissue massage, so it does not begin like one.
We go through your medical history, current concerns, medications and what you want from the appointment. This is also where we identify anything that would make treatment unsuitable.
Your practitioner looks at where you are actually experiencing puffiness, heaviness or fluid retention, and decides which areas to work and in what order.
Light, rhythmic, controlled manual techniques across the appropriate areas. The pressure is intentionally gentle. That is not the therapist going easy on you, it is how the treatment works.
Aftercare advice, and an honest conversation about whether further sessions would actually benefit you.
Your treatment is adapted to your assessment rather than following the same routine for every client.
Where bloating and a heavy, full feeling are most often noticed.
Often worked alongside the abdomen as part of the same sequence.
The most common request, particularly for heavy or tired-feeling legs.
Including the upper arms where puffiness can settle.
Worked towards the appropriate lymph nodes rather than in isolation.
Even lighter strokes for puffiness around the eyes, cheeks and jawline.
A complete sequence when puffiness or heaviness is not limited to one area.
We are not going to sell you a course because it is worth more to us. If one appointment is what your body needs, that is what we will recommend, and we will tell you when to come back only if coming back would actually help.
Experiences vary between individuals, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. Changes relating to temporary fluid retention may also alter how your body looks or feels afterwards.
What we will not tell you is that you have detoxed, dropped a dress size or flushed anything out. Individual responses vary and specific outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
On frequency, there is no single right answer. Some clients book one session when they feel particularly puffy. Others build it into a regular wellness routine. We do not automatically prescribe large courses where they are not necessary.
Yes, up to a point, and we are not going to pretend otherwise to protect a booking. Gentle self-massage at home is genuinely useful maintenance for most healthy people.
What it will not do is replace a trained pair of hands working a full sequence in the right order, reaching areas you cannot comfortably reach yourself, or spotting when something is not right.
Plenty of our clients do both. A session in clinic, then self-massage between appointments. That is a sensible plan and we will happily show you the strokes for your own areas.
Standard wellness MLD and post-operative care are not the same service. If you have recently had any of the following, please do not book this appointment.
Post-operative clients need additional assessment, because treatment has to account for your procedure, stage of healing, incisions, swelling, pain levels, your surgeon's instructions, compression garments and any potential complications.
View Post-Surgery Lymphatic DrainageThis treatment is not appropriate for everyone. Treatment may need to be avoided, postponed or medically cleared in circumstances including:
This list is not exhaustive, and your medical history is discussed before treatment. If your symptoms suggest that massage is inappropriate or that you need medical assessment, we will not proceed simply because an appointment has been booked. Your safety comes first.
Ask Before You BookBoth are legitimate. Which one you need depends on why you are here, and we would rather you booked one session than six you do not need.
Ideal for occasional maintenance, a period where you feel particularly puffy, or simply trying the treatment for the first time.
For clients incorporating it into a more consistent wellness or body-maintenance routine. Your practitioner will advise whether a course is appropriate after assessment.
This treatment can sometimes form part of a wider body programme alongside Wood Therapy or body contouring. We do not recommend adding treatments simply for the sake of adding more treatments. Call +44 7591 092255 to talk it through. Klarna and Clearpay are available in clinic.
We are in Spon End, a few minutes from Coventry city centre, with parking nearby. Genuine manual lymphatic drainage is harder to find than the name suggests, because plenty of places list it and then deliver a firm massage.
If you have had it elsewhere and it hurt, you have not had MLD. Come and feel the difference in the pressure.
If yours is not here, call the clinic on +44 7591 092255.
No, and this matters. Lymphoedema is a medical condition that requires a certified lymphoedema therapist, usually delivering Complete Decongestive Therapy including compression bandaging, alongside NHS or specialist care. What we offer is wellness MLD for healthy people experiencing puffiness or temporary fluid retention. If you have or suspect lymphoedema, please speak to your GP or a lymphoedema clinic. We will tell you this rather than take the booking.
A more vigorous, sculpting-led style popularised on social media, using considerably firmer pressure than the traditional technique. We offer the traditional clinical technique, not the Brazilian style. If firm body sculpting is what you are after, Wood Therapy is the honest answer.
Yes. The face and neck hold a dense network of superficial vessels and nodes, and a facial session uses even lighter strokes than body work. Clients book it for puffiness around the eyes and cheeks, morning swelling and a softer-looking jawline. It can be booked alone or added to a body session.
Yes, gently. Self-massage is useful maintenance for most healthy people. Work towards the lymph nodes, keep the pressure light enough that your skin just glides, and go slowly. A gua sha tool on the face is fine if you keep it light. Stop if anything hurts. Ask us at your appointment and we will show you the strokes for your areas.
Not directly. Cellulite is influenced by connective tissue structure, genetics and body composition rather than lymphatic fluid alone. We will not sell this as a cellulite treatment. If cellulite appearance is your main concern, Wood Therapy is the more appropriate treatment to discuss.
MLD as it is practised today derives from the technique developed by Dr Emil Vodder in the 1930s. The core principles are unchanged: light pressure, slow rhythm, and strokes directed towards functioning lymph nodes.
Yes. A full body sequence is available when puffiness or heaviness is not limited to one area. Otherwise we focus on the areas that are actually bothering you, because a full body session is not automatically better than a targeted one.
Yes. Legs are our most common request, usually for that heavy, tired feeling by the end of the day. The abdomen is the second most common, typically for bloating and a full, heavy sensation. Either can be booked as the focus of your session.
No. Manual lymphatic drainage should be gentle. It uses light, rhythmic movements rather than the heavy pressure of a deep-tissue massage. More pressure does not make it more effective, because the lymphatic vessels sit close to the surface of the skin.
Some clients book when they feel puffy or bloated, particularly where temporary fluid retention is contributing. Persistent, severe or unexplained abdominal bloating should be medically investigated rather than treated with massage alone.
No. It is not a weight-loss treatment and it does not remove body fat. Temporary changes in fluid retention may affect how your body feels or measures, but that should not be confused with fat loss.
Your liver, kidneys and lungs process and eliminate waste. That is their job and massage does not take it over. MLD supports the movement of lymphatic fluid, which is why we will not promise that it flushes toxins.
Some people notice a temporary difference in puffiness where fluid retention was present. It should not be understood as a fat-loss treatment, and we will not sell it as one.
There is no single right frequency. It depends on why you are having it, your health, how you respond, and whether you are following a wider programme. We do not automatically prescribe large courses where they are not necessary.
Pregnancy requires additional consideration and adaptation. Please tell us if you are pregnant or think you may be before booking, so we can determine whether treatment is appropriate and what needs to change.
Not this one. Post-operative lymphatic care requires a different assessment and approach. Please book our post-surgery lymphatic drainage instead, where your procedure, healing stage and surgeon's instructions are taken into account.
No. Standard MLD is gentle and non-invasive, and you can return to your day straight afterwards.
Allow around an hour for your appointment, including consultation and assessment on your first visit. The hands-on time depends on which areas are being worked.
A traditional massage uses deep pressure to work into muscle. MLD works the superficial system just under the skin, using slow light strokes directed towards functioning lymph nodes. Different technique, different pressure, different purpose.
Then we do not treat you. If your symptoms suggest that massage is inappropriate or that you need medical assessment, we will not proceed simply because an appointment has been booked. Your safety comes before completing a booking.
Whether you are feeling puffy, heavy, or you simply want lymphatic care in your routine, we will help you work out whether this is the right treatment for you. And we will tell you if it is not.
J Artistry Clinic · Arches Estate, Spon End, Coventry, CV1 3JQ
