What is a lymphatic drainage facial?

People look up a lymphatic drainage facial expecting a skincare treatment. It is not one. No products, no steam, no extractions: it is massage, taken over the face.

What a lymphatic drainage facial involves

It is the same technique as the rest of a lymphatic session, worked over a smaller and more delicate area. Your therapist uses very light, slow, repetitive strokes that follow the body's natural pathways, through the jaw, the cheeks, around the eyes and down the sides of the neck. The pressure is barely there.

The order matters more than the pressure does. The work follows a set sequence rather than going wherever feels tight, which is what separates it from the face and scalp work in a facial and head massage.

Where the facial sits in the 75 minute session

We do not sell it on its own. It is built into the 75 minute session, between the 60 and 90 minute options on our lymphatic drainage massage in Innaloo page.

That is deliberate: the neck and collarbone area is part of the same sequence, so the face is not treated in isolation from everything below it. If the face and scalp are all you want, the shorter facial and head massage is the honest option and it costs less.

How a lymphatic drainage facial feels

Light, slow and quite repetitive, which sounds underwhelming and tends not to be. Most people find the rhythm easy to switch off to, and plenty drift off. There is one client in the studio at a time, so nothing runs to somebody else's clock.

You stay draped and comfortable throughout. If you have not been here before, what to expect at your first massage covers the practical side, and the technique is explained more fully in what lymphatic drainage massage involves.

Being straight about what it does

This is where we part company with how the treatment is usually advertised. Lymphatic drainage used cosmetically has no high-quality randomised evidence behind it. Not weak evidence: none that we could find. We have published the evidence behind lymphatic drainage massage in full, including the parts that do not suit us.

So we will not promise a change in how your face looks. What we can offer is a genuinely calming treatment delivered carefully, by a therapist who is an ANTA member. Book it because an hour and a quarter of that sounds good, not because of a before and after photograph.

Frequently asked questions

Is a lymphatic drainage facial the same as a normal facial?

No. A beauty facial is a skincare treatment built around products, cleansing and extraction. A lymphatic drainage facial is massage: light, rhythmic strokes over the face, jaw and neck, with no products involved.

Can I book the facial on its own?

Not as a standalone. It is included in the 75 minute lymphatic drainage session. If the face and scalp are what you are after, book a facial and head massage instead, which starts at 30 minutes.

Does a lymphatic drainage facial hurt?

No. It is one of the lightest treatments we offer. The pressure is very soft throughout and the rhythm is the point rather than the depth.

Will it de-puff my face?

We would not sell it to you on that basis. There is no high-quality randomised evidence for lymphatic drainage used cosmetically, so treat before and after photographs accordingly. It is a calm, pleasant treatment and that is reason enough on its own.

How much is the 75 minute session?

All three session lengths and prices are on the full treatment menu and prices. Health fund claims from recognised Australian funds can be processed on the spot through HICAPS, depending on your level of extras cover.

If it sounds like the right thing for you, check availability online whenever you are ready.