Lymphatic drainage in Tamarin: how many sessions do you need?

This is the question every client quite rightly asks before getting started. To answer it honestly: the feeling of lightness sets in within the very first hour but a visible, lasting transformation is a matter of regularity.

Lymph is a slow fluid. To retrain the circulatory system and de-congest the tissues deep down, the body needs repetition but not at any cost and not at any rhythm. Contrary to the received wisdom that calls for intensive courses of closely spaced sessions, my philosophy rests on respecting your physiology and your schedule.

At the Tamarin studio, most of the women I see come in after their working day, from Rivière Noire or Flic en Flac. The protocol has to fit into a real life, not into a theoretical timetable.

1. From the very first session: immediate relief (the "reset" effect)

The moment you get off the table, the instant results are there, mostly in the way you feel:

• A sensation of lightness in the legs (you float in your clothes and your shoes).
• A powerful diuretic effect, the immediate sign that the body is starting to flush out stored water.
• A relaxed body and a calmer nervous system.

The catch: that immediate result is a boost. If you suffer from chronic water retention or from cellulite, the fluids will come back and stagnate within a few days if you stop there. So a momentum has to be built.

2. The ideal rhythm for visible results: one session every two weeks

To get visual results (a slimmer silhouette, defined ankles, less bloating) and to treat cellulite deep down, everything comes down to regularity. My protocol is based on one session every two weeks for a starting course, generally between 4 and 6 sessions. That is the format I offer for lymphatic drainage at the Tamarin studio, manual or with wood therapy depending on what the body is asking for.

Why this rhythm rather than two sessions a week as you see recommended everywhere?

• To let the body work "solo": lymphatic drainage and wood therapy give the body a powerful impulse. After a treatment, the detoxification system runs at full speed for several days. By leaving 14 days between appointments, we give the body time to do its own job of elimination and, above all, we force it to take over. We retrain the lymphatic system without making it "lazy".
• To respect your budget and your mental load: imposing appointments several times a week is often a source of stress, both for the diary and for the wallet. Two sessions a month is a manageable commitment, one that fits gently into the life of a busy woman. In Mauritius, between the drives along the west coast and the school run, a session every fortnight holds up over time. Four a month, almost never.

3. Once the machine is running: monthly maintenance

After this first de-congesting cycle of a few sessions every two weeks, the body has "understood" the message. The tissues are freed, the circulation is going again and the appearance of the skin is clearly smoother.

We then move on to the maintenance phase: one session once a month. This long-term monthly appointment is more than enough to maintain the results, stimulate the immune system and stop water and toxins from settling back in. Many of my clients schedule it around the times when their legs swell the most: the humid heat from January to March or the return from a long-haul flight to Europe.

A one-off session or a course: how to choose

If you are looking for one-off relief after a long flight, a single session will do a great deal. If you want to transform the texture of your skin, refine your silhouette and feel the benefits over time, go for regularity. By spacing the sessions two weeks apart, we team up with your body: it has the time to work on its own between two appointments and the results really do hold.