Chocolate for the body.
You may or may not know this about me but I am a huge chocolate lover. That’s part of the reason why I love to be so active- I have a sweet tooth to keep me motivated. So trust me when I say that my experience at Emmanuelle Blanche Spa was like putting the first square of the best chocolate in your mouth and having your taste buds go ecstatic.
As an athlete, I’ve seen and heard a lot of people try lymphatic massages for different purposes.
Bodybuilders trying to get extra muscle definition before a competition, others trying to shed weight and models boasting great results for waistline and cellulite reduction. I was very curious to see what the hype was all about and I was very happy to try it in a trusted spa. My colleagued booked me in for a treatment at Emmanuelle Blanche spa mid November, just before the second wave hit Los Angeles. Just in time!
As soon as you walk into the spa, you feel enveloped by the warmth and chic vibe. It’s very open, airy, beautifully designed and very carefully manicured. The treatment rooms are relaxing and you feel like you’d want to sleep in there forever…. until the massage starts.
I experienced the 50-minute Palper Rouler and Lymphatic Massage and I loved it. If you like relaxing, light and gentle massages, this is not for you. I love deep tissue massages, sports massages, anything that « hurts so good » . I don’t want to scare you away though. I was not in pain during the massage and very often my treatment expert asked me if the intensity of the massage was good and reminded me that it could be lessened if need be. But what is Palper Rouler you might be thinking? It’s a technique that comes from France and had not been available in Los Angeles before, according to Emmanuelle Blanche, owner of the spa. That’s where the idea came to her and she decided to open up a spa and offer these services for Angelenos to include in their body care routine.
« The efficiency of the Palper Rouler technique lies in its precise, fully manual and personalized approach, taking into account each person’s specific needs, morphology, lifestyle and objectives. The massage consists of several maneuvers with the best known being to form a fold with the fingers, rolling it to break adhesions between adipose cells underneath the skin and the skin itself, enabling their elimination. Accompanied by a lymphatic massage, the Palper Rouler massage decongests the engorged zones, softens the tissues, frees the fascia and activates both the blood and lymphatic circulation, helping to eliminate fat deposits, diminish water retention, and flush out toxins. »
That’s the official definition from Emmanuelle Blanche’s website. My description would go as follows: it felt like a suction cup (she actually used cupping) being rubbed all over my body followed by fairy fingered masseuse. I felt energized and relaxed at once. My body was highly stimulated yet at ease.
The stomach massage was also interesting (no cupping here). It felt strange at first but then I felt so much anxiety being released with the gentle touch from my masseuse’s hands, flowing in and out of deep areas of my stomach.
Bottom line, I left wanting more. Let’s be honest, after all the running and workouts I’ve been doing, no amount of foam roller or stretching would be enough for me to be fully rebooted. I didn’t notice any physical differences (waistline reduction or definition) after just one treatment but it would be worth going back frequently to try to get results.
I talked with Emmanuelle after the treatment and right away I could tell that every service offered at her spa has deeper purpose and meaning than just to reduce your waist line (as a lot of other spas advertise when promoting lymphatic massages) or decrease cellulite. She is a big advocate of wellness as a whole, meaning that to have a healthy body and reap the benefits of this type of treatment, you need to lead a healthy lifestyle. Good meaningful connections, stress-free living, healthy eating, sleeping, drinking water, meditation (however you like to do it)… it’s basically a big equation with a lot of moving parts, not just lymphatic massage = reduce waistline by an inch.
I STRONGLY recommend trying this massage if you are an athlete, or even just if you want to treat your body to a nice reboot.
I wanted to test out the effects of the massage so I ran 2 half marathons and did a long straight training in the days prior to the treatment. I woke up the morning after the massage and felt brand new: it was such a fantastic feeling!
Thank you so much Emmanuelle Blanche, I will be back soon for sure!
*** This wouldn’t be a 2020 post if I didn’t mention that the spa’s covid19 safety procedures were impressive. Hand sanitizing for everyone who comes in, temperature check, pens sanitized, chairs covered in plastic, therapists using masks and face shields, limited number of clients, etc. I felt very safe! ***