Surgery Recovery · Spencer Highway, Pasadena
Post-Surgery Lymphatic Drainage Massage in Pasadena, TX
If you've been told to get lymphatic massage after liposuction, a tummy tuck or a Brazilian butt lift (BBL), that's the Surgery Recovery session on our menu: 60 minutes, $145, one-on-one with a licensed massage therapist in a private room on Spencer Highway.
Start only after your surgeon clears you. If you have a fever, a hot swollen leg or trouble breathing, skip the massage and call your surgeon or 911.
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Get your surgeon's go-ahead before the first lymphatic drainage session
Don't book your first lymphatic drainage session until your surgeon has cleared you for it. Then call Spa Moments with your surgery date and the instructions you were given, and we'll tell you whether Surgery Recovery fits where you are in recovery.
Questions to ask your surgeon's office before you book:
- Am I cleared for lymphatic drainage now, and are any areas off limits?
- If I still have drains, is lymphatic massage allowed yet?
- How long can my compression garment stay off?
- Which positions should I avoid? After a BBL, ask about lying on your back.
- Does a medication I take, like a blood thinner, or a condition such as heart disease or kidney failure change the plan?
Write the answers down and bring them, along with the type and date of your surgery. Tell us about any incision that's still open or scabbed over, too.
What a post-surgery lymphatic drainage massage feels like, start to finish
Expect far lighter pressure than a regular massage: slow, rhythmic strokes that stretch the skin toward the lymph nodes, because lymph vessels sit just under the surface.
You lie on your back or your side, depending on your procedure. Lymphatic work generally starts near the neck and collarbones, where lymph drains back into the bloodstream, and moves slowly toward the areas that were treated. If you're used to deep tissue, the strokes can feel almost too light to be doing anything. They shouldn't redden your skin or hurt, though spots that are still healing can feel tender.
Cleveland Clinic says regular massage generally isn't a good idea right after surgery, so Surgery Recovery stays light the whole hour, even if you normally ask for deep tissue. For how lymphatic work compares with Swedish and deep tissue outside of surgery, see our page on lymphatic drainage massage for everyday swelling.
| Service | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Surgery Recovery | 60 min | $145 |
| Light Flow | 60 min | $85regular price $95 |
Light Flow is for later, once you're cleared for regular massage again; it's our gentle, relaxation-focused massage. The rest is on our massage menu with current prices.
When the hour is up
Getting a faja (compression garment) back on takes a few minutes, so come a little early, use the restroom before we start, and don't book anything tight right after your lymphatic drainage. For the rest of the day, keep things quiet, keep your water bottle close, and jot down anything that felt sore so you can mention it at your next post-op check.
What to bring: the faja, the boards and a front-zip top
Arrive in your faja. It usually comes off for the lymphatic drainage and goes right back on afterward, so bring the foam boards or lipo pads that go under it if you were given any. Choose a top that zips or buttons up the front, and shoes you can step into without bending over.
Bring your written post-op instructions, or a photo of them, plus a list of your medications, especially blood thinners or antibiotics. If you're still taking prescription pain pills, have someone drive you. And if you've been told to sit on a BBL pillow in the car, bring that too.
Booking two or three lymphatic drainage visits a week
Two or three post-surgery lymphatic drainage visits a week is a common plan, but the number is your surgeon's to set, and published advice varies. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) article on liposuction recovery describes several sessions a week for two months after liposuction; a 2023 review in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum describes 2 to 3 a week for the first 3 to 4 weeks.
At menu price, two visits a week for four weeks comes to eight sessions and $1,160. Three a week for eight weeks is 24 sessions and $3,480. The menu doesn't list series pricing, so ask when you call if you're booking a run of visits.
Booking the first week or two in one call saves you hunting for openings on a bad day, and since we're open 9 AM to 8 PM every day, three visits a week are easier to fit around work and follow-up appointments.
Call (832) 688-3097 for the first visit. After that, you can book your post-surgery lymphatic drainage massage online; look for Surgery Recovery on the list. Our usual booking and cancellation rules apply.
What lymphatic drainage can and can't do after surgery
Surgeons often recommend lymphatic drainage for swelling, and some want it for fibrosis too: the firm, lumpy spots that can form under the skin after liposuction. The same 2023 review reported less swelling and fibrosis after liposuction and lipoabdominoplasty (liposuction combined with a tummy tuck) in patients who had lymphatic drainage, though its authors also said there isn't much research yet. If it's in your recovery plan, that's reason enough to do it. Just keep your expectations realistic.
Lymphatic drainage won't remove fat or change the shape your surgeon created, and it doesn't replace your compression garment. It can't drain a seroma, treat an infection or prevent blood clots, and it won't get you to your final shape early: the ASPS says swelling after a tummy tuck can take up to three months to settle.
Diagnosed lymphedema is a separate matter and calls for a certified lymphedema therapist working with your doctor, not a day spa.
Warning signs: call your surgeon or 911 instead of booking
Some symptoms after surgery need a doctor today, not a lymphatic drainage appointment. The lists below draw on blood clot guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and on Cleveland Clinic.
Call 911 for:
- Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
- Chest pain, especially pain that gets worse with a deep breath
- A fast or irregular heartbeat
- Coughing up blood
- Fainting, or feeling like you're about to
After surgery, those can be signs of a blood clot in the lungs, and the CDC says to seek medical help immediately.
Bleeding that soaks through your dressing or won't stop with pressure is urgent too: call your surgeon right away, or 911 if it's heavy.
Call your surgeon's office today, and skip the massage, for:
- Swelling, pain, warmth or redness in one leg, which can mean deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a clot in a deep vein
- A fever
- An incision that's hot, getting redder or darker, or leaking cloudy or bad-smelling fluid
- Fluid collecting in a soft pocket that keeps growing. Cleveland Clinic says a seroma usually shows up seven to 10 days after surgery.
- Pain that's getting worse instead of better
If any of these start before your appointment, call your surgeon first, then call us to move your lymphatic drainage visit.
Privacy in the room, and where a day spa's job stops
Every Surgery Recovery session at Spa Moments happens in a private treatment room with the door closed. You undress only as far as you're comfortable, and a sheet covers everything except the area being worked on.
Our massage therapists are licensed in Texas, but we're a day spa, not a medical office: we don't remove drains, change dressings, check incisions or give medical advice.
Close to home for recovery in Pasadena, Deer Park and La Porte
Spa Moments is at 6802 Spencer Hwy Ste B in Pasadena, Texas, with parking right out front, which matters when you're in a faja and bending over hurts.
If your surgeon's office is across Houston and you're recovering at home in Pasadena or Deer Park, lymphatic drainage on Spencer Highway can be the shorter trip for two or three visits a week. The same may be true from La Porte, Pearland and League City, so check the drive in Google Maps.
The map and our hours are also on the Spa Moments contact page. Once you're past the post-op stage and want an ordinary massage again, our guide to massage near Deer Park walks through the rest of the menu.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon after surgery can I get a lymphatic drainage massage?
Your surgeon decides, and practices differ: the ASPS notes that many surgeons start lymphatic massage the day after surgery, while others wait longer. If your surgeon hasn't mentioned lymphatic drainage at all, ask about it at your next post-op check instead of booking on your own.
Does lymphatic drainage help with hard spots or fibrosis after lipo?
Lymphatic drainage may help, but nobody can promise it will soften a particular hard spot. A lump that's hot, red or getting bigger is a call to your surgeon, not something to massage. Otherwise the pressure stays light, so your therapist won't dig into a firm area to try to break it up.
Can I get lymphatic drainage with drains still in?
Ask your surgeon before booking lymphatic drainage with drains in, because the answer depends on your procedure and how your recovery is going. If you still have drains when you call us, say so, and we'll tell you whether Surgery Recovery fits where you are. Either way, our therapists don't remove drains or change dressings.
I'm sore and bruised. Is post-surgery lymphatic drainage still okay?
Show your therapist every sore or bruised spot before the lymphatic drainage starts. Pain that's getting worse instead of better is on the warning-sign list above and needs a call to your surgeon first. Ordinary tenderness is different: the pressure is already light, and it can go lighter still or skip an area altogether.
What if I feel awful on the day of my lymphatic drainage appointment?
Call Spa Moments at (832) 688-3097 at least 2 hours before your time to cancel or move the visit. Recovery has off days, and nobody expects you to push through one on our table. If what you're feeling is on the warning-sign list, call your surgeon first. Missing an appointment without calling means the next one has to be prepaid in full.
Start with a phone call, then book the rest online
Call (832) 688-3097 to set up your first post-surgery lymphatic drainage visit at Spa Moments. Once we know your surgery date and your surgeon's limits, you can book the rest online.