THE Body Ballancer is a curious-looking device, there’s no doubt about it. It looks like a pair of salopettes for those with overly long legs, but climb inside this unglamorous garment and you will experience a supremely effective and highly addictive body treatment.
The Body Ballancer was developed for medical treatment, not aesthetic (which is why at the time of writing it has not been made in Fashion Black or Millennial Pink, but instead in a jolly Hospital Blue), but the health benefits of this lymphatic massage system have a particular side-effect that for some is Beauty’s Holy Grail: cellulite reduction.
Hopefully the results of the Body Ballancer
Consequently, beauty editors have gone crazy for the recently launched Body Ballancer treatment, which – if you undertake a course of regular sessions – promises to deliver a very noticeable reduction in the notoriously hard to shift pockets of fat around the hips and thighs .
I have cellulite, but it doesn’t actually bother me. I’ve always figured that by the time any interested parties might get to see it, they’ve probably already fallen for my charms, and so are hardly likely to run off screaming because of a few dimples. But what does bother me is the amount of time I spend sat on my backside writing, which is obviously not great for the circulation and manifests in pins and needles, aches and pains, and headaches.
The Body Ballancer provides a measured, rhythmic massage which is designed to improve lymphatic flow. In the UK we usually only hear the lymphatic system being spoken about when it is no longer working well, but in Europe and the Far East, the role of the lymphatic system in keeping us well is more highly valued, and manual Lymphatic Drainage is a technique routinely taught in massage schools.
The Body Ballancer
The Body Ballancer technology is based on the Vodder method of manual Lymphatic Drainage. When you hop into those salopettes and relax on the massage table, your Body ballancer therapist will program the Body Ballancer machine to deliver a consistent, rhythmic massage program. Individual chambers within the Body Ballancer trousers then fill with air and compress each part of your body from your feet to your abdomen in turn.
I enjoy feelings of constriction – I always enjoy having my blood pressure measured, and was an everyday wearer of corsets when younger as I loved the feeling of being pulled in and held tight that only stays and lacing can deliver. So I leapt at the chance to try the Body Ballancer. It’s far, far more gentle than either a blood pressure cuff or a corset, but the number of cycles that you get in a treatment mean that you experience a blissful squeeze countless times!
I find it very hard to relax during treatments, and unless it’s a totally amazing massage, I will chat determinedly and politely to the therapist, and consequently, often leave feeling more tired that when I went in. With the Body Ballancer, there is no need to talk as it is just you and the machine – and a call button, in case you need anything or simply get a bit freaked out being alone. I had a 45-minute treatment, and loved every second of it. I found it immensely relaxing, and I think it fits well into the mindfulness trend, as it made me feel very conscious and aware of the contours of my body in a positive and appreciative way.
Once the treatment finished I didn’t look to see if there were any visible changes to my legs – one of the great plus points of the Body Ballancer is that you don’t even have to undress to use it; it works around jeans, tracksuit bottoms or leggings, making it an unbelievably easy treatment to schedule into a busy day. I could feel the difference though – I bounced away feeling as though I was wearing my Nike Air Max when in actual fact I was in non-arch-supporting Puma Suedes.
The aim of the Body Ballancer
I have only been able to find the time for one treatment so far, and so I cannot give a personal opinion on the effect of the Body Ballancer on cellulite. But it does make perfect sense that with regular sessions, cellulite will be reduced and skin tone will improve. So much advice on reducing cellulite consistently recommends self-care through a dry brushing regime, and the use of massage techniques that echo – or are – lymphatic drainage massage techniques. The Body Ballancer provides a really systematic way to tackle cellulite, with no anxiety that you don’t have the technique down pat and might be being too vigorous, or not vigorous enough, or simply not managing to commit to this self-care consistently.
I discovered that it is actually possible to buy a Body Ballancer for your own personal use, but alas, this must be a purchase I only make when I never need to work, or indeed, leave the house ever again. I could happily spend days inside a Body Ballancer. Fortunately, this is a treatment that can easily be fitted into a spare hour, and is immensely good value given the emotional well-being of all that pleasure and relaxation, the physical benefits to the lymphatic and circulatory system, and the cosmetic benefits of a smoother skin tone.
by Rachel McCormack
Glass tested the Body Ballancer treatment at the Tranquility Spa, London W5 (020 8997 9571). The Body Ballancer lymphatic massage system is available at a number of spas and therapy centres, including Urban Retreat at Harrods Pricing varies but starts from £75 for a session, visit here for further details
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