All You Need To Know About Lympahtic Massage from Jules Willcocks, co-founder of Body Ballancer

Have you ever heard of lymphatic massage? No? Well until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t either.

In fact, it wasn’t until I heard about Body Ballancer that I finally got to try lymphatic massage for myself and learn all about its wealth of benefits to your body.

What lymphatic massage offers is a host of holistic health and beauty benefits - it is one of the best ways to not only boost your immune system, but also to reduce bloating and water retention, improve the appearance of skin tone and cellulite, aid better digestion, improve sleep and aid faster muscle recovery to promote peak sports performance. Basically it’s magic.

To experience the Body Ballancer in all its glory, and of course during the throws of the coronavirus lockdown where I couldn’t go and literally try it in a beauty salon, the Body Ballancer team loaned me one of their machines to get the full massage experience. Let me tell you what this kind of massage feels like. Well firstly, you have to put on some pretty snazzy trousers, zip yourself into them, connect their wires to the machine and then select your type of massage. The Body Ballancer has a range of massage options, including lymphatic, abdominal, water retention and much more all about 45 minutes long.

Once selected, you just lie back and relax as the massage trousers fill with air and the massage begins. It kind of feels like when you get your blood pressure taken at the doctor and your arm is squeezed really tightly and then loosens again. So imagine that, but all down your legs and stomach. It may sound peculiar, and the first time I did it, I was thinking this was strange - but the more you relax into it, the more enjoyable it gets. Reading about the whole host of benefits this massage machine gives, I have to say that after a couple of rounds, I was feeling (and looking) great, I’d definitely lost a bit of weight and it was so lovely having 45 minutes of relaxation in my day where I could take myself away.

When it comes to how the Body Ballancer works, co-founder Jules is knowledgeable beyond compare. With a wealth of career knowledge, heaps of interesting facts about the benefits of this type of massage and advice about starting your own business, she is clearly a fore to be reckoned with. Check out our interview below to find out more about Body Ballancer as well as to have a read and hear more about Jules.

Why did you originally decide to start Body Ballancer? What first triggered your interest in lymphatic massage? Have you always worked in this area?

For those of you that haven’t heard of the Body Ballancer® – it’s a compression therapy system that provides a fully automatic, touch free lymphatic massage. 

I was first introduced to lymphatic drainage massage back in 2014 on the recommendation of a friend who raved about the amazing results she was experiencing as a result of this little-known form of massage.   Within a matter of weeks of trying it for myself, I noticed a significant improvement in my body shape and tone as well as my overall state of health. 

Amazed by the results, I decided to make it my mission to spread greater awareness of lymphatic health and champion the benefits of lymphatic massage. In March 2017, I gave up my 30-year career as a business consultant and committed to re-training as an MLD (manual lymphatic drainage) therapist.

In June that year, a chance encounter with a Body Ballancer® system whilst on holiday in Spain opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Once back in the UK, I immediately contacted the distributor and less than six months later, Body Ballancer Systems UK Ltd was born.

What are the main benefits of having a healthy lymphatic system? I personally suffer with gut health issues so I’m really keen to know more!

Still little known and understood in the UK, the lymphatic system and the benefits of lymphatic massage are widely recognised by doctors in Europe, South America and the Far East for the important role they play in preventive health care and a healthy immune system.  It’s increasingly becoming a popular treatment with a slew of celebrities both in the States and the UK with Jennifer Aniston, Chrissy Teigen, Lady Gaga, The Kardashians, Hailey Bieber and Kate Moss all reported to be fans. In fact, it is quite well known that Jennifer, Chrissy and Lady Gaga are the proud owners of their very own Body Ballancer system!

The lymphatic system sits alongside the body’s cardiovascular system, quietly helping to look after our health.

The reason the lymphatic system is so important is because it performs three critical functions:

• It supports the immune system by removing toxins, dead blood cells, pathogens and other waste.

• It helps the body absorb fats and fat-soluble vitamins from the digestive system, delivering these nutrients to cells where they’re used as fuel.

• It removes excess fluid – known as ‘lymph’ – and waste products from the spaces between the cells and organs of the body.

If a healthy lymphatic system becomes compromised due to illness or a poor lifestyle, this can lead to a range of issues, including tissue swelling, poor skin tone, excess weight, cellulite, headaches, joint pain, fatigue and greater susceptibility to illness.

Did it take you a long time to develop and test the Body Ballancer products?

The Ballancer product has actually been around in one shape or form for nearly 40 years, so it is nothing if not tried and tested!

The Israeli based manufacturer, Mego Afek, is a recognised global leader in the field of compression therapy, having started manufacturing devices for medical use back in the 1980’s. They offer years of medical research, cutting edge technology and clinically proven results for all their systems, so the Body Ballancer® is a fantastic product to be associated with because the quality is so high, and its medical pedigree really makes it unique.

Is there a recommended number of times to use Body Ballancer per week or per month?

Consistency is key in reaping the benefits of lymphatic massage, so ideally a daily massage with the Body Ballancer® between 30-60 minutes will really maximise all the benefits listed above. Failing that, three to four times a week will still bring about a noticeable difference.

On a personal level, which other women inspire you?

I know the usual response to this answer might be to name a widely known leader or celebrity, but that just feels totally disingenuous to me.  The people I actually admire the most are the colleagues and friends that I have seen struggle through adversity, and in some cases catastrophic ‘every day’ battles yet have managed to not just survive but thrive. 

I am always totally in awe of the guts and determination I’ve witnessed in individuals that have experienced huge challenges but just aren’t prepared to give up.  Whether that’s taking a blow or unexpected hit to their business, or suffering a personal crisis, it never fails to amaze me how they manage to pick themselves up, and just keep going.  I find that so inspiring.

What has been your career highlight to date?

It might sound cliched but setting up my own business and seeing it grow and succeed really has been the biggest highlight of my career.

Having dedicated over 30 years of my working life to business consulting roles, I had the opportunity to work on some amazing and hugely successfully projects and initiatives and had really made it to the pinnacle of what I could achieve within my profession.  It would have been easy to continue working as a business consultant and retire early, very comfortably, but I felt I needed to challenge myself.  

Setting up Body Ballancer was so far removed from anything I had ever done before but despite the risk it was one I was willing to take.  Seeing how much the business has grown in three years in terms of sales, brand recognition and increasing awareness of lymphatic health and massage makes me proud and gives me the drive to keep going.

What kind of pressures do you personally face as a female entrepreneur?

I have to say I feel I’ve been incredibly lucky as I don’t think I have experienced some of the challenges that other entrepreneurs potentially face to get their business up and running.  Body Ballancer is 100% self-funded so I haven’t had to face intimidating investor pitches, and the only person that I’m responsible to in justifying the success of my business is myself.

Having worked for large corporations and the public sector, with big teams and departments that can manage everything from accounts and marketing, to HR and legal I’ve had to upskill fast in many areas of business I’ve never worked in before.  I’ve enjoyed this process and the opportunity to stretch myself in new and different ways.

In my previous career I never felt being a woman disadvantaged me.  Even though I could often be the only woman in a boardroom full of men, I actually took great strength from that fact.  I think this self-belief has given me the confidence to press ahead with my business, even at times I have felt out of my comfort zone.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

The best piece of advice I was ever given was by a friend and client Stuart X.  He once said to me that if you ever start your own business, don’t let your key motivation be about making money.  At the time I remember being slightly baffled by this advice.  I recall thinking that surely the rationale most people have for setting up any business is to be successful, and as a result ultimately turn a profit.  

Having set up Body Ballancer, I fully understand what he meant by this statement now.  The key motivation for me when I made this career change in the first place was never money, it was passion.  Passion to spread awareness about this fantastic massage treatment and how much it can benefit our health and wellbeing.  

For the first few years I lived on savings, and still to this day I invest as much of the profits as I can back into the business.  Profit is actually such a small part of business success, it’s just if not more important to love what you do.  At the end of every workday I feel fulfilled, challenged and like I’m doing something that is truly making a positive difference.

How do you keep your sanity and de-stress?

Well, daily Body Ballancer® massages are a great help! If nothing else, it’s an hour of the day that I use to switch off from work. I used to answer e-mails and make phone calls whilst having a treatment, but now I make sure I use the time to relax and focus on me, by always having a good book to hand to read and relax with.

I’m lucky enough to have my own home gym so I’m in there most days working out or doing a spot of yoga to zone out.  I also love cooking fresh from scratch as I find it a great way to unwind at the end of a busy day.  

What are the future plans for Body Ballancer for the rest of the year and 2021?

Like many businesses, the current pandemic has presented us with some challenges.  Prior to lockdown a substantial percentage of our business came from gyms and clinics.  With all non-essential businesses having to close their doors to the public, this customer channel disappeared overnight.  Rather than view this negatively, we decided to see this as an opportunity to focus more on our consumer audience and specifically bringing greater awareness of the benefits of lymphatic health and massage to the masses. 

Now more than ever it’s important to me that I continue to spread the word on lymphatic health and how great lymphatic massage is as a preventative measure for so many health conditions and complaints so we’re also planning a big awareness campaign in 2021.  Watch this space to find out more!