Unlike the rest of the body, facial lymphatic drainage requires almost whisper-light precision. “The face has more superficial lymphatic vessels, intricate nodes and delicate fascia layers. The pressure must be lighter – almost featherlike – because too much force actually collapses the lymph pathways instead of activating them,” Szmidt explains. This sensitivity also means results manifest quickly; a single session can lift cheekbones, sharpen the jawline, reduce puffiness, and brighten the complexion. Her method brings together deep tissue massage, buccal release, lymphatic stimulation, fascia work and signature lifting protocols to create what Szmidt describes as “a return to the face’s natural structure.”
Szmidt’s expertise has taken her around the world, but it’s her residency at Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea, that has deepened her connection to the Middle East’s evolving wellness identity. “Saudi Arabia is entering a renaissance – culturally, artistically and in wellness,” she muses. “There’s something so magical about being in the dunes and the vast natural beauty surrounding the resort.” Here, where heat, dehydration, injectables and fast-paced living imprint themselves on the skin, facial sculpting and lymphatic drainage become less indulgence and more of an essential ritual. Fascia release and lymphatic stimulation help counterbalance the region’s environmental and aesthetic demands. The technique feels both ancient and modern – a bridge between age-old healing and the Middle East’s new wellness era.
No matter which school of thought you belong to, the results cannot go unnoticed. Szmidt has seen clients walk in looking burdened and leave with a completely different presence. While one client with chronic jaw tension watched her entire lower face transform after buccal massage and noticed her headaches disappearing like magic, another cried after her treatment, saying she finally “recognised her face again.” Stanić observes similar emotional shifts on the body. Her loyalists often describe a profound sense of lightness – physical, yes, but also mental. “The brain detoxes through the glymphatic system, which depends on lymph flow,” she explains. When flow accelerates, cortisol drops, and “clients experience reduced anxiety, better sleep, improved mood and emotional lightness.”
For all its benefits, however, misconceptions persist. Many assume the treatment must hurt or be intensely deep, but Stanić is adamant: “It should never be painful.” True lymphatic drainage is gentle to medium in pressure, never bruises and always works in harmony with the body. Szmidt agrees that the face is even more delicate – aggression collapses pathways rather than activating them. Another common misunderstanding is the belief that lymphatic drainage burns fat. “It does not burn fat directly,” Stanić clarifies. “But it reduces inflammation, helps flow, balances hormones and boosts metabolism, which changes body shape and composition.” In other words, it’s not a shortcut, but a systemic rebalancing that leads to visible change.