Focused lymphatic session
45 minOne area at a time: arms and shoulders, or legs and feet. A short, quiet visit for a first try.
A good first session
Book: Focused lymphatic session
Lymphatic drainage massage · South Portland
Light strokes, a slow rhythm, and all the time you booked.
Shoal is a quiet two-room studio for manual lymphatic drainage. Two licensed therapists, a light touch and an unhurried hour. We are welcoming new clients.
Choosing a session
Lymphatic or Swedish, side by side
Both are done under a sheet, at the pressure you choose, and either can be stopped at any time. They simply feel different.
| Lymphatic session | Gentle Swedish | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Lymphatic sessionA slow, rhythmic technique of light strokes, done in a set order | Gentle SwedishA classic relaxation massage of long, flowing strokes |
| Touch | Lymphatic sessionLight and shallow: the hands move the skin rather than press into muscle | Gentle SwedishLight to medium, with glide over the muscle |
| Pace | Lymphatic sessionSlow and even, each stroke repeated | Gentle SwedishFlowing, at a steady rhythm |
| Oil | Lymphatic sessionA little, or none, so the hands can hold the skin | Gentle SwedishOil or lotion for glide |
| Length | Lymphatic session45, 60 or 90 minutes | Gentle Swedish60 or 90 minutes |
| Who books it | Lymphatic sessionAnyone who wants a gentle session, and clients with their provider's go-ahead | Gentle SwedishAnyone who wants an easy, familiar massage |
A session
What it feels like
Quieter than most massage, and lighter than you might expect. Here is what is waiting on the table.
Light strokes
Just enough touch to move the skin. You may be surprised how little pressure there is.
A slow rhythm
The same stroke, repeated, in an order that stays the same from visit to visit.
An unhurried length
Sessions run 45, 60 or 90 minutes, with a few quiet minutes at the end before you sit up.
What to wear
Arrive in anything comfortable. You undress as far as you like, and a sheet covers you the whole time.
The menu
Sessions by length
Every session is on a padded table in a quiet room. You are covered the whole time, you choose the pressure, and you can stop whenever you like.
Lymphatic drainage
Light strokes in a slow, set order. The pressure stays light, and you can ask for lighter still.
Lymphatic session
60 minSlow, light strokes across the areas you choose, with a few quiet minutes to settle and a few to rest.
Book: Lymphatic sessionExtended lymphatic session
90 minThe same slow rhythm with more time, so nothing is hurried. Arms, legs, neck and shoulders.
Book: Extended lymphatic session
With your provider's go-ahead
After surgery, with your surgeon's go-ahead, or alongside care from your provider.
Session with a go-ahead
45 minA shorter, lighter session. Bring a note from your provider if you have one, and answer the intake questions on the booking page.
Ask your provider firstBook: Session with a go-aheadStanding visit
60 minA regular booking on a rhythm that suits you, and your provider if you are working with one: every two to four weeks.
Regular clientsBook: Standing visit
Gentle Swedish
A familiar relaxation massage at light to medium pressure.
Gentle Swedish massage
60 minLong, flowing strokes with one area uncovered at a time, at a pressure you set and can change as we go.
Book: Gentle Swedish massageExtended Gentle Swedish
90 minTime to slow down: the same flowing strokes with a little more time for the areas you ask for.
Book: Extended Gentle Swedish
Prices are set by session length and shown on the booking page before you confirm.
Your therapists
Two licensed therapists
Both are trained in manual lymphatic drainage, and both work at the same unhurried pace. Choose either, or ask for whoever has the next opening.
Tracie Haines
Owner and licensed massage therapist
- Massage therapist license · ME Lic. 000000
Tracie opened Shoal for people who want a session that asks very little of them. She is trained in manual lymphatic drainage and sets the studio's slow, even pace. She sees clients Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Alfreda Wilkerson
Licensed massage therapist
- Massage therapist license · ME Lic. 000000
Alfreda is trained in manual lymphatic drainage and in Swedish massage. She takes Thursday and Friday sessions and works at a patient, steady pace with clients who are under a provider's care. She goes lighter, or stops, whenever you ask.
With your provider's go-ahead
If you are working with a provider, we work around them.
After surgery, with your surgeon's go-ahead, we keep sessions shorter and lighter. Bring a note from your provider if you have one.
We are massage therapists. We do not diagnose or give medical advice, and we stop whenever you ask.
Ask your provider before you book
Answer a few intake questions on the booking page
Choose a shorter, lighter session if you like
Good to know
Questions before your first session
What is lymphatic drainage massage?
A gentle massage technique that uses light, slow strokes on the skin. It is nothing like a deep tissue massage, and it is done under a sheet.
How long is a session?
45, 60 or 90 minutes. Many people start with 60.
What does it feel like?
Light and slow. Most people notice how little pressure there is. If you can feel your muscles being worked, say so and we will go lighter.
Do I need my doctor's or surgeon's go-ahead?
After surgery, yes: please ask your surgeon before you book, and bring a note if you have one. If you are pregnant or under a provider's care, ask your doctor or midwife first. We do not diagnose.
What do I wear?
Anything comfortable to arrive in. You undress as far as you like, and a sheet covers you the whole time. Whatever you keep on, we work around.
How often should I come?
That is up to you and, if you are working with one, your provider. Some people come once. Others book a standing visit every few weeks.
Book a session
Choose a time
Pick a session and a day. The booking page asks a few questions ahead of your visit, and we confirm by text or email.
Phone(207) 555-0111
Hours
- Tuesday – FridayToday
- 10am – 6pm
- SaturdayToday
- 9am – 2pm
- Sunday and MondayToday
- Closed