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I hate John F. Kennedy International Airport. It’s easily the worst thing New York City has to offer. So when I found myself staring at the overflowing TSA PreCheck Clear line two hours before a cross-country flight to Los Angeles—what would typically be a reasonable amount of time to make it through security—I suddenly began to feel my entire body constrict with panic. This feeling was intensified by the fact that I was wearing an ultracompressive lymphatic bodysuit.
I’d worn compression knee-high socks on long flights (I like the ones from Bombas) for most of my 30s, but this was the first time I slipped into the Heat Healer Lymphatic Onesie. Well, not really slipped—more like jumped, wiggled, and shoved myself into the one-piece through the neck of the short-sleeve suit, which is made of a tightly knit black fabric. Once I was safely encased inside, I pulled on jeans and a T-shirt to make myself feel decent.
“Sitting still for hours at a time leads to slower circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid, which can increase the chance of developing a blood clot or pooling of fluid in the dependent lower extremities,” says Scott Braunstein, MD, medical director at Sollis Health. “Compression garments have been used to help promote circulation and reduce tissue edema and, in theory, may help reduce the stress on the lymphatic system and reduce the risk of blood clots in the deep or superficial veins.”
And indeed whenever I would forget to wear my socks, I noticed an immediate difference in my body: My legs felt heavy and sluggish, especially after a long-haul flight to Europe or LA. I was so obsessed that I soon added a pair of lymphatic compressive leggings from Elastique into my routine. The tiny rubber dots inside the leggings gently massage lymphatic trigger points, supposedly boosting circulation. Sure, I looked like a dalmatian whenever I’d strip them off at my final location, but I felt it was a small price to pay to avoid feeling swollen.
When I heard about Heat Healer’s version of a compression garment, I was already midriff deep into the trend—so why not go up to the neck? Dr. Braunstein notes that compressive “socks and leggings are both reasonable, but a bodysuit is likely overdoing it for the high majority of people.” He adds that simply getting up and walking around every one to two hours during a flight would be just as effective. To that end, Kate Shapland, the founder skin-care brand Legology, says that doing a self-massage with “pressure applied by gentle squeezing action” can be just as effective if one doesn’t have a medical condition tied to poor circulation.
I am all too happy to dive into the trend feet first. “The design was born out of both a personal need and a vision to revolutionize wearable wellness,” Heat Healer founder Lauren Dovey says about the onesie, which was released and patented earlier this year. “The Antigravity Tech in the onesie ensures you feel lifted and light [after wearing], using graduated compression and 3D pressure patterns to guide the lymphatic flow,” Dovey explains before extolling the other virtues of the suit: “The onesie depuffs, reduces fluid retention, and temporarily smooths out the appearance of cellulite for a more toned look. [It also] can be seamlessly integrated into your wardrobe.” Originally, it was created to maximize the benefits of an infrared sauna session.
Once I make it through the security line at JFK and successfully arrive at my gate with 10 minutes to spare, I’ve completely forgotten I’m in the onesie. That is, until I go to the bathroom and realize, well, this thing doesn’t come with any sort of easy access for going to the bathroom. This was going to be a nightmare for a six-hour flight.
By the time the plane lands in LA, I am sprinting to the bathroom. (There was no way I was stripping off one let alone two layers of clothing in a minuscule airplane bathroom.) And while I do feel all of those benefits Dovey talked about—no bloated stomach or heavy legs—I’m not sure the juice has been totally worth the proverbial lymphatic squeeze at this exact moment. I’ll stick to my leggings for now.
