We recently connected with Cecily Braden and have shared our conversation below.

Cecily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’m an Esthetician, Educator and Innovator

Cecily Braden Spa & Wellness was started from my passion for travel and desire to create a global spa marketplace where I could offer unique products and services that honor and maintain the traditional techniques and philosophy of international cultures.

The Lymphatic Brush (TLB) is my most recent innovation and the culmination of 30-years of training professionals and working to find a simple and straight forward approach to skin health, and supporting the natural function of the skin and body for optimal results.

Where it started…

I’ve traveled extensively throughout Asia learning from Thai Masters and Indonesian Healers and always with the wish to share my global spa experiences and gained knowledge with those who are unable to make the journey on their own. That desire to share, from rare botanicals to indigenous massage techniques and beliefs that imbibe global spa rituals, is the driving force behind Cecily Braden Spa & Wellness and our dedication to maintain the integrity of ancient healing traditions through comprehensive training and the promotion of cross-cultural spa experiences.

I began developing training programs and educating spa professionals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia and Europe in 1994. After 26 years in the Spa & Wellness industry, I was selected American Spa’s 2020 Women in Wellness Awards “Educator and Trainer of the Year” and recognized by Dermascope Magazine’s 2019 “The A-List” for excellence in the industry, which was a career milestone.

I have a degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado (Boulder) and never dreamed of a career in skincare, but fate had other ideas and my love for Holistic Spa Therapies and Asian culture led me to develop the Gua Sha Facial Fusion and Thai Herbal Poultice Facial Massage hands-on training programs that have achieved international acclaim and global demand for my workshops and patented facial massage tools.

It’s years of teaching these 2 modalities that inspired me to design The Lymphatic Brush as an easy and effective way to incorporate lymphatic drainage into any professional or personal skin and body care routine.

Necessity is the mother of all invention.

As the originator of the Gua Sha Facial Fusion continuing education course for professionals, I discovered that while you can use a Gua sha stone to imitate the intrinsic movements of manual lymphatic drainage, it takes special skill and education to learn the techniques and perform them correctly.

To add to the difficulty, performing the movements on yourself is a lot different and invariably more challenging than working on a client.

Naturally, you can use your hands to manually manipulate the lymphatic vessels but, it takes a deeper understanding of the pathways, and also plenty of patience to consistently gauge and apply the correct pressure throughout your routine.

I designed a tool that’s easy to use and feels good, allowing everyone to experience the benefits of lymphatic drainage no matter your skill level.

Let the tool do the work!

• A deeper understanding of the lymphatic system isn’t necessary; just follow the drainage pathways using a light touch and allow the brush to do the rest.
• If you are exhausted by complex and expensive skin and body care rituals, this tool is for you!
• No special skills or additional products required.

Your skin needs less than you think. Healthy, clear and vibrant skin is a reflection of how well its functioning on the inside, so restoring inner mobility is a necessity.

The Lymphatic Brush is the FIRST and ONLY of its kind and has revolutionized “bristle” face and body brushes.

It’s not a dry brush, a make-up brush, or a cleansing brush. The patented design provides an easy, ergonomic and effective way to incorporate lymphatic drainage into your professional and self-care face and body routines.

The patented design features a unique bristle pattern and density combination that grips the skin in a precise way, targeting the superficial lymph vessels residing just under the skin. When combined with specialized techniques, it mimics the passive contractions of the lymph vessels to manually propel fluids and stimulate lymph flow.

The ergonomic contoured shape ensures proper contact with the surface of the skin and accurate alignment with the lymph nodes and lymphatic pathways.

The Lymphatic Brush has surpassed all our expectations and introduced a solution beyond “beauty” world and directly into the wellness world of lymphedema, post-cancer rehab, anxiety and auto-immune disorders.

It’s providing a solution to those who struggle to manage excess fluid, inflammation and anxiety disorders that affects their mobility and the ability for a less-stressed quality of life.

Sustainable Solution: A Conscious Consumer Choice

The Lymphatic Brush supports the function of the skin & protects the environment.

Sustainability in the health and wellness industry starts with a shift in how we view and care for our ourselves. We must consider and seek to balance the physical, mental, financial, and environmental impact of what we purchase.

The Lymphatic Brush is part of a conscious consumer choice that focuses on a minimalistic approach to skincare that prioritizes our internal health.

By focusing on our internal health and improving the function of our skin from within, we’re able to maximize the effectiveness of the products we use and reduce our dependency on complicated skincare routines and costly programs that often don’t work.

It’s a conscious consumer choice based on the awareness that “less is more” and ultimately, reduces waste on a grander scale. Less products = less investment = less waste.

Focus on function; improve internal health
Clear clutter; get rid of what’s not working
Ease financial stress; save money
Simplify routine; reduce anxiety, shame, guilt
Have more time to rest; enjoy downtime

A Minimalist x Modern Approach

The way we view beauty and aging is evolving and our practices and purchases need to align with our goals based on healthy and attainable results, along with eco-conscious ways to achieve them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My story and my work is a reflection of my life.

My goal is and has always been to share my discoveries and support professionals in the industry, so they can pass along to their clients and we can all benefit from each other.

It’s not about what “I can do,” it’s about my belief that you can do “what I do” and together, we can help more people and live a longer, more health filled life.

My Father was ill and terminal most of my life and I’ve seen the struggles of living and having to manage health issues. I wish I knew then, what I know now and could have helped him in a much bigger way. He’s not alone and I want to be there for others.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I always equate my journey with the game Shoots and Ladders. There have been a lot of “ups and downs,” but I never gave up and worked through each challenge with understanding of the lessons learned and being able to take the hits and let them guide me to the next step.

I started my business and moved to NYC in 2001 and just before 9/11. I was just getting started when the world changed, and so much was lost. I remember working with a group of spa owners to set up a makeshift spa down at the World Trade Center site and giving massages to the firemen who stood “on the hill” day after day working to put out the fires that burned for a 100 days.

This was not only a pivotal time in the spa industry, it was a pivotal time for me, and without any customers or a solid foundation to stand on, I went all in and exhibited at my first tradeshow in Philadelphia. The night before the show, my ex-employer served me with an injunction as an attempt to “break the bank” before I even began or made my first dollar.

The tradeshow was amazing, and amid a sea of white lab coats and machines, we stood out in a booth I had made in Indonesia out of teak wood and flown directly to the show. It was my first lesson that different is good and taking the “road less traveled” would be another guide that I still follow today.

The challenges of a small business with no money were plenty, and looking back; it’s hard to believe I started with a phone and a fax machine and without social media to showcase what I had developed and all I had to share.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Consistency, honesty, authenticity and remaining true to myself, not trends.

I’ve failed more times than I’ve succeeded, but I never gave up. I just worked to get better.

I had an idea and a mission, which was well before its time, but I believed in what I was doing and didn’t focus on fame or fortune, but rather creating something new in the industry and making it the best I could.

My hope was that I would someday “find my people,” and they would embrace and share my vision and that would lead to success.

I didn’t have social media, or any way other than a phone and a fax to promote, so it was an uphill battle driven by my faith that 1 customer would turn into 2, 2 into 4 and they would multiply from there. It didn’t matter the size the business was, we treated everyone the same and put the same effort into caring for our small business owners as we did the large ones.

The longevity of our business has been the consistency in achieving our goal, as well as the ability to pivot when needed and recognize that there is more than one way to do one thing.

In the end, as a company we truly care and that shows in our work and is reflected in turn, by our customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thelymphaticbrush.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cecilybraden/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CJBSpaWellness/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecily-j-braden-028a581a/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvjo2vxhAYG32XQD5UWrh1Q?app=desktop
• Other: www.cecilybraden.com
  Www.spawellnessacademy.com
  @the_lymphatic_brush
  @cjbthaimassage

Image Credits

Cecily Braden Spa & Wellness