Here’s What Happened When I Wore Lymphatic Onesie on Six-Hour Flight

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 x 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 ultra-compessive 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-sleeved suit, which is made of a tightly knit black fabric. Once I was safely encased inside, I added 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 Dr. 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, allegedly boosting circulation). Sure, I looked like a Dalmatian whenever I’d strip them off at my final location, but 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 body suit 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 skincare 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.