I Tried Ricari, The Body Treatment That Has Hollywood Buzzing

“It’s really more of a calling than dream, because I don't think you wake up one day and think, ‘I want to do sci-fi robot massages,’” says Anna Zahn; she takes a sip of water, then dabs a bead of sweat off her face with a plush Chanel hand towel. Zahn is describing the untraditional path that led her to create Ricari Studios, the full-body treatment beloved by jet-setting celebrities and wellness-obsessives, often described as a futuristic type of lymphatic drainage massage (though I think “sci-fi robot massages” has a nice ring). Also untraditional is our current interview setting: we’re both swimsuit-clad and sweating (her, delicately, me, profusely) in a spacious infrared sauna at the luxurious Palm Heights hotel in Grand Cayman. The frigid cold and frenetic energy of New York City, where I’d normally be shivering in December, is quite literally oceans away.

Zahn and I have flown to the balmy Cayman Islands to participate in an exclusive retreat hosted by Chanel to re-introduce the brand’s crown-jewel skin care line, Sublimage — Zahn, to showcase the skin care products in her signature Ricari treatment, and me, to be one of those lucky few to experience the treatment from her firsthand. After my Ricari session, Zahn suggests we reconvene in the hotel’s sauna, tucked behind a row of palm trees at the back of the 60,000 square foot spa. Hence, the sweat.

“I think because I didn't grow up in [the beauty] industry, I could bring a different perspective to what I felt to be a system that just seemed very antiquated,” Zahn says. With a background in film, theater, and photo, she started ideating the concept for Ricari Studios after stumbling upon the role the lymphatic system plays in whole-body health over 10 years ago. Up until then, body treatments touted promises of “cellulite reduction” or “fat blasting,” and were usually conducted under the harsh fluorescent lighting of med-spas and doctors’ offices. The more she learned about the lymphatic system, the more she realized the benefits went far beyond the physical. She dreamed of a way to meld a serene, spa-like environment with the cutting-edge technology usually found in more clinical spaces.

And thus, Ricari. Perhaps you’ve seen the mysterious photos on your Instagram feed — models and actors taking selfies in skin-tight white bodysuits, svelte and sculpted-looking. But what exactly is Ricari, and why do celebrities like Julianne Moore (who gushed to Vogue UK that one treatment gave her “all of this energy afterwards”) love it so much? How is it different from a traditional lymphatic drainage massage? Read on for my full experience.

What Is Ricari?

Ricari directly translates to “recharge” in Latin, which is the grounding principle that Zahn centers her practice around. In the simplest terms, the Ricari method could be described as a form of lymphatic drainage — but that would be like calling Beyoncé just a singer, or a Tesla just a car. “While lymphatic drainage is a popular term associated with our treatments and indeed a vital aspect, it's just part of our approach,” says Zahn.

For starters, most traditional lymphatic drainage treatments involve the therapist directly massaging the body to promote lymphatic flow with their hands. Ricari incorporates a “touch meets tech” philosophy, utilizing a Doctor Octopus-looking machine from Italy sprouting multiple “legs” that Zahn first selects based on every client’s unique needs, then uses to glide over a client’s body with the precision of a surgeon. The treatment heads, which come in an array of sizes, feature cylindrical spheres that spin in alternating directions, which knead the body and loosen up what Zahn calls our body’s “invisible system” — the “intricate tapestry of connective tissue” also known as our fascia. The idea is that the looser and more flexible our fascia, the better our body is able to operate at its full potential, which can lead to a multitude of other health benefits.

Benefits Of Ricari

Though people tend to focus on the physical effects of lymphatic drainage, such as debloating and a slimmer-looking physique, Ricari was designed to treat the body more holistically. “Rejuvenating the fascia extends the benefits beyond lymphatic optimization,” Zahn says. “We also address the importance of blood circulation, muscle recovery, reducing inflammation, and activating the parasympathetic nervous system — our 'rest and digest' state — which promotes relaxation and stress reduction.” Lymphatic drainage expert Lisa Levitt Gainsley describes the lymph system as the “highway of your immune system” in her book The Book of Lymph, which offers self-massage techniques that promise to do everything from boost gut health to clear sinus allergies.

Because the Ricari treatment also extends to the face, Zahn says it can also firm the skin by stimulating collagen and elastin production. (The Italian-made Icoone machine that Zahn uses provides a slew of randomized clinical trials that support these claims.) Though other studies on the cosmetic benefits of lymphatic drainage are mostly inconclusive, it has been proven to assist in post-surgery recovery and muscle recovery. Regardless of scientific evidence, public interest is at an all-time high: “lymphatic drainage massage” gets over 97,000 Google searches a month, and the hashtag #lymphaticdrainagemassage has been used over 260 million times in TikTok.

Zahn confirms that many undisclosed celebrities and pop stars come in for Ricari treatments before red carpet events as a way to de-puff after long-haul flights and to achieve a more sculpted appearance. “Let's just say that certain people on global press tours would not look the way they looked without having these treatments,” she says with a smile.

My Experience

I had heard about Ricari whispered amongst fellow editors for months, so was eager to experience the treatment from Zahn first-hand. First, I stripped down to just a pair of disposable underwear and donned the famous white bodysuit, used for both sanitary reasons and to help the machine nozzle glide smoothly across the body (first-time Ricari users are offered this bodysuit to keep and use for future sessions). In the treatment room, Zahn then asked me how I felt, and any goals I had — the Icoone machine can be customized to focus on “beauty, well-being, or recovery,” though Zahn says that no matter which option you choose, you’ll usually experience benefits that span across all three.

I had just completed a grueling Pilates reformer class and was feeling bloated and sluggish from the flight over, so chose to focus on recovery and beauty (which, in this case, meant debloating and toning). Zahn pressed some buttons in the Icoone machine, then selected two nozzles with the carefulness of an artist selecting a paintbrush for her pièce de résistance.

The actual feeling as she glided the machine over my body was pleasant, even slightly ticklish; like a gentle, soothing kneading motion. Some lymphatic treatments can be physically painful, but Zahn subscribes to the philosophy of “beauty is pleasure” — the antithesis to the “beauty is pain” belief from years past — which is why all Ricari treatments are designed to feel grounding and pleasurable. As Zahn moved the Icoone machine over my limbs, stopping every so often to adjust the settings and intensity, I felt myself fall into a meditative state; my eyes started fluttering closed and I felt my mind relax. The best part was when I flipped on my stomach and she swapped the two Icoone parts for one larger piece, which she moved over my back slowly to release tension and tightness.

The final step in the body section of the Ricari treatment involves wriggling your legs into a spacesuit-looking contraption that tightens and releases to further help with lymphatic flow. Zahn refers to this part as pressotherapy, and it felt incredible on my sore, post-Pilates legs. “After we open the body up and release stagnation and whatever is stuck in the body, the pressotherapy enhances this by ‘pressing’ everything through and amplifying the process of circulation in the body,” she explains.

After the body, it was time to sculpt my face. First, Zahn used Chanel’s Sublimage Gel-To-Oil Cleanser to give me a heavenly-feeling facial massage. “It has a specific sugar extract that breaks down makeup, so it's also really great for makeup removal,” she notes. Chanel’s entire Sublimage line features its patented hero ingredient, polyfractioned vanilla planifolia, an extract 40 times more concentrated than the raw vanilla plant alone that’s exclusively grown and harvested in the brand’s open-air lab in Madagascar. Zahn calls it the “green diamond” — supposedly, it’s so rare, it can only be harvested within 24 hours of a specific day in spring. After removing the cleanser, she applied Chanel Sublimage L’Extrait De Nuit, a potent peptide-packed serum, and followed with the brand’s Sublimage La Crème Texture Universelle, a velvety-feeling moisturizer that I’ve continued to use every night since. Everything about the facial element of the treatment employs the senses — touch, scent, and feel — and, like the Ricari treatment itself, the Sublimage products are meant to leave your emotions in a more soothed state. (Zahn references a quote from Gabrielle Chanel that resonated with her own philosophy: “Beauty treatments must start with the heart and soul, otherwise cosmetics are pointless.”)

Lastly, we ended with one more round of tech: Zahn switched to a smaller Icoone device and glided it along my jawline, cheekbones, and down my neck for the finishing touch.

The Results

To say that I practically floated out of the treatment room might be hyperbolic, but it wouldn’t be untrue. My limbs felt loose and fluid, and the tightness around my scrunched-up, hunched-over shoulders seemed to have dissipated. I felt like Jell-O, in a good way, and though Zahn emphasizes the well-being benefits of Ricari over the physical, I couldn’t help but notice that my cheekbones looked more sculpted and my stomach looked flatter, too. Zahn recommended that we follow the treatment with a sauna and cold plunge to maximize the benefits, to which I gladly obliged (though I was only able to last approximately four seconds in the cold plunge; Zahn stayed in for over three minutes).

That night, I slept the deepest I had in weeks — so deeply, that when my alarm went off the next morning, it took me a moment to remember where I was and what I was doing there. Usually, I wake up with a surge of anxiety over all the things I have to complete that given day, but that feeling was missing the morning after my Ricari treatment.

The Cost

Currently, you can experience Ricari Studios at the Mercer in New York, L'Ermitage in Los Angeles, the Nomad in London, Palm Heights in the Cayman Islands, and a limited pop-up at Hotel Stefani in St. Moritz from December 2023 to April 2024. Pricing varies depending on which location you visit, but expect to spend anywhere from $140 to $475, depending on which treatment you choose (the Signature Treatment, which Zahn recommends to first-timers, ranges from $275 to $345).

Final Verdict

If you’re looking for solely physical body-slimming benefits, you’ll probably have better luck in a doctor’s office with a treatment like Coolsculpting or EmSculpt. But if you’re looking for a soothing, high-tech experience that also grounds your mind, speeds up muscle recovery, and leaves your body feeling more balanced and relaxed, I couldn’t recommend Ricari enough. Case in point: upon arriving back in New York a few days later, I immediately booked my next appointment.

Studies:

Marxen, T., Shauly, O., Goel, P., Tsan, T., Faria, R., & Gould, D. J. (2023). The Utility of Lymphatic Massage in Cosmetic Procedures. Aesthetic surgery journal. Open forum, 5, ojad023.

Vairo, G. L., Miller, S. J., McBrier, N. M., & Buckley, W. E. (2009). Systematic review of efficacy for manual lymphatic drainage techniques in sports medicine and rehabilitation: an evidence-based practice approach. The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy, 17(3), e80–e89.

Wiśniowski, P., Cieśliński, M., Jarocka, M., Kasiak, P. S., Makaruk, B., Pawliczek, W., & Wiecha, S. (2022). The Effect of Pressotherapy on Performance and Recovery in the Management of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of clinical medicine, 11(8), 2077.

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