Home / Certifications
Training, certifications and licenses
You should not have to take my word for any of this.
The words “lymphatic massage” do not tell you how much training someone has, what method they studied, or whether anyone still checks their work.
So I have put my actual certificates here. Where there is a public register, I have linked that too.
Please check me.
The credentials
Here is the training behind my hands.
Open any certificate to see it full size. The orange links let you check the school, board, or public register for yourself.
Dr. Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage
This is the method I use every day. I was certified in 2009 and return every other year so another expert can watch my hands, correct the small things, and make sure my technique has not drifted.
California Certified Massage Therapist
This is my current California massage certification. CAMTC has a public register, so you can search my name and check it yourself.
NCBTMB Board Certified
This is board certification in therapeutic massage and bodywork. It comes with continuing education requirements, and the badge can be verified through the certifying board.
Licensed Esthetician, State of California
This training is why a lymphatic facial with me is also a real facial: cleansing, enzyme exfoliation, products, and an alginate mask, along with the lymphatic work.
Certified Nutrition Educator, Bauman College
This lets me have a useful conversation with you about food and supplements without pretending to diagnose or prescribe.
Swedish Institute, New York
This is where my hands-on training began, nearly thirty years ago. Everything I learned later was built on that foundation.
Scar work is additional training I bring into a Vodder MLD session when it fits. I am trained in Dolphin microcurrent scar release and MSTR hand techniques. More on scar care →
The distinction
These three things are not the same.
The words get used as though they mean the same thing. They do not, and that matters when you are deciding who to trust with your body.
Ordinary massage works mainly with muscle and connective tissue, usually with real pressure. It can be wonderful. It is simply not the work I do.
Lymphatic massage can mean many different things. The phrase itself does not tell you how much training someone has or what method they learned.
Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage is a specific method with defined pressure, direction, sequence, and rhythm. It requires formal training and ongoing recertification.
I am not saying that someone without Vodder training cannot be good at what they do. I am saying you deserve to know what you are booking. Ask questions. Ask me too.
Ask me the hard questions
Skeptical? Good.
I would rather you ask hard questions than book because somebody made a beautiful promise.
There is real research behind Manual Lymph Drainage for lymphedema, recovery after breast cancer surgery, and swelling after surgery. That is where I am comfortable standing.
There are also claims I will not make. I will not promise weight loss. I will not tell you MLD can fix everything. And I will not use the word “detox” as though it explains every change in your body.
Bring me the strange claim you read online. We can look at it together.
The next step
Ask Ida.
Tell me what is going on. I’ll listen, ask a few questions, and we’ll work out together whether this feels like the right next step for your body right now.
If it does not, I’ll help you think through what kind of care may fit better.
The call is free, and you will speak with me.