Prenatal Massage
The lower back that aches by afternoon. Hips that feel heavy. Legs and feet that swell as the day goes on. Prenatal massage eases that load with gentle, careful work, done in a position that keeps you and your baby comfortable. Delivered by therapists trained in manual lymphatic drainage and medical massage across three clinics in Chicago's western suburbs.
4.8 · 1,000+ reviews across Google, Yelp & More
Concerns Prenatal Massage Treats
The deep, dragging ache that builds as your center of gravity shifts and your ligaments loosen. Gentle work on the back, hips, and glutes eases the muscles that are compensating.
Eased back and hip ache
Gentle work on the back, hips, and glutes eases the muscles compensating for a shifting center of gravity
Released tension
Neck, shoulder, and upper-back tightness eased, often the first place people feel relief
Lighter legs
Drainage-style work moves pooled fluid so swollen legs and feet feel lighter
Calm rest
A quiet hour at a pregnancy-safe pressure that many people sleep better after
Why patients choose NLC.
Founder Sharon M. Vogel has spent more than three decades devoted to lymphatic drainage. A Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Lymphedema Therapist and Board-Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (LMT, CLT, BCTMB), she developed the Vogel Method and founded National Lymphatic Centers in 1991. Today her team of certified therapists carries that same standard across three clinics in Chicago's western suburbs: Hinsdale, Downers Grove and Joliet.
When prenatal massage needs your doctor's go-ahead first
We ask for your OB or midwife's go-ahead first
Prenatal massage needs your OB or midwife's go-ahead first.
- • Clear massage with your OB or midwife before your first session
- • This matters most if your pregnancy is high risk or you have restrictions
- • Preeclampsia, high blood pressure, preterm-labor history, or recent bleeding need your doctor's go-ahead
- • We follow their guidance and work safely within it
Contraindications: we wait until you are cleared
Standard contraindications apply, and we wait until you are cleared.
- • AFib, COPD, emphysema, blood clots, and active infection apply at any time
- • Anyone with these should not have this work with us until cleared
- • We screen for them at your first consultation
- • We review any health changes at each visit
A health review before hands touch skin
Every visit opens with a health review before we begin.
- • Each visit opens with a health review so we can flag anything first
- • If your history changes, we pause and re-screen before the next session
- • We tell you honestly whether now is the right time rather than book blindly
What every prenatal session looks like.
Every session is explained before it begins and stays comfortable throughout. Nothing happens without your say so, and you can change the pressure or the position at any point.
Your first visit starts with a health review. Your therapist reviews your health history, asks how far along you are, and confirms prenatal massage is right for you today. We ask you to clear massage with your OB or midwife first, especially in a high-risk pregnancy, and if your provider has asked for anything specific, we work to it.
Details+
- • Health history, how far along you are, current conditions
- • OB or midwife clearance, especially for a high-risk pregnancy
- • Candidacy screen against the contraindications list
- • The plan for the session, explained before it begins
The work, explained by Sharon
The full team.
Hover to read each name. Certified care across all three Illinois clinics, every session to the Vogel Method standard.
Sharon M. Vogel
LMT · CLT · CDT · BCTMB · CVMLD™
All three clinics
Abdul Alagha
LMT · CLT · LANA
Downers Grove
Ludmila Lynch
LMT · CVMLD™ · CLT
Joliet
Stephanie Kos
LMT · CVMLD™ · CLT · LET
Hinsdale
Hana Echevarria
LMT · OMT · CDT
Downers Grove
Ricky Sharma
LMT · CVMLD™ · MLD
Downers Grove
Sharon M. Vogel
LMT · CLT · CDT · BCTMB · CVMLD™
All three clinics
Abdul Alagha
LMT · CLT · LANA
Downers Grove
Ludmila Lynch
LMT · CVMLD™ · CLT
Joliet
Stephanie Kos
LMT · CVMLD™ · CLT · LET
Hinsdale
Hana Echevarria
LMT · OMT · CDT
Downers Grove
Ricky Sharma
LMT · CVMLD™ · MLD
Downers Grove
What patients tell us
4.8★ across 1,000+ reviews on Google, Yelp & More
“The Vogel Method is the only manual lymphatic massage that has decreased my joint swelling and improved my quality of life. I am willing to drive over an hour to see Sharon and team. She keeps my vertigo and joint swelling at bay.”
Mary H.
Google · joint swelling & vertigo · May 2026
Three Illinois clinics.
Reserve your visit.
No referral needed.
Choose a therapist and a time that works for you, at any of our three Illinois clinics. Same-specialty care, whether it is your first visit or your tenth.
See pricingA self-pay clinic, with a superbill for your insurer.
We do not bill insurance directly. For medically necessary lymphatic therapy, we provide an itemized superbill you can submit to your insurer for possible reimbursement. Coverage varies by plan, so check with your provider.
Have questions about referrals or reimbursement? Our front desk is happy to help. 630-828-6582
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Not sure if now is the right time?
That is a fair question, and we would rather answer it honestly than book you blindly. Call us, tell us how far along you are and what you are feeling, and we will say plainly whether gentle prenatal massage can help. If it can, we will get you in at the clinic nearest you, in the Chicago suburbs of Hinsdale, Downers Grove, or Joliet.