Carrie Riley’s personalized lymphatic care and paramedical tattooing at node & needle help clients reclaim their bodies and heal both physically and emotionally.
In the quiet suburb of Terrace Park, Ohio, a boutique practice is redefining what it means to heal. At node & needle, founder and lymphatic specialist Carrie Riley combines science, somatic therapy, and artistry to help clients recover from surgery, trauma, and the emotional weight that often follows both. Specializing in advanced lymphatic drainage and paramedical tattooing, Riley’s methods integrate evidence-based techniques with trauma-informed care, attracting a loyal following across Greater Cincinnati.
Carrie’s work, which includes unique and specialized lymphatic drainage therapy and paramedical tattooing, goes beyond merely offering services, it provides a holistic experience that empowers clients to embrace their bodies, even in the aftermath of surgery, trauma, or life’s challenges. At node & needle, healing is viewed through a multidimensional lens: addressing the physical, emotional, and energetic levels of recovery. Whether a client comes in for lymphatic therapy to ease post-surgical swelling or seeks a paramedical tattoo to help reclaim their body after trauma, the focus is always on empowering the individual to feel better, stronger, and more whole.
Healing Beyond the Physical: Lymphatic Care as a Path to Emotional Clarity
Lymphatic drainage therapy is often associated with post-surgical recovery or luxury spa treatments, but Carrie Riley has taken it to a deeper level. At node & needle, lymphatic care isn’t just for physical recovery; it’s a powerful tool for emotional and energetic healing as well. Unlike traditional massage therapists who may offer lymphatic drainage as an add-on, Riley’s practice is built entirely around lymphatic health.
Her credentials speak for themselves. Riley holds multiple advanced certifications in lymphatic care, including Brazilian Lymphatic Drainage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, and Glymphatic Drainage, and is among only a handful of “Double Diamond” certified practitioners worldwide. She also serves as a certified trainer for Josie Rushing, the Brazilian celebrity therapist credited with bringing the now-famous Brazilian Lymphatic Drainage technique to the United States.
For Carrie, lymphatic care is about far more than draining excess fluids or reducing swelling; it’s about helping the body achieve balance, supporting the immune system, and promoting emotional clarity. “Lymphatic care is for so much more than just physical recovery,” says Carrie. “It helps with immune function, emotional clarity, energy, and overall wellness. It’s a deeply restorative practice that supports the body’s natural systems.”
What makes Carrie’s approach unique is her sensitivity to her clients’ emotional needs. With a background as a grief therapist, she integrates emotional support into every treatment. Carrie doesn’t see her clients as simply bodies needing treatment; she sees them as people who need a safe space to heal—physically, emotionally, and energetically. Her approach is trauma-informed, acknowledging that many clients may be dealing with deeper emotional wounds, whether from surgery, trauma, or grief. “Healing the body is important, but healing the mind and spirit is just as essential,” she explains.
Lymphatic therapy at node & needle helps clients reconnect with their bodies, support natural processes, and feel lighter both physically and emotionally. Carrie’s compassionate care fosters emotional release, allowing clients to let go of blockages that may be tied to their physical state. Through this holistic approach, the treatments become much more than physical services; they become therapeutic experiences that help clients feel more centered, balanced, and in tune with their own healing process.
Scar Healing: Tattoos as Empowerment and Transformation
Tattoos are often seen as a form of artistic expression, but at node & needle, Riley has redefined their purpose. Through paramedical tattooing, she uses ink not just as an aesthetic tool but as a means of emotional restoration and healing. Her services include scar camouflage, inkless stretch mark revision, and other advanced techniques that help clients address physical marks left by surgery, trauma, cancer treatments, or major life changes.
Paramedical tattooing is both a clinical and artistic process that restores skin tone, texture, and confidence. “Scars aren’t flaws; they’re stories,” Carrie says. “Each scar tells a story of survival, strength, and transformation. What I do isn’t about hiding those stories, but honoring them and making them softer so that people can feel more at ease with their bodies again.”
Carrie’s inkless tattooing technique doesn’t just alter the appearance of scars—it helps clients change the way they perceive them. Scars that were once seen as imperfections are reframed as symbols of resilience and personal growth. One recent client, a breast cancer survivor, described seeing her reflection after a series of treatments as “the first time I looked in the mirror and didn’t see a cancer survivor. I just saw me.”
For clients recovering from surgeries, trauma, chemotherapy and radiation, or gender-affirming procedures, paramedical tattoos can be an essential part of the healing journey. Carrie’s approach provides a way to reclaim ownership of the body, rebuild self-esteem, and move from seeing scars as reminders of pain to recognizing them as markers of survival. Whether it’s scar camouflage for mastectomy recovery, inkless revision for stretch marks after pregnancy or weight changes, or restorative tattooing for post-trauma healing, the goal remains the same: to help each client reconnect with their body and feel whole again.
A Safe Haven for Healing: Trust and Compassion at the Core
client. Unlike large wellness clinics that often treat clients as just another number, node & needle is a boutique wellness studio intentionally designed for one-on-one, highly personalized care. Carrie’s approach fosters an environment of trust, emotional safety, and deep connection. “I want people to feel like they are not just clients, but part of a healing journey,” she says. “This is a place where time slows down, where people are seen, heard, and understood in their entirety.”
Carrie’s understanding of healing is rooted in her own life experiences. As a surviving military spouse who lost her husband in service, she deeply understands the challenges of reclaiming trust and connection after trauma. “Healing is a personal journey, and it requires not just physical recovery but emotional and energetic healing too,” she says. For Carrie, the work at node & needle is personal. She sees each client not just as a person needing treatment but as a human being on a journey toward self-discovery and restoration.
Whether clients are recovering from cancer, postpartum changes, or emotional trauma, Carrie takes the time to understand their individual needs, offering treatments tailored to their specific circumstances. She partners with surgeons, physicians, and other healthcare providers in the Greater Cincinnati area to support clients through every stage of recovery from managing post-surgical swelling to long-term scar care and emotional well-being.
More Than Just a Service, A Path to Empowerment
At node & needle, the goal is not just physical change, it’s personal empowerment. Clients who come in seeking to look better leave feeling confident, grounded, and reconnected to their bodies. “Many clients come in thinking they just want to look better,” Carrie explains. “But what they leave with is a renewed sense of ownership over their bodies. They leave feeling confident, healed, and ready to step into the next chapter of their lives.”
This transformative journey of empowerment is what makes node & needle so special. Carrie’s holistic approach, which integrates lymphatic therapy, paramedical tattooing, and nervous system regulation, allows clients to feel stronger and more whole, inside and out. The physical transformation is just one part of the process; the emotional growth, self-empowerment, and personal restoration are what truly set node & needle apart.
An Invitation to Heal, Not Just Physically, But Deeply
At node & needle, Carrie is offering more than just a chance to look different; she’s providing a transformative experience that allows clients to feel different. If you’ve experienced surgery, trauma, or emotional hardship and feel disconnected from your body, Carrie invites you to explore a new path to healing. Through a combination of lymphatic care, paramedical tattooing, and emotional support, you can rediscover ownership of your body and feel truly whole again.
node & needle is located in two locations: Milford and Terrace Park, Ohio. Visit nodeandneedle.com to book a consultation, learn more about the transformative treatments available, or connect with a community that believes in healing the whole self. Follow node & needle on Facebook and Instagram. Whether you’re navigating recovery from surgery or simply seeking a space to reconnect with your body, node & needle is here to help you heal, not just on the surface, but deeply and truly.
Healing isn’t just about looking different, it’s about feeling different. And at node & needle, that healing begins from within.
