Hot girl walks offer mood-boosting benefits on their own, but one of the best things about them is just how much better they can become with a few easy upgrades. Pop on a cute workout set, blast the new Ariana Grande album through your headphones, grab an iced coffee, and accessorize with some famous-feeling sunnies (and, if you can, a cute dog), and those 10,000 steps that would normally make you feel good will suddenly leave you feeling better than ever.

… Now, imagine all that, plus a full-body lymphatic drainage massage.

That’s what you get with Elastique’s L’Original Full Leggings ($197), which have taken my daily hot girl walks to the next level. Thanks to the lymphatic drainage beads woven into the inside of the leggings, it feels like I’m getting a micro-massage with every step. Find my full review below.

Elastique, L'Original 27" Leggings — $197.00

Available sizes: XS-XL in two lengths

Colors: 5

Pros: 

• Strategically placed MicroPerles stimulate lymphatic drainage
• Compressive to encourage blood flow
• Versatile
• Comfortable

Cons: 

• Pricey
• MicroPerles leave back divots after wear—could be a con for some folks

How they work

As mentioned, Elastique’s fabrics are infused with the brand’s MicroPerle™ beads, which are perfectly placed to stimulate lymphatic drainage when compressed into the skin.

To understand why this is important enough to be worth the brand’s $197-for-a-pair-of-leggings price point, it’s first important to know a little bit about your lymphatic system. Pros often liken the lymphatic system to a series of pipes, which work to remove waste from your body by moving a clear fluid called lymph through your organs and tissues. While this system typically flows just fine all on its own, certain practices can stimulate lymphatic drainage to help it function even better. Among these are lymphatic drainage massages, jade rolling, certain exercises, and these Elastique leggings.

According to the brand, the MicroPerle’s are strategically located in spots where lymphatic fluid tends to build up. When they’re pressed into the top layer of skin via Elastique’s compression tech (which is tighter around the ankle and looser up the leg to encourage blood flow back up to the heart), they break up that fluid so it can move around more freely.

My honest review of Elastique’s leggings

If you’re thinking that the idea of massage-stimulating leggings sounds scammy, I’m with you—it’s exactly how I felt before I tried them for myself.

The first test run came on one very hungover Saturday morning, which turned out to be the perfect time to try them out (so much so that it almost made it worth the headache). Dehydration and inflammation—two fun side effects that come along with drinking four espresso martinis—can cause the lymphatic system to slow down, which means mine was well-primed for a little kick-start. I grabbed my much-needed iced coffee and headed out for a 20-minute walk, feeling incredibly cute in my new Elastique set (FWIW: The beads are totally invisible from the outside—no one else can see that they’re there).

When I got home, I felt surprisingly upbeat for a hungover person in their 30s—I had planned to be down for the count for the entire day, but that turned out to be unnecessary. While I can’t wholly credit the leggings for curing my hangover (according to experts, the walking itself played its own helpful role), I can confirm that my body felt better than it usually does the day after a bit of imbibing.

The next time I tried the leggings was during a Pilates class. I was initially nervous that the beads were going to drive me bonkers, but I barely noticed them over the course of what felt like a thousand leg lifts—any time I did remember they were there, they just felt good. 

One thing to note: After you take the leggings off, they leave behind what the brand lovingly calls “MicroPerle kisses,” which are essentially divots in the skin caused by the beads. They go away quickly, but I personally like seeing the little spots on my legs as a clue the massage is actually working.

Anecdotally, I’ve heard that people swear by Elastique for travel, and I’m excited to test them out the next time I hop on a plane. Considering compression socks are a go-to for keeping in-flight foot and ankle swelling at bay, it makes sense that compressive, massage-bead-infused leggings will do the same for your legs—whether you’re 30,000 feet in the air or planted firmly on the ground.

Clearly, I’m in love, and I’m not the only one. “I love them! I wore them on a cross-country flight and felt much better than I usually do after. They’re also great to wear either during a workout or after to help with recovery,” writes one reviewer. “This is my third pair of L’Original 27” leggings. I wear them constantly and have not purchased another brand since trying them. The long-term effects, particularly how smooth my upper legs have become, is testimony in itself,” says another.

Final thoughts

For the price of two regular massages (or one very fancy one), these leggings are worth the investment. On their own, the compression they offer is enough to keep my legs cozy and fluid-free whether I’m at the gym or curled up on the couch, and the massage beads just make them that much better. I’ve never been one to take the time to treat myself to a full-body lymphatic drainage massage (or… any sort of lymphatic drainage massage for that matter), but these babies give me all the same benefits without taking a single minute out of my regular routine.

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