In a wellness world buzzing with quick fixes, node & needle stands out for something rare: results that last. Tucked into its new Terrace Park boutique, the studio is an intentional space where bodies reset, scars soften and clients finally feel at home in their own skin.
Before she became known for her specialized lymphatic work, founder Carrie Riley spent years in a very different, but connected, field.
“I had been a mental health therapist specializing in grief and trauma,” Carrie explains. “I realized many clients needed additional ways to support their mental health. Therapists were already using breathwork and yoga, and I found myself drawn to bodywork.”
That curiosity pulled her back to school to become a licensed massage therapist. There, one technique kept changing everything.
“The technique that helped them the most was lymphatic drainage,” Carrie shares. “It eased inflammation and calmed their nervous system in a way traditional bodywork couldn’t always reach.”
What started as an add-on soon became her calling. Carrie opened her first node & needle in Milford in July 2024 and her second in Terrace Park last November. The studios are dedicated to advanced lymphatic care, post-surgical recovery and restorative skin work.
As she opened her studios, Carrie noticed many clients shared overlapping concerns.
“You can almost picture a Venn Diagram,” she says. “Surgery, inflammation, scar tissue, emotional stress—it’s all connected.”
Half of her clients arrive after medical or cosmetic procedures, often frustrated that they’re doing “everything right” yet still feel swollen, tight or discouraged.
“When clients are months or years past surgery and still unhappy with the appearance of their scars, it weighs on them,” Carrie explains.
Learning paramedical tattooing—inkless scar revision, camouflage techniques and restorative pigmentation—expanded what healing looks like. Her restorative work now supports clients with surgical scars, stretch marks, acne scarring and post-chemo or radiation changes.
“Watching someone look in the mirror and finally see progress they had given up on is deeply meaningful for me,” she says.
The Terrace Park opening was prompted by her loyal east-side following.
“A large number of clients were traveling from Indian Hill, Terrace Park, Madeira and Loveland,” she explains.
The new boutique setting offers more room for services and for training practitioners from around the country in the Brazilian Lymphatic Drainage method.
What sets node & needle apart is the way each session begins: with a conversation.
“I take time to understand what someone is carrying physically and emotionally, and I adapt the session to what their body needs that day,” Carrie notes.
Her signature service, NeuroSomatic Lymphatic Drainage™, exclusive to the studio, is a blend of lymphatic techniques, craniosacral therapy and vagus nerve stimulation designed to downshift the entire nervous system.
For those unfamiliar with lymphatic drainage, Carrie describes it simply: “It’s a gentle technique that supports natural fluid movement, inflammation reduction, and cellular waste removal.”
After surgery, when the system is stressed and sluggish, that support becomes essential.
One memorable client with severe arthritis swelling experienced such dramatic improvement after a single session that her photos became a go-to example in the studio’s marketing. She now returns every six to eight weeks for what she lovingly calls her “overall overhaul.”
Looking ahead, Carrie is expanding post-mastectomy and breast scar services. She and a therapist are completing a six-month immersion program to offer this work with even greater depth, and she hopes to provide more education for families and caregivers navigating recovery.
Her core message remains simple: lymphatic care isn’t just for major surgeries or chronic conditions.
“You don’t have to be recovering from something big to benefit,” Carrie says. “When you give your lymphatic system and nervous system a chance to reset, your whole body feels the difference.”
For healing, clarity or a calmer way to step into the new year, node & needle offers a truly restorative experience.
node & needle | 614 Wooster Pike, Suite 6, Terrace Park | 513.399.6060 | Hello@nodeandneedle.com | nodeandneedle.com
"node & needle is an intentional space where bodies reset, scars soften and clients finally feel at home in their own skin."