Lia, a member of the K-pop girl group ITZY who is widely admired for her perfectly defined "right-angle shoulders," recently opened up about her personal upper-body care routine. In a video titled “Lia’s right-angle shoulder care routine! Gua sha tips—everything revealed” on her YouTube channel, Choi Lia, the singer demonstrated her step-by-step approach to relieving muscle tension and promoting circulation.
She begins by applying a relaxing oil along what she describes as the lymphatic pathway, starting from beneath the chin, moving down the sides of the neck, across the collarbone line, and into the armpits. Using her hands, she massages these areas to stimulate lymphatic drainage, and then sweeps downward in a “U” shape starting from her shoulder blades. To counteract forward-rolled shoulders—which can cause the collarbones to appear buried—Lia firmly grips the muscle at the front of her armpit while rotating her arms in large circles to open up her chest.
Correcting Posture and Unlocking the Collarbone
A central component of her routine involves using the edge of a wooden gua sha tool to massage the areas beneath and above the collarbone, working all the way to where the bone meets the shoulder. Lia revealed that she performs this routine regularly, even on-site while getting her hair and makeup done before a stage performance. She emphasized that when the muscles surrounding the collarbone contract, the bone becomes hidden, accelerating the progression of rounded shoulders.
Turning to day-to-day habits, Lia noted that managing the neck muscles is equally vital for relaxing the shoulders. She advises gently pinching and releasing the neck tissue as if peeling the fascia away with your hands, which helps reduce facial puffiness and sharpen the jawline. Additionally, she recommends slowly making large circles with your head from side to side on a regular basis to maintain flexibility.
From a medical standpoint, a poorly defined shoulder line is rarely just a matter of body fat or muscle mass; it is often exacerbated by temporary fluid retention, muscle tightness in the chest and neck, and poor posture. The lymphatic system collects metabolic waste and fluid from tissues, funneling them toward the lymph nodes. When this circulation slows down, visible swelling occurs. Targeted massage can significantly aid this process, particularly when utilizing gentle, downward strokes from behind the jaw and under the ears toward the collarbones and armpits.
The Science of Lymphatic Drainage and Muscle Balance
Rounded shoulders typically occur when the head juts forward and the shoulders roll inward—a posture driven by imbalances between the front chest muscles and the upper back. Specifically, when the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles at the front of the chest shorten and tighten, the stabilizing muscles in the back weaken, pulling the shoulders forward and obscuring the collarbone line.
Massaging the armpits helps combat this by clearing the axillary lymph nodes, where fluid from the arms, chest, and shoulders drains. Clinical guidelines from major institutions like the Cleveland Clinic support self-massage to reduce upper-body and facial puffiness. Because the face and jaw drain downward through the neck, light strokes from under the ears to the collarbone can noticeably improve facial definition. However, experts caution against applying excessive pressure. Because critical blood vessels and nerves run through the neck, massage should always be performed gently with oil or cream, using just enough pressure to lightly move the skin without causing pain.
