What it’s like to get a vaginal steam?
Yeah. You heard me. I said vaginal steam baths.
You already know how we Californians like our colonics. (The story of my first colonic is here. And yes, I paid good money for that experience.) Well, apparently, some of us like to have our coochies steamed, too.
Now, I’m a gynecologist, a pretty woo-woo integrative medicine doctor from the Bay area, and the author of a book called What’s Up Down There.
I’ve done a book tour in which women are regularly asking me questions like, “If a woman dies during her period, do they take the tampon out before they bury her?” So I’ve pretty much heard it all. And it’s pretty dang hard to shock me.
But I have to admit that I did a double take when I read about Gwyneth and others electively steaming their vaginas.
I mean, I’m all for it. Why not give your hoo-ha a facial? After all the abuse we inflict up them in the form of Pap smears, Brazilians, and thongs, our vulvas and vaginas could use some TLC, eh?
Vaginal Steam Baths Are Not What You Think
But it’s not meant as a beauty treatment. According to the Tikkun Holistic Spa in Los Angeles (where Gwyneth goes), this technique has roots in Korean tradition. Spa manager Jin Young told the Los Angeles Times that vaginal steam baths (aka “chai-yok”), “reduce stress, fight infections, clear hemorrhoids, regulate menstrual cycles and aid infertility, among many other health benefits.”
The secret is not so much the steam itself, but what’s in it. If you’re lucky enough to receive such a spa treatment, you perch naked on an open-seated stool, above a steaming brew of mugwort tea laced with wormwood and other Chinese herbs. Copping a squat for this “V-Steam” treatment takes 30-45 minutes, and will run you anywhere from $20 to $75.
At Daengki Spa in Koreatown, proprietors claim the treatment will “rid the body of toxins” and help women with menstrual cramps, bladder infections, kidney problems and fertility issues. Which seems like a big claim for a little pot of tea steam.
That same Times article quoted a women who swears by it. She said that, at 45 years old, after three years of trying to conceive, five V-Steams resulted in a pregnancy—as well as more energy and fewer body aches.
But one anecdote certainly doesn’t equal evidence or causality. For all I know, she found the V-Steam so relaxing that she quit stressing about her infertility. And we all know that stress reduction makes you more fertile. Just ask anyone who got pregnant on their honeymoon.
So What Do I Think?
Well, it’s certainly not anything I ever learned about in medical school. And I haven’t read about it in any medical journals. But it’s not completely implausible that vaginal delivery of specific Chinese herbs might have some benefit.
After all, the vagina, with its extensive blood flow and thirsty mucous membranes, readily absorbs medications. And Chinese medicine doctors, naturopathic doctors, and many acupuncturists have been using herbs to treat all kinds of medical conditions, including the ones the spas claim the V-Steam can help. I’ve even prescribed herbal vaginal suppositories to help women’s immune systems fight HPV, the virus that can cause abnormal Pap smears, genital warts, and cervical cancer.
Hell, it’s the whole concept behind the trend for party girls who want to get drunk at work to insert vodka-soaked tampons into their vaginas so they can get wasted without having their breath reflect their indulgence. So it doesn’t seem so far out there to me.
Source:
MindBodyGreen
blogher.com
