Yup, I am Gonna Talk About Vaginal Steam Baths

Oh Lordy, y’all are gonna think I am insane. But I have already talked about eating my placenta and making sure your uterus is in the right position. Besides, Martha Stewart and Oprah have talked about vaginal steam baths, when I originally posted this article two years ago, and now even good ‘ole Gwyenth Paltrow is on the vag steam train, so here it goes!

Vaginal steam baths are basically a detoxing facial for your lady parts. They cleanse, tone, and nourish your cervix, uterus, and vaginal tissues. Women  have been doing them for centuries and they are just starting to come back in fashion as women like me are starting to lift the veil and search out ancient traditional healing methods that got lost in the shuffle of the last several generations.

They are helpful for:

• bladder and yeast infections
• hemorrhoids
• infertility
• irregular and painful periods
• uterine fibroids
• perineal tears
• scarring from C-sections
• hysterectomies and laparoscopies
• it also boosts circulation to the pelvis — which means increased oxygenation, dilation of blood vessels, and a relaxing of the pelvic floor muscles that tend to cramp or spasm before or during menstruation

They are great to do after a couple days of doing castor oil packs on your abdomen and/or after your period.

I did my first vaginal steam bath after my most recent period – my first period after my Mayan Massage training course. I also did it on the 6th day of my 7 Day Cleanse as way to add in some additional detox and relaxation to the cleanse.

First, I gathered some fresh herbs from my herb garden. You can use any kind of fresh herbs that you want. I have fennel, rosemary and parsley growing right now so that is what I used. Each herb has different medicinal properties to it, so you may want to get specific based on your specific needs. For example, use an herb like basil for its antimicrobial properties.

A good blend of herbs to try are Basil, Calendula, Oregano, Yarrow and Lemon Balm. 

Before cutting off any herbs from the plant, I asked permission from the plant to cut off some of its leaves to aid in my healing, said a prayer to God to have this herb help heal me, and thanked the plant for aiding in my healing.

Then I brought a pot of water to a boiling point and added the herbs. I again said a prayer and asked for God to bless the herbs and the properties of these plants to aid in my healing. In Mayan tradition, the prayers are extremely important to the actual process and without the prayers the vaginal steaming will not be helpful. I’m Catholic, so I felt called to pray to Mother Mary, and pray for her blessing and help in healing my fertility and female parts. You can pray to whomever you want to pray to.

I stirred and prayed and let the herbs infiltrate the water for about 10 minutes, then I turned off the heat and got my chair ready. I used a wooden chair with slats on the bottom so that steam could actually get to my lady parts. If you don’t have a chair with openings, you could also place the pot of water in the bottom of your toilet seat and sit on your toilet. You just want to make sure the distance between the steam on your hooha is far enough that you don’t burn yourself.

Then I put the now gently boiling pot of water and herbs underneath the chair, took off my panties and sat down with my iPad mini. You want to stay seated for 20 minutes and do something relaxing. Some women like to meditate, some like to read and just be quiet and relax.

After the steam you may notice some slight cramping or vaginal discharge. This is normal and ok. The cramping is a way for the uterus to rid itself of toxins and any blood that is stagnant and old.

I really enjoyed my first vaginal steam bath and do feel that it helped me detox and heal. Vaginal steams are now going to be integrated into my regular self care routine. Self care is so important! Whether it’s something a little far out there like a vaginal steam bath or something more main stream like a yoga class. I so hope that you will give this a try yourself and take charge of your own health and healing. Your vagina, cervix and uterus will thank you!