What is vaginal steaming?

Ask the doctor

Q. When I was having coffee the other day, I overheard two young women talking about having their vaginas steamed. What is this procedure, and what is it designed to do?

A. In vaginal steaming—often described as a "facial" for the vagina—a woman sits over a bowl of steaming water infused with herbs. This procedure has been used in ancient medicine for centuries, but it has re-emerged in spas more recently over the last decade. Some tout its benefits as cleansing the reproductive organs, including the uterus, cervix, and vagina.