When you hear the words “self-care,” what do you think of? A face mask? A walk in the park? A pedicure? All of these activities would qualify, but at Bare Medical Spa and Laser Center in downtown Burlington, there’s a whole new frontier of self-care. Intimate wellness is a field focused primarily on the sexual and urinary health of women. And when it comes to taking care of one’s self, what could possibly be more important? 

Sarah Dietschi, a family nurse practitioner with over fifteen years of experience, is leading the charge for intimate wellness at Bare Medical Spa + Laser Center. Sarah, who is originally from the Northeast, spent years on the West Coast before moving back to Burlington. “I had been working in women’s health for many years when we moved from Vermont to California. Soon after arriving, I had the opportunity to shift to practicing dermatology and medical aesthetics,” she explains. Sarah soon realized that these new cutting-edge intimate wellness treatments combined her two greatest professional passions: women’s health and aesthetics work. “It’s very rewarding to be able to help women in such a profound way,” she explains. 

Shortly after relocating to the Burlington area, Sarah began working at Bare Medical Spa, and it wasn’t long before Jamie Spano, owner of BMS, decided to expand the spa’s offerings to include intimate wellness services. “This field is relatively new and incredibly exciting,” explains Sarah. “We are using well-researched techniques, such as platelet-rich plasma, which have long been used in other medical fields like orthopedics, to help people in new ways. I knew that if this work was happening in Vermont, I wanted to be at the forefront of it, and I am thrilled to be able to do that at Bare.” 

The two main focus points of intimate wellness procedures are helping people enjoy more comfortable and enjoyable sex and helping to reduce or eliminate incontinence. Bare Medical Spa currently offers a few different treatments aimed at these goals. 

Pain-Free Sex 

Often, the effects of childbirth and the natural aging process, along with decreased hormone levels, cause changes in vaginal health over time. Symptoms of decreasing health include loss of tone, lubrication, and elasticity, leading to painful intercourse, as well as leaking of urine when coughing or sneezing. One procedure offered at Bare Medical Spa which aims to combat these issues is called CO2RE Intima.

The CO2RE Intima is a “safe, quick, nonsurgical energy-based treatment that delivers controlled CO2 energy to the vaginal tissues, remodeling the tissue and stimulating the formation of new collagen. The technology allows treatment of deep and superficial tissue, both internally and externally, and is FDA approved. 

While the idea of a laser treatment “down there” might sound scary, Sarah explains that it is virtually pain-free and requires no incisions and no medications. Patients receive three treatments, which are spaced three to four weeks apart and often each year thereafter a single treatment to maintain results. This type of treatment, which prompts the body to generate its own healing response, is now common across many medical fields and only affirms that the body truly is its own best healer. 

The “O” Shot 

A simple shot for a better orgasm? Believe it! Bare Medical Spa offers the O-Shot (“O” for orgasm) to increase sexual arousal and rejuvenate the vaginal and clitoral response to stimulation. For this procedure, blood is drawn and centrifuged to get rejuvenating platelet-rich plasma (PRP). This PRP contains healing proteins, called growth factors, which are injected into the vagina, clitoris, and labia. 

When injected, the plasma triggers the stem cells to create growth, repair, and vascularizations leading to increased blood flow. “The theory behind this procedure is that PRP will naturally attract your own stem cells to the affected area to generate healthier, more functional tissue,” explains Sarah. “People usually begin to experience the effects of the shot in one to two weeks, with the full effects becoming apparent in about twelve weeks.” As a result of these shots, patients report increased sensitivity, smoother skin, improved clitoral sensation, stronger and better orgasms, and increased natural lubrication. 

A Quality of Life Improvement 

While incontinence is a common problem in adults, it can severely affect a patient's quality of life and self-confidence. Bare Medical Spa and Laser Center offers a cutting-edge, FDA-approved treatment for adult incontinence in both men and women, called Emsella. The name of this treatment is a basic description of the technique. Em stands for “electromagnetic,” and sella is Latin for “chair.” 

During this treatment, patients sit in a chair that uses electromagnetic energy to work the muscles in the pelvic floor, essentially allowing the body to do the equivalent of 20,000 Kegel exercises in a thirty-minute session. Patients will feel a nonpainful muscle movement in the perineal area, similar to a contraction. Because of the rapid muscle movement stimulated by the chair, the technique builds back muscle much faster than one could do through self-directed exercises. 

In terms of results, Sarah is encouraged by the studies done on this treatment. “So far, there have been five clinical studies that confirm 95 percent of patients report improved quality of life,” she says. For the vast majority of patients, that is a big difference in day-to-day life as a result of just a few thirty-minute sessions. 

Small City, Big Impact

For a small city, Burlington can take pride in Bare Medical Spa + Laser Center, which is on the cutting edge of these life-changing treatments. Intimate challenges, vaginal wellness, and incontinence can be some of the hardest health struggles to discuss and come to terms with. Now that Bare Medical Spa offers these treatments, there is a safe place for top-notch care that will make a huge difference in the lives of many Burlington residents and beyond. 

Bare Medical Spa + Laser Center 

100 Bank Street, 7th floor

Burlington, VT 

(802) 861-2273

www.barevt.com