STEAM

I wanted to share my experience and perspective after engaging with this brand online (after my comments were deleted + blocked). Let me be clear, I am not here to attack, but to add an important layer to the conversation that often gets overlooked in the wellness space. While FMNTY STEAM frames their offering as respectful and rooted in Indonesian and Surinamese traditions, the way these practices are presented still raises concerns around wellness colonialism. Many of us from these cultures (gw orng Indo ya jngn salah) grew up watching our traditions be labeled as “primitive,” “unsanitary,” or “unscientific” ...only to later see them rebranded as luxury self-care once filtered through Western aesthetics, pricing, and language. V-steaming is one of those practices. For generations, it was dismissed or mocked. Now it’s marketed as an elevated, high-end wellness experience, often without fully acknowledging the historical context or the way these traditions were previously devalued when practiced by the people they came from. While FMNTY STEAM states they don’t make medical claims or say anyone “needs” the treatment, the framing still feeds into the idea that women’s bodies need fixing or cleansing, which is worth questioning. ESPECIALLY when the body part in question is already self-regulating. Read that again. I hope this space continues to reflect on that, because honouring traditions also means holding space for the histories attached to them.