Dr. Kanwal Bawa’s journey to becoming our region’s most prominent specialist in sexual medicine began in an unlikely place: the emergency room. While completing her residency in Emergency Medicine at a Cleveland Clinic hospital in Ohio, Bawa initially thought she was the victim of a co-worker’s prank when she read “cannot get erection” on an E.R. patient’s form.
Bawa discovered that the 20-something male was genuinely traumatized—and that he wasn’t alone. Thanks to a dearth of in-depth knowledge on sexual wellness among general practitioners, increasing numbers of patients with sexual dysfunctions were showing up at E.R.s as a last resort.
“That got me researching sexual medicine, which in and of itself doesn’t really exist in today’s day and age,” says Bawa, a doctor of osteopathic medicine. “I went to a great medical school and a great residency program, and never once was pleasure discussed. It just wasn’t a priority.”
It is a central priority at Bawa Medical, the Boca Raton practice Bawa opened in 2019, where the native of New Delhi, India sees a wide range of patients for services including vaginal rejuvenation, acoustic wave therapy, penis enlargement and erectile dysfunction treatments, many of them patented by Bawa.
Outside the walls of her med spa, Bawa has built a pop-culture following through her podcast, Dr. Sex Fairy, which she launched in 2021, and whose topics bridge the gap between the clinical and the Cosmopolitan: “The Heavenly Sex Position to Try Tonight,” “Why Your Morning Wood Matters.” She also shared her expertise on the stage of TEDx Boca Raton in 2024. Just don’t call her an influencer: “I take great offense to that term, because it dumbs down what I do,” she says. “My mission is to educate and to spread sexual wellness, and to make it OK to discuss it.”
On speaking frankly about sex: My topic is seldom discussed with dignity. I feel that if you cheapen everything, how are you supposed to have an intelligent discussion about it? … I don’t want to use ridiculous terms. I don’t want to call a penis a pickle. I don’t say “your flower;” I say “your vagina.” Call a vagina a vagina. It’s OK to do that.
On reportedly declining rates of sex among Americans 18 to 30: I think the rise of social media and the work-from-home setup is not helping, because we are not connecting with people face to face. Social media apps for dating are a great thing in some ways, and a terrible thing in others, because we’re not truly connecting with people; we’re just coming across them. … I do think the level of our connections has become more superficial.
On suspending judgments: It’s OK to have alternative lifestyles and talk about them. I’m not encouraging any particular lifestyle. I’m not saying you should be a swinger, but I’m not saying you shouldn’t be a swinger. I’m just saying that if you are going to do it, let’s figure out a way that’s healthy, that’s safe and that works for you long-term.
On sex addiction: I don’t think having a lot of sex means that you’re addicted to sex. [Addiction] comes when you are at an absolute extreme, where you’re not able to function in your life in a meaningful way. Those people are the minority of the people I see in my practice, by far. And for them, everybody’s story is different, so the solution to help anybody is also going to be different.
On how to spice up a dormant sexual relationship: The most important thing is to take foreplay out of the bedroom. Too many people think that foreplay starts when you start to take your clothes off. Whether it’s a pat on the butt, a longer hug than you usually give your partner, a kiss that lasts at least six seconds, it makes a difference. … If you give each other a kiss that lingers, I dare say there’ll be some fire within.
On the legalization of sex work: I support that, because if you legalize it, you also make it a lot safer for both the sex worker and the (client). You can make sure that they are following certain guidelines, that there is STD testing, that there is treatment. Right now, it’s the wild, wild west. People ask me, how is it that a good little Indian girl like you has these opinions? And I say I’m just honest. Prostitution has always been around, and it will always be around.
Find Dr. Bawa’s videos on YouTube at https://m.youtube.com/@DRSEXFAIRY.
This article is from the April 2025 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
