Optimize Me
Holiday Hangovers Are Here. Time to Schedule an IV Drip?
You could shell out $200 for an IV drip of electrolytes, or you could spend $2 on a Gatorade
Optimize Me is an Elemental column exploring (and fact-checking) the weirdest self-improvement trends. It comes out every Tuesday.
Had a late night at the company holiday party? Feel a tickle in your throat and worried it’s the flu? Or are you suffering from the classic celebrity affliction of “exhaustion”? Hook up your vein to a banana bag, baby, and you’ll feel better in no time!
Concierge IV treatments are among the most extravagant wellness trends of the past few years. For anywhere from $100 to $400, a nurse will come to your home, office, or hotel room to deliver a saline solution full of electrolytes, vitamin supplements, and, occasionally, prescription medications — like an anti-nausea drug — straight into your veins. While these treatments are most often marketed as a miracle hangover cure, companies peddling them also claim they can provide relief for jet lag, colds, flu, and food poisoning, as well as boost energy, improve athletic performance, and “beautify yourself from within.”
Adam Nadelson, MD, a plastic surgeon and CEO of the IV Doc, started his company in…
