IV therapy is showing up on hotel spa menus around the world, but here’s what you should know before shelling out for the pricey hangover “cure.”
In spite of an uptick in cocktail bars serving creative no-ABV cocktails (or mocktails), many travelers still use leisure travel as an excuse to drink a little (or a lot) more than they typically would during a normal week at home.
This is often first evident at airports where bars are bustling at all hours, and airline lounges are pouring free drinks to loyal frequent flyers. All-inclusive vacations, cruises with drink packages, Champagne-soaked sunset boat rides, curated minibars, and multi-course meals with wine pairings—for a lot of people, a vacation is an opportunity to indulge and let loose with the aid of booze. Hotels, long on the wellness train, are offering a new amenity that invites travelers to have their margaritas and drink it, too. Multivitamin IV therapy is an increasingly popular treatment offered at resorts and hotel spas around the world, but is it really that much better than chugging an electrolyte drink and popping a couple of ibuprofen the morning after you’ve had one too many?
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Before you add IV therapy to your morning facial or massage appointment (and shell out an extra couple hundred dollars in the process), read on to see what Fodor’s learned about the trend.
How It Started
Although intravenous hydration therapy has been around for centuries, it wasn’t until a Las Vegas anesthesiologist launched a mobile IV center called Hangover Heaven that the treatment entered the mainstream—or, at least, the affluent sect of mainstream society. From the traveling mobile IV (Hangover Heaven, founded by Dr. Jason Burke, is “dedicated to curing hangovers” so you can spend your day exploring Las Vegas instead of fighting hangover symptoms), an entire industry has been built up around helping travelers feel better faster.
And now, increasingly around the world, instead of going to a stand-alone IV therapy center, or paying to have a medical clinician come to your hotel room, travelers can simply pop down to the spa facility and book a vitamin-rich treatment starting at around $250.
Expanding Spa Menus
The Fontenay in Hamburg, Germany, a landmark 5-star hotel where guests come to “party hard” at high-profile events hosted by the property, recently launched a new collaboration with a German IV Therapy Bar. DripDrip, its therapies designed to strengthen the immune system, reduce stress, and support a healthy lifestyle, is helmed by medically trained staff and is, according to The Fontenay’s General Manager Thies Sponholz, “the logical conclusion after an indulgent menu in the Lakeside Restaurant with wine accompaniment, a lavish cocktail evening at the bar or a trip to Hamburg’s extensive party scene to be recharged with new nutrients and feel more relaxed.” Sponholz adds: “They are part of our modern wellness concept, which provides pleasure for body and soul.”
At the Equinox Hotel in New York City, a hotel that consulted with sleep experts in designing every nook and cranny in its guest rooms to maximize optimal sleep, guests can book a NutriDrip session. The IV treatment “provides nutrient therapy for therapeutic and rejuvenating benefits with a full menu of signature Wellness and Recovery IV drips.” Although there’s nothing in this language about curing hangovers (unlike Las Vegas’ Hangover Heaven), the word “recovery” suggests that the treatment (starting at $250) may be used to help one get over a nasty hangover. The program is overseen by Nutridrip, and all of the company’s infusion practitioners are experienced nurse practitioners, registered nurses, or physician assistants.
After a night partying in Bangkok, a city known for its nightlife, guests at the Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel can pay a visit to the luxury hotel’s VIVID Drip Bar, where they can choose from a range of IV drips, including one for hangovers and one for liver detox. Rizia Parker, the hotel’s spa director, points out that as Bangkok has long been a hub for wellness in Thailand, making IV therapy accessible within the walls of the luxury hotel helps “guests to achieve their wellness goals.”
Down in the Bahamas, guests staying at Baha Mar who don’t have a lot of time before setting off on a day of snorkeling and sight-seeing can opt for a “quick drip,” a 20-minute treatment available at Espa Baha Mar in partnership with Infuz IV Nutrition Therapy. The Myers’ Cocktail, the standard or original IV therapy, is priced at $225 for the standard drip or $150 for the quick drip.
Dr. Joshua Rosenberg, an infectious disease and critical care medicine physician at the Brooklyn Hospital Center, isn’t surprised to see the MVI (multivitamin IV therapy) taking on a life of its own outside the hospital setting. Rosenberg, who even has a former colleague who started an IV company, admits, “IV fluids work fantastic for hangovers.”
But, “Is it worth $250 to avoid being hungover?” Rosenberg asks, pausing before answering. “Maybe?”
Hydrating Safely
While Rosenberg is skeptical when it comes to IV therapy’s ability to completely cure a hangover, the physician says it can definitely help “ease the throb.” But so can OTC meds. “Advil still rocks for headaches,” says Rosenberg. You can chug water too—a time-honored strategy many who choose to imbibe rely on for pushing through the next day’s activities—but getting fluids intravenously works a lot faster than drinking water, Rosenberg tells Fodor’s Travel.
On the other hand, an MVI treatment, while costly, “would probably help replete what’s lacking in your diet due to heavy partying.” If, for example, you’re deficient in vitamin B12 (as many heavy drinkers are, points out Rosenberg), an IV that includes this supplement can be good. The Myers’ Cocktail, which consists of magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin C, has been found to be effective against a whole host of ailments, including fatigue and migraines.
In spite of the proliferation of this hotel amenity, Rosenberg advises anyone considering IV hydration to proceed with caution. Whether or not it’s 100% safe is highly dependent on the place and technique, he explains. In foreign countries, especially, it’s “highly variable,” and you may not know who is administering the injection. Dr. Rachele Pojednic, the director of scientific research and education at Restore Hyper Wellness, a company offering wellness services, says to ask about the person’s credentials. “Discuss ingredient sourcing with the manager of the facility,” and disclose details on any medication and supplement you’re taking as well as any allergies you have.
If you decide to opt for the purportedly fast fix the day after a raucous night in Bangkok (or wherever your vacation takes you), pay attention to what’s happening at the spa’s facility: “Make sure needles are opened in front of you, in a sterile package. Same with fluids,” Rosenberg advises. “Personally, I would say just don’t drink so much.”