Roughly two weeks after Marcel Leon Villar moved into his Los Angeles building, the Park Santa Monica, residents can sweat it out in a Himalayan salt sauna or gaze out over the Pacific Ocean from an expansive rooftop deck. He took the elevator down to the spa. A registered nurse inserted a needle into a vein in his arm and pumped a liter of saline, vitamins and electrolytes into his bloodstream.
“I could barely feel the needles,” said Biller, 28, a student at the Los Angeles Film School. “I hate needles, so this was a big help.”
This wasn’t Biller’s first experiment with an IV therapy marketed as a hangover cure or immune system booster. He began receiving treatment two years ago at a wellness and longevity club near his former apartment in Hollywood. Biller now receives them every month. He said the infusion helped him avoid jet lag on his flight to Budapest and after returning home, where he runs a small film production company. He said he would promote the
So after moving to the park in January, he was excited to receive services without leaving his home. Biller pays about $6,200 a month for his one-bedroom in the building, but a three-bedroom would cost him $38,000 a month.
IV drip therapy first became popular as a novelty for vacations and bachelorette parties about a decade ago, but it has been incorporated into the wellness realm ever since. The cost of the 30-45 minute treatment varies depending on the formulation and provider, but ranges from $100 to $1,000 and has been embraced by Hollywood’s elite, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Chrissy Teigen and Harry Styles. are also participating. Intravenous therapy is now a staple in medical spas, resort hotels, and shopping malls. Some companies even make home calls.
And in recent months, a handful of luxury residential buildings in Los Angeles, Miami, and Manhattan have begun offering in-house treatments, allowing tenants to make treatments a core part of their personal health routines.
The Park, which began offering the service in late 2023, allows residents to book infusions in their apartments or treatment rooms, as well as massages, Botox and fillers.
“If you’re a healthy person, you can’t do it that often unless you’re doing it three or four times a day,” says Daniel Remington, director of events and partnerships at Drip Hydration, a service provider for Drip Hydration. I am. park.
Drip Hydration and other providers market their formulas as elixirs that improve sleep and mental clarity, brighten skin, and improve athletic performance. However, there is little scientific research to support these claims. Critics say IV fluids are, at best, a very expensive alternative to drinking a glass of water and, at worst, can harm people with underlying health conditions such as kidney disease or high blood pressure. It is claimed that there is. In 2018, Kendall Jenner was hospitalized due to side effects from an IV. And last year, a woman died after receiving IV therapy at Lux Med Spa in Wortham, Texas. Her medical license was then temporarily restricted by the state medical board.
The global medical spa industry is rapidly expanding and is expected to grow to $49 billion by 2030, according to Zion Market Research, a company that tracks business trends. Medical spa oversight falls into a regulatory gray area, and state rules governing medical spas vary. For example, in California, only doctors can own medical spas, and only medical professionals such as licensed doctors, certified nurses, or physician assistants working under the doctor’s supervision can perform medical procedures, such as intravenous infusions. is. However, in Florida, anyone can own a medical spa as long as the business has a medical director and properly licensed physicians manage the services.
“Do you really know what you’re getting and where it comes from? How do you know what you’re being given?” Infectious disease expert at the University of California, Los Angeles Dr. Claire E. Brown, , added: “There is no scientific evidence that these treatments are of any benefit to the general population.”
Developers and property managers interviewed for this article said they chose spa providers that were insured and highly regarded in the industry in response to customer demand.
Brian Grandison, director of lifestyle services at Extell, the developer of One Manhattan Square, a waterfront condominium in New York City, said: “It’s dependable, dependable, and has established itself in the industry.” “It’s really important to partner with the right brands to provide services for residents.” As an amenity provider, he provides IV therapy with FitLore.
Residents will be screened and sign a liability waiver before their first treatment. “Then we can provide a seamless service, like someone getting an IV infusion before a sound bath meditation,” said Grundy, who previously worked at Paltrow’s wellness and lifestyle brand Goop. Mr. Song said.
Drip Hydration’s Ms Remington said clients undergo a “fairly extensive screening” of their medical history before undergoing treatment. “We need to know things like allergies, previous health conditions, and history of kidney failure,” she says. “Ninety-nine percent of people will be acquitted.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the wellness industry has expanded further into the healthcare realm. While the word “wellness” was once synonymous with yoga and meditation, the definition now includes far more clinical treatments such as cryotherapy, infrared saunas, platelet-rich plasma injections, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Masu.
“Wellness used to mean soul and stress relief,” says Beth McGroarty, director of research at industry group Global Wellness Institute. “Why are people so hungry for wellness experiences that resemble hospital procedures?” he said, adding, “Why are people so hungry for wellness experiences that resemble hospital procedures?” ? ”
At Continuum, a five-bedroom property in Miami’s South Beach for sale for $22 million, residents can receive Rejuvaline MezSpa infusion therapy poolside, in the spa, or in their apartments. “When the blood starts circulating, you can feel it in your blood. It’s like a turbo,” says Michele, who with his wife runs her two restaurants, including the Continuum restaurant in Miami Beach. Merlo, 66, said. He started receiving IV fluids this year after his trainer suggested adding it to his health routine.
Regarding the thorny method of birth, Merlo said: We are not afraid of needles. ”
Joe Laresca, an avid athlete who lives at One Manhattan Square, finds IV therapy rejuvenating. “It feels like the shock of my life,” said Laresca, 31, who runs an advertising and marketing agency, likening the feeling to running out of a steam room into a frigid plunge. He is being treated by a certified nurse at the building’s spa.
The 815-unit condominium features a birch garden, tea pavilion, and adult treehouse, as well as a 5-pack of immune and beauty boosters, hangover aids, weight management aids, and a comprehensive “recovery” blend. Different types of infusion preparations are available. Each infusion costs between $300 and $350.
“This gives someone a reason to go to a spa,” Extel’s Grandison said.
