The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting any IV therapy or injection protocol.
There’s a storefront in every city now. Sometimes it’s in a strip mall next to a nail salon. Sometimes it’s a sleek lounge with leather chairs and ambient lighting. The sign says something like NutriDrip, Drip Hydration, Restore Hyper Wellness, The IV Bar, or Liquivida. Inside, people are sitting in recliners with IVs in their arms, paying $150-500 to have vitamins, amino acids, and other compounds pumped directly into their bloodstream.
The IV drip industry has gone from a hangover cure for Vegas weekends to a mainstream wellness category generating billions in revenue. Clinics are everywhere. Mobile IV services come to your house. Fighter recovery rooms offer NAD+ infusions. Your local med spa has a drip menu longer than a restaurant wine list.
Is any of it worth the money? Here’s what’s actually happening when you sit in that chair.
How IV Therapy Works
The concept is simple. When you take a supplement orally — a pill, a powder, a capsule — it passes through your digestive system, where absorption rates vary. Some nutrients absorb well. Others lose 50-80% of their potency through digestion. Factors like gut health, food interactions, and individual biology all affect how much actually reaches your bloodstream.
IV therapy bypasses all of that. A needle goes into a vein, and the solution goes directly into your blood. 100% bioavailability. Everything in the bag reaches your cells. That’s the value proposition — faster delivery, higher absorption, more immediate effect.
That part is true. The question is whether 100% bioavailability of these specific compounds, at these doses, produces benefits that justify the cost over oral supplementation.
The Most Common IV Drips
The Myers’ Cocktail
The original. Developed by Dr. John Myers in the 1960s, this is the foundation that most IV drip menus are built on. A standard Myers’ Cocktail contains:
- Vitamin C (high dose)
- B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12)
- Magnesium
- Calcium
What it claims to do: Boost energy, support immune function, reduce fatigue, alleviate migraines, improve general wellness.
What the research says: There’s limited clinical trial data on the Myers’ Cocktail specifically. A small study showed improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms. Some evidence supports high-dose IV vitamin C for immune function. Individual components (B vitamins, magnesium) have strong evidence for their respective benefits when deficient. The cocktail as a whole hasn’t been rigorously studied in large clinical trials.
The honest take: If you’re deficient in B vitamins or magnesium, an IV will correct that deficiency faster than oral supplements. If you’re not deficient, you’re paying $150-250 to create expensive urine — your kidneys will excrete whatever your body doesn’t need. The immediate energy boost people report is real but likely comes from the hydration (a liter of saline) and the B12 hit rather than anything magical about the delivery method.
Cost: $150-300 per session
NAD+ Infusions
The premium offering. NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme present in every cell that plays a critical role in energy production, DNA repair, and cellular aging. NAD+ levels decline with age, and the longevity community — Sinclair, Huberman, Attia — has identified NAD+ replenishment as a key target for anti-aging.
IV NAD+ delivers the coenzyme directly into the bloodstream at doses far higher than what oral supplements provide.
What it claims to do: Reverse cellular aging, increase energy, improve cognitive function, support addiction recovery, enhance athletic recovery, improve mental clarity.
What the research says: NAD+ is genuinely important for cellular function — that part of the science is solid. The question is whether IV delivery is meaningfully better than oral NMN or NR supplementation.
A few things are established: NAD+ levels do decline with age. Replenishing NAD+ does support cellular energy production. IV delivery achieves higher blood levels faster than oral supplementation.
What’s less established: Whether those higher peak blood levels translate to better clinical outcomes than daily oral NMN/NR taken consistently over time. The addiction recovery claims come from a small number of studies and clinics — promising but not conclusive. The anti-aging claims are extrapolated from cellular research, not from large-scale human trials comparing IV NAD+ to oral supplementation.
The experience: NAD+ infusions are not pleasant. They take 2-4 hours, significantly longer than a standard vitamin drip. Many people report nausea, chest tightness, cramping, and anxiety during the infusion — side effects that are managed by slowing the drip rate. This isn’t a relaxing spa experience.
The honest take: NAD+ is a legitimate molecule with real biological significance. If you’re already taking oral NMN or NR daily and want a periodic boost — some people do monthly NAD+ infusions on top of daily oral supplementation — there may be value. But at $500-1,000+ per session, the cost-to-benefit ratio compared to a $50/month NMN supplement is hard to justify unless you have significant disposable income.
Cost: $500-1,500 per session
Glutathione
Called the “master antioxidant,” glutathione is produced naturally by your body and plays a central role in detoxification, immune function, and oxidative stress management. It’s available as an IV push (injected directly, takes 5-10 minutes) or added to an IV drip.
What it claims to do: Detoxification, skin brightening, immune support, liver support, anti-aging, reduced oxidative stress.
What the research says: Glutathione is genuinely important — it’s one of the most critical antioxidants in the body. People with chronic illness, liver disease, heavy toxic exposure, or high oxidative stress may benefit from glutathione supplementation.
The skin brightening claim has some evidence — glutathione inhibits melanin production, and studies have shown skin lightening effects with consistent use. This has made it extremely popular in the aesthetics and med spa world.
The problem with oral glutathione is that it breaks down significantly during digestion. IV or injection bypasses that. Liposomal oral glutathione is a middle ground — better absorption than standard oral but less than IV.
The honest take: Glutathione is one of the more defensible IV offerings. Oral absorption is genuinely poor, so the IV route has a logical advantage. Whether a healthy person with normal liver function needs supplemental glutathione is debatable. For people with specific health conditions, heavy alcohol use, or environmental toxin exposure, it may have real value. For the average healthy person, it’s probably unnecessary.
Cost: $50-100 as an add-on to a drip, $150-250 as a standalone push
Vitamin B12 Shots
The most common standalone injection in the wellness world. A quick intramuscular shot — usually in the arm or glute — that delivers methylcobalamin (the active form of B12) directly into muscle tissue.
What it claims to do: Increase energy, improve mood, support brain function, boost metabolism, reduce fatigue.
What the research says: If you’re B12 deficient — and many people are, especially vegetarians, vegans, people over 50, and anyone on acid-reducing medications — a B12 shot will make a noticeable difference in energy and mental clarity within days. B12 is essential for nerve function, red blood cell production, and DNA synthesis.
If you’re not deficient, the evidence for benefit is weak. Your body will use what it needs and excrete the rest. The energy boost people report may come from the act of doing something proactive for their health as much as the B12 itself.
The honest take: B12 shots are cheap, fast, and low-risk. If you’ve never had your B12 levels tested, get bloodwork done first. If you’re deficient, shots are effective and faster-acting than oral supplements (especially for people with absorption issues). If your levels are normal, a sublingual methylcobalamin supplement is probably sufficient and costs a fraction of regular injection visits.
Cost: $25-75 per shot
The Kitchen Sink Drip
Many clinics offer “premium” or “executive” drips that combine everything — high-dose vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium, glutathione, amino acids, zinc, biotin, sometimes NAD+. These can run $400-1,000+ per session and take 1-3 hours.
The honest take: These are the hardest to evaluate because they contain so many compounds at varying doses. The marketing is designed to make you feel like you’re getting the ultimate health treatment. In reality, your body is going to use what it needs, excrete what it doesn’t, and there’s no evidence that combining all these nutrients in a single IV produces synergistic benefits beyond what each individual component provides.
The Clinic Landscape
The IV therapy market has exploded. Here are some of the major players:
Restore Hyper Wellness — The largest wellness chain in the country with 200+ locations. Offers IV drips, cryotherapy, red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, and more. The Walmart of biohacking — accessible, standardized, and everywhere.
NutriDrip — A New York-based IV therapy provider offering drips, vitamin shots, and NAD+ infusions. Mobile service available.
Drip Hydration — Mobile IV therapy that comes to your home, office, or hotel room. Available in major cities.
Liquivida — A franchise model offering IV drips, vitamin injections, and aesthetic treatments. Expanding rapidly.
The IV Bar / The Drip Bar / Hydrate IV Bar — Various branded lounges offering the walk-in IV experience with themed drip menus.
Local med spas and functional medicine clinics — Many independent practitioners now offer IV therapy alongside other services. Quality and oversight vary significantly.
What to Know Before You Go
Medical oversight matters. IVs go directly into your bloodstream. This is a medical procedure, even if the setting feels like a spa. Make sure a licensed medical professional is overseeing the treatment — ideally an MD or DO, or at minimum an NP or PA. Walk-in IV bars staffed only by nurses without physician oversight exist, and while most are fine, the lack of medical direction increases risk.
Bloodwork first. The entire premise of IV therapy is correcting deficiencies and providing nutrients your body needs. Without knowing what you’re actually deficient in, you’re guessing — and paying a premium for that guess. Get a comprehensive metabolic panel and nutrient analysis before spending $500 on a drip.
Hydration is the silent benefit. A large part of what makes people feel better after an IV drip is the saline — a liter of fluid directly into your bloodstream. Most people are chronically dehydrated. The vitamins might be the marketing hook, but the hydration is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of how you feel afterward.
Frequency matters. One IV drip is a short-term boost. The clinics that promote “wellness memberships” with weekly or bi-weekly drips are selling consistency, which makes more biological sense than occasional treatments. But the cost adds up fast — a monthly NAD+ infusion plus weekly vitamin drips can easily run $1,000-2,000+ per month.
Risks are low but real. Infection at the injection site, vein irritation, air embolism (extremely rare), allergic reactions, and electrolyte imbalances are all possible. These risks are minimized with proper medical oversight and sterile technique, but they’re not zero.
The Cost-Benefit Reality
| Treatment | Cost Per Session | Oral Alternative | Oral Cost Per Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myers’ Cocktail | $150-300 | B vitamins + Magnesium + Vitamin C | $20-40 |
| NAD+ Infusion | $500-1,500 | NMN or NR supplement | $40-80 |
| Glutathione Push | $150-250 | Liposomal glutathione | $30-60 |
| B12 Shot | $25-75 | Sublingual methylcobalamin | $10-15 |
| Premium Combo Drip | $400-1,000 | Full supplement stack | $60-100 |
The IV route provides faster delivery and higher peak blood levels. The oral route provides consistent daily support at a fraction of the cost. For most healthy people, a well-designed daily supplement protocol will deliver 80-90% of the benefit at 10% of the cost.
The Bottom Line
IV therapy is real medicine applied in a wellness context. The delivery method works — 100% bioavailability is a real advantage over oral supplementation for certain compounds. The question isn’t whether IVs deliver nutrients effectively. They do. The question is whether the cost premium over daily oral supplementation is justified by the outcome.
For most healthy people who eat well and take a basic supplement stack: probably not. You’re paying for convenience, speed, and the experience.
For people with specific deficiencies, absorption issues, chronic conditions, or high-performance demands: possibly worth it, particularly for NAD+, glutathione, and B12.
For people who just did a week in Vegas and feel like death: sure, a hydration drip with B vitamins will get you back on your feet faster than suffering through it. No judgment.
Get your bloodwork done. Fix your deficiencies with daily oral supplements. Train. Eat real food. Sleep. And if you still want the IV experience on top of that foundation — at least you’ll know what you’re actually paying for.
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Clinics and Services Mentioned:
- Restore Hyper Wellness — Largest wellness chain. IV drips, cryotherapy, red light, and more. 200+ locations.
- NutriDrip — IV therapy provider. New York-based with mobile service.
- Drip Hydration — Mobile IV therapy. Comes to your home or office.
- Liquivida — IV therapy franchise with locations across the US.
