What is IV therapy?

IV therapy in one minute

IV stands for "intravenous," which means "into a vein." IV therapy is a bag of sterile fluid, sometimes with vitamins, minerals or medicines mixed in, that runs through a thin tube into a vein in your arm or hand. Hospitals have used it for about a century to rehydrate people and give medicines fast. Mobile IV therapy is the same thing done on your couch by a licensed nurse.

The point of going into a vein is simple. Anything you swallow has to pass through your stomach and gut first, and your gut only takes in so much at a time. A drip skips that step, so fluids and nutrients reach your blood in minutes instead of hours. Source: Cleveland Clinic, IV fluids

How a drip works

A nurse cleans a spot on your arm, places a small, soft plastic tube called a cannula into a vein (the needle comes out right away; only the soft tube stays), and connects it to a bag hanging above you. Gravity moves the fluid down the line and into your blood. A small wheel on the line sets the speed. The nurse checks the drip rate, your arm and how you feel the whole time.

Some ingredients are given as a "push," which means the nurse slowly presses a syringe into the line over a few minutes at the end of the drip. Glutathione is often given this way.

What is in the bag

Every Zen drip starts with about one liter of sterile fluid: Lactated Ringer's or normal saline, the same fluids hospitals use. On its own that is our Hydration IV. The other drips add vitamins (C, B-complex, B12, biotin), minerals (magnesium, zinc), amino acids, glutathione or NAD+. A nurse-given add-on for nausea, pain or heartburn can be added only after a provider on our team approves it for you.

Every ingredient has its own plain-language entry on our ingredients page: what it is, what it does, signs you may be low, and which drips include it.

Who gets IV therapy, and why

Dehydration. After a stomach bug, a long flight, a hot day, a hard race or a late night, you can be too far behind to catch up by drinking, or unable to keep fluids down. This is the oldest and best-proven use of an IV. Source: Mayo Clinic, Dehydration

Hangovers. Alcohol pulls water out of you and uses up B vitamins. A Hangover IV puts both back and, with a provider's order, can include an anti-nausea add-on. It helps the physical part of a hangover; it does not sober you up. Source: NIAAA, Hangovers

Low on a nutrient. People who run low on B12, iron, vitamin D or magnesium feel it as tiredness, fog or cramps. A blood test finds the gap; a shot or a drip can close it faster than pills when your stomach does not absorb well. Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

Immune support, energy and recovery. These are the "wellness" drips: Immunity Boost, Energy, Myers' Cocktail, Athletic Recovery, Glow Up. They combine fluids with vitamin C, B vitamins, zinc, magnesium and glutathione. The honest version: the research on vitamin drips for healthy, well-fed people is limited. They put back what a hard week used up, and many people feel better after one. They are not a cure for anything, and we do not say they are.

NAD+. A longer drip (one to four hours) that people book for focus, energy and recovery. See our NAD+ IV Therapy: The Complete Guide.

What happens at a visit

• You book online or by text and pick a time between 8 AM and 11 PM.
• Before your first drip, a licensed provider reviews your health history on a quick video call and writes an order just for you. It stays in your record. Overseen by our medical director.
• The nurse texts an arrival time, comes to your door with a sealed kit, and checks your blood pressure, pulse and intake answers. If one is off, no drip that day.
• The bag is mixed in front of you. The line goes in (a ten-second pinch). You sit back.
• About 30 minutes for Hydration or Hangover, about 45 minutes for most drips, one to four hours for NAD+. The nurse stays the whole time.
• Line out, small bandage on, nurse packs up. Keep the bandage on for an hour and drink water.

Full walk-through: Your first mobile IV visit, step by step.

How fast you feel it

Fluids reach your blood within minutes, which is why dehydration and hangover symptoms often ease during the drip itself. Vitamins are different: if you were low, you may notice a lift over the next day or two; if you were not low, you may not notice much at all. Anyone who promises a specific feeling for everyone is overselling.

Is it safe? Who should not have it

For most healthy adults, yes, when a licensed nurse gives it after screening you. The most common side effects are a small bruise or soreness where the line went in, a cool feeling in the arm, and a metallic taste with some vitamins. Rare ones include vein irritation, lightheadedness and allergic reaction. The nurse watches for all of these. Source: Cleveland Clinic, IV fluids: risks

A provider's OK is needed first, or the answer may be no, if you have heart failure, kidney disease, a fluid limit from your doctor, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a condition called G6PD deficiency (for high-dose vitamin C), asthma (for glutathione), or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Tell us about every medicine and condition on the intake form. Saying no when a drip is not right for you is part of the job.

Who gives it and who oversees it

A licensed registered nurse gives every drip. Every nurse works from protocols approved by our physician medical director, and a licensed provider reviews your health history before your first visit. We never send anyone who is not a licensed nurse. Ingredients come from licensed U.S. pharmacies.

What it costs

Drips at Zen IV Spa range from $229 to $1,299 depending on the drip, and every price includes the nurse's travel anywhere in all of New York & New Jersey. No travel fee, no tip expected. Insurance does not usually cover wellness IV therapy. See the price page for the full menu, bundles and the 4+2 offer.

IV therapy vs. drinking water vs. pills

• Water and food are right for most days. Sip, add a little salt and sugar, eat something. Takes 45 minutes to a few hours to show.
• Pills and oral supplements work for everyday needs and are cheap. Your gut limits how much gets in at once.
• A shot (B12, for example) skips the stomach and raises a low level within days.
• A drip is for when you are far behind, cannot keep fluids down, need to be functional soon, or want a larger amount of a nutrient than pills can deliver.

More: Is drinking water enough? · B12: shots vs. pills vs. IV

Common questions