You know that scene in When Harry met Sally. “I’ll have what she’s having”. That is how I felt listening to beautiful Anne. We were both hooked up to IV’s dropping mega doses of multi-vitamins into our arms. I had the Meyer’s cocktail, and I wasn’t sure what was pouring into her veins (options include; immunity, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, fatigue fighter, serenity of party’s over (for hangovers), whatever it was, Anne was the best possible spokesperson. Within five minutes, she told me her life story – or at least the things I cared about. She had worked as a nurse in Aspen most of her life where she consistently did this same type of vitamin IV treatments. As she said, “preventative health” is the best defense for aging. And at 70, she is a poster child for the benefits of long term maintenance. Upon moving to Marin, she sought out a similar program, at about the same time as Dr. Amy Adams opened her Body Treat Boutique in Kentfield. An emergency medicine doctor in Santa Rosa, Adams became interested in IV Therapy “For years I was chronically dehydrated, and, also saw this as a huge complaint in the emergency department.” She recalls. “I would give myself IV’s frequently, and thought this should really be available to the public without having to incur an expensive ER visit. I then started researching this as a business model, and came across adding vitamins to the fluids, tried it out myself, and was sold on the energy it gave me and the health benefits. Energy, immune system boosting, fighting inflammation, and hydration, all in a one stop shop. I no longer had to struggle to drink a ton of water while working a busy shift where I didn’t even have enough time to use the bathroom, let alone hydrate properly. It is like cutting right to the chase to get the highest concentration of the most vital nutrient at 100% availability for your tissues to use.”
Adams pulled together her savings and opened her own boutique IV Therapy and hydration bar where she offers, IV drips (water soluble vitamins only) and facials, such as the Vampire facial for $800, as Adams explains, “We remove your blood, spin it down to a layer of platelets, then micro-needle or inject those platelets back into the face causing your face to produce/regenerate collagen, and reduce fine lines and wrinkles.” Did I mention she is a medical doctor?
After a quick google search, I found the only concerns with the IV Vitamin Therapy, besides, is it worth the $145 – $190 a session, was having the vitamins not going through the normal digestive process. Adams explains, “Bypassing the gut is the exact reason this method is so effective. The liver has what is called a first pass system, whereby anything that is ingested first gets filtered through the liver and loses some of its potency.” She says, “Therefore, with it going directly into the bloodstream, none of the nutrients lose their potency and you get 100% of what we give you delivered to your tissues. When we deliver IV nutrients, these products are sterile and do not need filtering, since that has been done prior to delivering them into your system.”
Full disclosure, Adams invited me to experience the treatment, as “research.” So I have only tried it once. Besides besides the time it took to get to the office, sit and absorb the vitamins, and get back on with my day, it was painless and even pleasant chatting with Aynne, the nurse, Beth and Dr. Adams. As Adams suggested, it’s the new mani pedi. She recommends IV Therapy somewhere between once every 2 weeks to once a month. Once a month is fine. However, if you have a very active lifestyle, lots of stress, don’t eat well, don’t hydrate well, we can see those people twice a month, or sometimes more often, depending on their situation. One vitamin cocktail is $145 without the package, and $130 with the package. The chaser of (anti-aging) glutathione is $50.
Mimi Towle has been the editor of Marin Magazine for over a decade. She lived with her family in Sycamore Park and Strawberry and thoroughly enjoyed raising two daughters in the mayhem of Marin’s youth sports; soccer, swim, volleyball, ballet, hip hop, gymnastics and many many hours spent at Miwok Stables. Her community involvements include volunteering at her daughter’s schools, coaching soccer and volleyball (glorified snack mom), being on the board of both Richardson Bay Audubon Center. Currently residing on a floating home in Sausalito, she enjoys all water activity, including learning how to steer a 6-person canoe for the Tamalpais Outrigger Canoe Club. Born and raised in Hawaii, her fondness for the islands has on occasion made its way into the pages of the magazine.