NEWCASTLE’s first hydration bar is set to open, with intravenous treatments such as the ‘Jetlag jolt’ and ‘Hydrate Hangover’.
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Opening on August 18, the IV Lounge in Wickham is the brainchild of local businesswomen and colleagues Simone Le Mesurier, Grace Page and Angela Mackenzie. Common in the US and some of our capital cities, hydration bars offer vitamins and minerals via an IV drip.
Ms Le Mesurier, who co-owns Hunter Allied Care in Hamilton, says the women had initially joked about needing IV drip therapy at work on a Monday, when feeling sluggish after a big weekend. They researched IV vitamin therapy then visited hydration bars in Sydney, Chicago and Japan.
“We thought we could do it better; we wanted an environment where it felt clean and upmarket because those we saw were dark and felt dirty,” says Ms Mackenzie.
With a bright fit-out akin to a modern day spa, the IV Lounge is managed by a team of medical professionals and offer treatments for athletes, people recovering from exhaustive activity, illness and travel or with malabsorption issues including Crohn’s Disease. The infusion options are promoted as being able to flush out toxins in the body, improve wellness and replenish the body.
Ms Le Mesurier, who has a “drip” weekly because she is a celiac and suffers malabsorption, says treatments can be beneficial for those with health needs.
Upon arrival, each client is assessed by a registered nurse, including having blood pressure and pulse taken, before choosing a treatment which is dispensed via a script checked by a doctor. Vitamins are added to the client’s fluid bag, filled with the saline Hartmann’s solution, and administered via a drip. Patients can use lounge areas and there is a “man cave” for male clients.
The Lounge has a mobile service for rehydration after a big night, or for wedding parties, plus an oxygen bar.
IV bars have their critics – NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner says their “claimed health and medical benefits … remain dubious”, however the IV Lounge founders say people can make their own health choices.