This might be somewhat of an overshare given we’ve just met (I’m Vanessa. A big hello to you), but my pee is a particularly violent yellow. Always has been. Maybe always will be.
I’m notoriously bad at staying hydrated, which not only makes my hangovers particularly torturous but my workouts too; my muscles cramp easily, especially when I’m lifting weights, and motivation levels are a 2/10 because I feel like a raisin, inside and out.
What if there was something you could do about it, and it took 45 minutes as opposed to the hours it takes me to drink the necessary 2-3L of H2O a day? There is, and it comes in the form of a big ol’ drip bag of vitamins hooked directly to your veins for a top up of much-needed fluids and vitamins faster than you can say ‘fad’.
ActIV Infusion – the sister company of the controversial ‘Hangover Clinic’, where you can wipe away the sins of the night before if you have $59.95-$200 and a tolerance of needles – recently launched in Sydney, with a menu of IV vitamin and hydration treatments designed to fight fatigue, reduce post-gym recovery time, maximise hydration and boost immunity.
The whole ideas is that, with a blood stream coursing with essential fluids, vitamins and minerals, you’re better equipped to tackle your health and fitness goals, whether it’s a new training regime, training for a marathon or generally maintaining your swole rig.
But is it all a load of hooey? I paid the Surry Hills clinic a visit to test out the Rolls Royce of IV drips: the ActIV Myers Cocktail (from $297) which is based on the same infusion devised by the famous Baltimore physician Dr John Myers and favoured by everyone from Chrissy Teigen to Cara Delevingne. At $297 a bag, you expect it to be bursting with the good stuff – and it is – vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, B12 etc etc etc.
As I’m lead into a private room to meet the doctor who’ll be jabbing me (yup, all IV treatments are administered by fully qualified, licensed and insured doctors), ActIV Infusion’s co-founder Max Petro runs through the potential benefits of their flagship infusion.
“It’s got everything you need in one,” he assures me. “You’ll definitely notice increased energy levels, improved immunity levels and recovery times, a better mood, and nice glowing skin thanks to a lift in collagen synthesis.”
I’m quietly thinking it sounds too good to be true but my muscles *are* cramped after a 90 minute gym session the day before and I *am* battling to get over a cold that’s overstayed its welcome more than an ex with abandonment issues, so I vow to approach the treatment with an open mind as Doc inserts the plastic tube into my vein with expert precision (it doesn’t hurt, but best to look away if you get queasy).
I’m then lead through to the treatment room, which looks more like a hotel lobby lounge area – all plush recliners, mood lighting and magazines. Doc then brings in my Myers Cocktail, carrying the bag over quite ceremoniously. It looks like it’ll be good for me; the fluid has a yellow tinge, which he tells me is due to all that lovely, beneficial magnesium.
After my vitamin cocktail is hooked up to the IV pole and starts to seep into my bloodstream, I ask Max about the types of people who visit his ActIV clinic with health and fitness benefits in mind.
“We have a wide range of clients,” he says. “Professionals and executives who work hard, train hard and just want to look and feel their best, models whose job it is to look good, people who are just passionate about their health and fitness, and others who sometimes just feel run down and need a little help to get back on track.”
Fast-forward 60 minutes, and my depleted bod has sucked dry not only the bag of vitamins but and a second bag of fluid given to me because I was “quite severely dehydrated“, according to Max (told youuuuu).
Because IV therapy delivers nutrients to the body directly, bypassing the digestive process, it’s supposed to deliver instant results…. so, do I feel like a new person? Vanessa 2.0? Yes and no.
Here are the benefits I noticed, from an hour post-treatment to six.
– My muscles are definitely less painful: they just feel looser, lighter, like a weight’s been lifted.– My blocked nose, a hangover of that cold, no joke went away almost immediately.– My skin has a kind of plumpness to it and, yes, even a bit of a glow.– The veil of fogginess that had settled over me lifted, leaving my overall mood improved as per Max’s promise.
My only gripe, aside from the prospect of having to shell out close to $300 every time I run myself into the ground and want an instant boost, is that I didn’t really notice any longer-term benefits: 36 hours later, I was dehydrated all over again and wishing I had a stash of Myers Cocktail in my fridge. Still, my skin did seem to retain its rested glow for longer than the fleeting results of a spa facial, so I chalk that up as a win.
Here’s my bottom line: yes, this particular treatment is pricey (though there are less expenno treatments, like vitamin C and magnesium infusions that start at $99) and you do feel a little like someone who’s given into the latest health craze as you sit in a lounge room, hooked up to a designer drip.
But if you take your general well being v. seriously, train hard and / or fancy giving your immunity and recovery time a leg-up, then IV vitamin infusions are well worth giving a go at least once. It’s not a miracle treatment but it *is* a nice temporary salve for a thirsty, tired, sore body.
The ActIV Infusion clinic is located at 18 Pelican Street, Surry Hills, NSW. Click HERE for more info on treatments and to book.
Photo: Getty.
