IV therapy clinics popping up around the country

(WJBK) - When you hear about an IV, it's easy to immediately think of going to the hospital. But, these days, that slow drip is translating into fast profits at IV therapy clinics popping up all over the country. 

People are flocking to these spa-like settings for the hook up, hoping to leave looking and feeling better. 

Julia Nicalow, for example, tries to visit Curewell IV Haus in Royal Oak at least once a month. She's the owner of a neighboring salon and a mother of three who believes the IV gives her an unmistakable edge. 

"If I feel like I'm coming down with something it can be an immunity boost, or, if i feel like I'm coming down with something busy it can be energizer like Vitamin B," she says. 

This day she's choosing what's called The Goddess IV for $150. The bag of simple saline is fortified with B-complex vitamins, promising to treat everything from acne to premature aging. Once Julia is hooked up, she sinks into a luxurious leather chair and for the next 45 minutes the drip goes to work.  

Former attorney Sabra Evans wanted to bring IV therapy to metro Detroit after trying it herself on the West Coast. As co-owner of Curewell IV Haus, she offers a menu of options. 

"If you're sluggish we might do B12 or B complex. If you're not sleeping well or having anxiety we might do a calm injection," she says. 

IV therapy really started by a doctor in Vegas as hangover cure. For that, doctors agree it works. 

"The idea behind this, is, after a night of heavy drinking, you wake up feeling awful. You wake up feeling awful for very simple reasons: One, you're dehydrated; so you don't have enough fluid in your body. Number two, because you're hurting; your head is throbbing; you feel bad. And number three because you're nauseated," says Beaumont anesthesiologist Roy Soto. 

He says an IV can be a very fast remedy for all those things. 

But what about the vitamins that promise to rejuvenate skin or energize? Medical evidence about the benefit of intravenous vitamins is lacking. 

"Giving IV vitamins generally is not a common thing that we do. I would put that more into a buyer beware category," Soto says.  

But Julia is all in. 

Forty five minutes later her IV treatment is complete and she's very satisfied. 

"Just the hydration alone, just getting that extra fluid into your body will do wonders for your skin, will do wonders for your sleep pattern. All the reasons you drink water? Same reason why you should have it infused," says Evans. 

Everybody does agree hydration makes you feel better.

The cost of IV therapy ranges from $50 to $500 a bag. At Curewell IV Haus, medical professionals are on staff. If you go to an IV clinic, look for medical expertise and a sterile environment.