Vitamin IV Is the Wellness Industry Final Boss

A hypnotic fireplace is lulling me to sleep. As I sip turmeric-ginger tea out of a wonky ceramic mug, surrounded by soothing beige decor, my nostrils fill with the heavy scent of palo santo and I lean back and start to sink into the deep, comfortable couch I’m perched on. I’m so relaxed that I feel my eyelids getting heavy until a thought snaps me awake: In a matter of minutes, I’m going to have a giant needle stuck in my arm.

My womblike surroundings are the inner sanctum of Trove Toronto, a wellness centre offering acupuncture, infrared sauna, sound baths and more. But I’m here to get one of its IV drips—a well-rounded cocktail of vitamins that can deliver benefits like increased levels of energy and mental clarity.

The nurse on duty brings me a blanket to snuggle up in, and I’m trying to focus on the soft plinking of the piano in the distance when I feel a sharp jab in my left arm. Soon, I’m hooked up to a bag of fluid hanging from a convenient metal bar affixed to the ceiling. The nurse assures me that the “boost” IV drip that’s currently pumping vitamins A, B, C, D and E and potassium into my system will have no adverse side effects.

Wait, side effects?

She explains that some people who get the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) drip, a coenzyme that supposedly helps generate energy, can experience flulike symptoms such as chills and flushed skin but then emerge feeling better than ever. “We call it ‘the phoenix rising from the ashes,’” she says.

Trove, which opened in 2024, joins a smattering of businesses across Toronto that offer IV drips—including The Scene, Wellness Haus, The IV Lounge and The Clara Clinic—which have been garnering attention in recent years. Once exclusively thought of as a remedy for medical patients or partied-out celebs, vitamin IVs have gone mainstream. A profusion of new medi-spas are banking big on the burgeoning appetite for nutrients delivered directly to the bloodstream. According to one report, the multi- billion-dollar industry is forecasted to grow by more than 71 percent—to over $6 billion—by 2030. Samantha Foley, founder of The Scene, says that IV injections have been one of the centre’s fastest-growing services since opening in 2019. (Its most popular service, by far, is Botox.)

What happened to buying over-the-counter vitamins from the drugstore? While oral vitamins have to travel through the digestive system before they can be absorbed, lowering their absorption rate, an IV delivers a high dosage of nutrients directly to the bloodstream. “It’s almost like a quick fix,” says Cassandra Nimira, a registered nurse at St-Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. Nimira says there’s no proven research that IVs have any extra health benefits over eating well, exercising and taking regular vitamins, but converts tend to swear by their regular routine of IVs or shots.

While at Trove, I meet Rebecca Lyon, a creative operations director at an ad agency. She tells me that after turning 35, she noticed that her energy levels had drastically reduced, so she embarked on a wellness journey, incorporating more exercise and more protein into her diet, and recently started adding NAD+ shots to her routine. After only two doses of the shot, she saw a major improvement in terms of mental clarity (“I’m laser-focused today,” she says when I follow up with her the next day) and is also enjoying much deeper sleep. But it’s not just about the shot; it’s also the social experience. “I would much rather go with a friend for a nice NAD+ shot and a smoothie than a bunch of cocktails,” she says.

“We really do believe that on a subconscious level, the more something hurts, the more effective it will be,” says Jessica DeFino, a beauty critic and author of the popular Substack newsletter The Review of Beauty, referencing the old chestnut “Beauty is pain.” The prevalence of Botox, filler and now Ozempic has inured many people to needles, positioning them as a necessary part of a beauty routine instead of something medical to be feared or avoided at all costs. “Beauty culture in the past 10 years has really pushed this idea that anything you get injected is the best possible solution,” says DeFino.

While vitamin IV therapy can certainly improve conditions for anyone with depleted vitamin levels, they shouldn’t be used as a substitute for a healthy lifestyle, says Nimira. She cautions anyone who wants to go through with a voluntary IV to be aware of the risks. “It’s an invasive procedure,” she warns. A little poke may not seem like a big deal, but an improperly inserted IV can lead to infections or even hematomas.

“Beauty culture in the past 10 years has really pushed this idea that anything you get injected is the best possible solution.”

It’s understandable to want to feel renewed, refreshed and replenished. But why must we always strive to be better? Why can’t we just be? These are the questions I ask myself as the tube is hooked up to my arm and I peruse Trove’s menu of $18 smoothies.

Ultimately, our eagerness to experiment with IVs represents an individualized solution to a socio-cultural problem. We’re tired, overworked and possibly immunodeficient thanks to low wages and overall economic instability, so we’re on the lookout for something to help treat the symptoms but not the cause.

Finally, the nurse removes the needle from my arm and I search for a sign that something has changed. Disappointingly, I feel pretty much the same as I did when I arrived, albeit with a tender left arm. When I get home and go to the bathroom, I notice that my pee is the colour of murky apple cider vinegar, which cursory internet research reveals could be the result of an excess of vitamin B12. I’m ready to write the experience off—until I proceed to have the most restful, uninterrupted sleep I’ve had in recent memory. Perhaps thanks to the IV, I wake up feeling better than I have in a long time.