Who is popular today?

How would you like to get all your vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants without having to take pills? And what if you could get these in a relaxing environment while sitting on a vibrating recliner before you leave refreshed and reinvigorated?
If that appeals, you may want to look into Drippy IV Spa. That’s IV, as in intravenous, not Roman numerals for the number four.
According to the Urban Dictionary, drippy is slang for swag, sauce, steez, style, or juice, and founder and CEO of Drippy IV Spa, Jordanna Hadeed, found the name perfect for her business because, according to her, it is fabulous.
Hadeed told Sunday Newsday she was introduced to the “drips” at her gym. She said her trainer was “always peppy” and looking healthy, which he attributed to the vitamin drips he got once a month from a gym member who was a doctor.
She first tried the drips in June.
“I was going to Miami on vacation and I thought, ‘How am I going to shop and party?’ Because once I go out at night I suffer during the day. So I had my first drip experience before I went on my trip.
“I went for four days and three nights, and I was just on fire. I didn’t stop. I went from shopping to liming or dinner in the evening, and back out in the night. I was just firing on all pistons.”
She said it was about four weeks later when she felt herself “starting to drag” and she realised she had been feeling good for a month.
“At the time, it was just house calls, and that’s how I started getting drips at home. I had also seen it in the US and a couple places in TT. Here, they were at places you would also go to get your facials or lashes with drips at the side. I wanted my spa to be primarily drips.”
She said getting the drips at home was too distracting with visitors coming by, phones ringing, and her children running around. She was wondering how she could get the experience somewhere nice and tranquil when the idea for the spa came to her.
“I probably did three rounds of drips at home when I thought, ‘This is it. This is my next move.”
In addition to wanting people to feel and operate at their best, Hadeed also wanted a more steady source of income, as being a promoter was a seasonal business.
She said, at one point, she thought of adding other spa services, but specialty machines would mean more startup capital, and other services would mean hiring more staff, and she wanted to start sooner rather than later.
[caption id="attachment_991528" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Reporter Janelle De Souza prepares to receive IV fluids at Drippy IV Spa, Regents Towers, Westmoorings. Jordanna Hadeed, CEO and founder of the spa, standing left, and phlebotomist Aricka Murrell are at her side. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
So she opened Drippy IV Spa on October 1 at 102 Regents Towers, Westmoorings. Sessions are done by appointment only, but house calls are available.
However, she said it has been a challenge trying to convince people to make the time for the 60 to 90 minute process when they have busy schedules. But that is only because they do not know how great they would feel at the end.
“When I felt the difference, I had faith in the product. I realised if people tried it once, they would come back. I just had to get people through the door. Like any new business, the struggle is getting people to carve out the time to visit for the first time.”
She has also tried to keep the cost of a session reasonable. She said, in the US, the cost of a session ranged from US$200 to US$400. But she wanted it to be at a price where people could afford to return monthly or at least regularly, similar to how people would visit their barber, hairdresser or do their nails.
“We did some price adjusting, got some customer feedback, and have settled into a nice price between $850 and $950 based on the drip that you get.”
And yes, there is a menu with drip options including the Energiser, Super Immune, Party Too Hard, Beast Mode, the Executive, Beauty Filter, Shapify, and Feeling Good.
For example, according to the spa’s Instagram page, mydrippytime, and its Facebook page, Drippy IV Spa, the Beast Mode drip promotes efficient energy consumption, has protein synthesis for muscle growth and repair, metabolism support, reduces muscle aches and soreness, improves strength and tone, reduces muscle cramps, improves endurance, and improves cellular repair. Which is perfect for gym bunnies or body builders.
The Beauty Filter drip is said to visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles, rehydrate the skin and encouraging natural collagen production, brighten and tighten skin, and prevent/treat cold sores.
After drinking a bit too much, the Party Too Hard drip should help with the hangover as it claims to flush toxins from the body, replenish essential nutrients lost due to alcohol consumption, boosts energy and mood, and eliminate headaches, upset stomach, nausea and vomiting.
All the drips are based on vitamin B complex, and contains non-prescription additives and water-soluble vitamins. Each option is tweaked according to the desired affect, adding fluids, electrolytes, zinc, iron, glutathione – an antioxidant involved in tissue building and repair, L-carnitine which helps the body turn fat into energy, and more.
The menu options could be mixed and all drips are administered by medical professionals. She has two medical doctors on staff doing the drip mixes, as well as a registered nurse and phlebotomist for the application of the IV.
Hadeed said it is important for people to be honest about their health history as there are some health issues that could prevent someone from getting the drips.
For example, if a person is dehydrated, it will be difficult to find a vein to administer the IV.
“But staying hydrated on the whole is important for everyday living. It’s not just for this. Being a former dietitian, being hydrated is always a go-to whether you’re trying to lose weight, gain weight, be healthy, or get a drip. It doesn’t matter. Just be hydrated.”
The client’s blood pressure is also taken before every visit, since putting any fluid in the body intravenously will raise the blood pressure as it increases the intravascular volume of the body. So if the blood pressure is too high, the drips will not be administered.
Also, anyone with a cardiac condition or severe kidney dysfunction is ineligible.
For about eight years, Hadeed was a dietitian who specialised in weight loss.
“People’s eating habits are very emotional things and people were coming in hoping for miracles, but you need to work hard at it. So I got a bit depressed and moved from traditional dietician work to kids eating issues but that was worse. I packed up shop because it was difficult to keep from taking my work home and worrying about my clients, and it wasn’t fulfilling to me anymore.”
Since then she started several businesses. Some worked out well and she sold them, others did not work out, but she said she loves the start up process. And, with Drippy, she has also gone back to seeing to people’s wellness.
“My goal for Drippy is to open a branch in San Fernando, and to have mobile units. Not to take the drips in the unit, but to take it to groups of people where they are. I could see it in boardrooms, at a retreat, or a girls’ lime.
“I could also see us going up the Caribbean islands with it, but, of course, keeping it in a beautiful, serene, relaxing space.”
 
The post Get drippy! Westmoorings spa gives clients vitamin boost using IVs appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.