OLD TOWN — An IV-hydration clinic is preparing to open a "spa-like" storefront treatment center on Wells Street.
Whether you are hung over from a night of drinking or dehydrated from a cross-country flight, IVme can perk you up in about an hour, according to Dr. Jack Dybis, who runs the site alongside Dr. Scott Yilk.
The doctors opened their first location in River North as "Revive" in late 2012, but decided to change the name to IVme. The clinic offers "intravenous hydration therapy," which basically means patients get hooked up to an IV and pumped with two to three bags of fluids.
The new 2,000-square-foot location at 1347 N. Wells Street is expected to open on May 1.
Clients to the clinic include people looking to pre-hydrate for a long plane ride, athletes such as marathon runners and those looking for a little extra energy while fighting off a sickness.
On the weekends, though, it's mostly about fighting off hangovers.
The new Wells Street storefront location is surrounded by bars, and will allow for walk-in appointments.
Dybis said the current center has treated bachelor parties and had groups of guys show up on a Saturday morning after a night of drinking.
"Especially here in Chicago, people work hard and play hard," he said.
A basic treatment at the center costs $119 and can run up to $169.
IVme's packages include treatments catering to athletic performance, wellness and vitality, weight loss and fat burning, hangover, jet lag and fatigue and cold and flu.
"It works almost instantaneously for a hangover," Dybis said. "People walk in feeling miserable and walk out feeling awesome. It works."
The current location in River North is located in a fourth-floor space that is tough to find and has relied largely on word of mouth for patients.
Dybis said he hopes the new center will draw in customers off the street.
"Our business is growing," he said. "It looks like something that's going to be really big."
For a new patient, the process is simple: come in, fill out a demographic form on an iPad, see a doctor or practitioner in the office to go over medical history and then relax for 45 minutes to an hour while the fluids replenish your bloodstream.
The intravenous fluids include medications, vitamins and other supplements that can be customized depending on a patient's condition.
The new center will have a lounge area with couches and a television where patients can relax while the procedure is taking place. There are also a number of private rooms with recliners.
Dybis, a trauma surgeon, plans to expand the business to other locations in Chicago eventually.
