Every once in a while we all need a good shot in the arm, and at the new DRIPBar in Fort Collins, you can literally get that and more.
The DRIPBar offers IV therapy to help boost immunity, aid in sleep, increase energy and hydrate your body with vitamins, nutrients and minerals.
The Fort Collins location is owned by Windsor couple Joshua and Rebecca Fulenwider.
The business officially opened its doors on April 10 to a packed scheduled of curious newbies and seasoned IV therapy pros.
“I am so excited today. This has taken a long time to get to this point,” Joshua Fulenwider said, beaming as clients packed the lobby. “The neighbors in the strip have been really curious as to what has been going on as it has been getting built out. The nurses we have are great, and everyone is interested in what we are providing.”
FORT COLLINS, CO – APRIL 10:An IV bag filled with solution hangs from a pole during the grand opening of DripBar, an IV therapy medical spa located at 2580 E. Harmony Rd., Suite 101 in Fort Collins April 10, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Staff Photographer) The vibe the Fulenwiders were going for in designing the center was “high-end medical spa,” and the couple has achieved that goal from the welcoming lobby to the procedure area with its soft green and blue walls, accented with crisp white furniture.
The couple first learned about the benefits of IV therapy after Rebecca Fulenwider’s sister was diagnosed with brain cancer.
“We started researching alternative medicines and support medicine; we were grasping at straws at that point,” Joshua Fulenwider said. “We came across this concept as we were working with a franchise consultant at that time, and I just happened to mention it to him about what was going on in our personal lives.”
The consultant suggested the Fulenwiders check out DRIPBaR IV therapy as an option to help their family member, not initially suggesting the company as a possible business opportunity.
FORT COLLINS, CO – APRIL 10:Co-owner Josh Fulenwider speaks to the Tribune during the grand opening of DripBar, an IV therapy medical spa located at 2580 E. Harmony Rd., Suite 101 in Fort Collins April 10, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Staff Photographer) Once they started diving into the research and science behind IV therapy, the Fulenwiders became more intrigued — both as a way to help their sister and as a possible business venture.
“Josh is an entrepreneur at heart and just fell in love with the concept of actual health care,” Rebecca Fulenwider said. “This is the difference between health care and sick care.”
Over the past few years, IV therapy has become increasingly popular around the U.S. According to DaySpa, an online magazine dedicated to wellness and spas, the IV therapy industry is expected to have “tremendous growth in 2021 and beyond.”
IV therapy businesses tout the procedure as the quickest way to get nutrients, vitamins and minerals into your body. With the fluids going directing into the bloodstream via an IV needle, they bypass the digestive system and get sent straight to the proper organs.
“Once you think about it, it makes total sense. Vitamins have to go through your gut, and the gut breaks everything down so of course that’s not all going to get into your bloodstream,” Rebecca Fulenwider said. “I also love that this isn’t the miracle cure. This is a lifestyle choice to promote longevity and general health.”
FORT COLLINS, CO – APRIL 10:Registered nurse Molly Ables, left, places an IV in realtor Mary Jo’s arm during the grand opening of DripBar, an IV therapy medical spa located at 2580 E. Harmony Rd., Suite 101 in Fort Collins April 10, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Staff Photographer) IV therapy can be conducted through mobile businesses that bring the fluids and procedure to clients’ houses, offices or anywhere they wish or at brick and mortar locations like the Fulenwiders DRIPBaR.
IV therapy is a pretty quick and relatively painless process. Clients that come in fill out paperwork and undergo a brief consult with one of the center’s certified nurses. After vitals are taken and the paperwork reviewed, a nurse sets an IV in the client’s arm which is attached to a chosen “mix” of vitamins and nutrients.
Once the bag of fluids has been depleted, about 20 minutes or so, the IV is removed, and the client is on their way.
Some of the IV therapies offered at the DRIPBaR include the Soother, which is a blend of magnesium, B vitamins, zinc, vitamin C and other micronutrients that support mental health and help alleviate muscle tension. The Powerpack, the center’s most popular drip, features a high dose of vitamin C along with other nutrients to help neutralize free radicals.
FORT COLLINS, CO – APRIL 10:The lab where IV therapy bags are mixed and filled is seen during the grand opening of DripBar, an IV therapy medical spa located at 2580 E. Harmony Rd., Suite 101 in Fort Collins April 10, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Staff Photographer) For clients that may not have time for a full IV therapy session, the center offers IM shots that offer a less time consuming option for a boost. Like the drips, shots come in a variety of different benefits such as the IM Detox, IM Lean and IM Strong.
While the IV therapy is short of being considered a surgery, the skin is still broken and sanitation is highly important.
“I’ve seen some stuff and it’s rough,” said Shannon Petteruti, DRIPBaR chief executive officer. “That’s an IV, it’s kind of a big deal; it’s going in your body.”
One of the DRIPBaR’s unique features compared to other mobile and stationary IV therapy businesses is the franchise’s use of USP 797 guidelines, Petteruti said. These guidelines, implemented in the U.S. in 2004, establish a standard of practice designed to “prevent patient harm and fatality from contamination,” as well as sets strict guidelines for sterilization of facilities and equipment.
The center’s hood-vac allows nurses to mix IV bags within a miniature clean room. To access the interior, nurses have to first put on gloves, then put their hands and arms into a thicker set of gloves with that reach into the hood-vac. Once inside the hood-vac, a third pair of gloves are put on for mixing of the fluids.
It takes nearly two hours for the hood-vac’s weekly deep cleaning and shorter 15-20 minute cleanings are conducted daily.
FORT COLLINS, CO – APRIL 10:Registered nurse Molly Ables, left, places an IV in realtor Mary Jo’s arm during the grand opening of DripBar, an IV therapy medical spa located at 2580 E. Harmony Rd., Suite 101 in Fort Collins April 10, 2021. (Alex McIntyre/Staff Photographer) “We voluntarily comply with that so we are held at a higher level for cleanliness and how we mix our bags,” Joshua Fulenwider said. “We want to be extra safe here. I am afraid of needles so that is really important to me.”
In addition to the franchise’s strict sanitation methods, the Fulenwiders were impressed with the entire process of buying into the business and starting their own center — so much so that they are considering opening a second location.
“It worked out really good. I told them initially that I was only interested in the science because of what we were going through, and they were willing to talk to us about it,” Joshua Fulenwider said. “And I got such a warm, welcoming feeling from them, and they just know what they are doing that I wanted to work with them.”