When you walk into Drip IV Nutrition & Aesthetics Clinic in McHenry, you can feel immediately that this is not corporate medicine. It’s warm, inviting, relaxed. No sterile lights. No rushed greetings. Instead, you’re met with easy smiles, hellos from behind softly lit counters, and the calm energy of a place built to make people feel better from the inside out.
That feeling is no accident. It’s the product of owner Lindsay’s journey through many demanding years in corporate medicine and the unwavering belief that health care could look, and feel, different.
Lindsay, a nurse practitioner and mother of four, began her career as an ER trauma nurse. The work was intense, sometimes overwhelming, but it taught her something important: she was drawn to women’s health. She later moved into OB/GYN, where she loved helping her patients, but over time she began to feel what so many providers feel today—the weight of corporate systems that prioritize numbers over people. “It became harder and harder to help patients the way I wanted to,” she said. “That’s a trend we’re seeing everywhere.”
A series of moments, each one nudging her forward, ultimately pushed Lindsay to step away and create something of her own. With encouragement from her husband, Todd, an Ironman athlete familiar with IV therapy and the benefits it has for the body, she opened a small IV clinic. At the time, she was still working in women’s health, still balancing motherhood, and Todd stepped back from his career so one parent could be home full-time.
What began as a small, deeply personal leap turned quickly into momentum. “Every time I saw a need, I wanted to fill it,” Lindsay told me. And she did. IV hydration became hormone support, which led to injectables, aesthetics, wellness treatments, and more. Today, Drip has grown to 19 employees including other nurse practitioners, a cosmetologist, an aesthetician, and a team that handles everything from Botox to weight management to skin health. “I want people to feel good about how they look on the outside and how they feel on the inside,” she said. “Both are important.”
What also matters to Lindsay, deeply, is the people who work with her. She is determined to “break the cycle” of burnout and exhaustion that defined her years in corporate medicine. “My employees will never not feel valued,” she said with conviction. She pays for them to receive monthly massages, insists they take lunch breaks, and encourages time off with a simple rule: “Just tell me you’re going. I never want anyone to feel like they have to ask permission.”
And it’s clear the effect trickles outward. The staff exudes the relaxed confidence of people who like where they work. They feel supported and that naturally extends to the patients.
One of those staff members is Brandon, the young, driven nurse practitioner who, like Lindsay, became discouraged by corporate medicine early in his career. Despite earning two master’s degrees in nursing at a remarkably young age, he often felt restrained by systems that didn’t prioritize the relationship between patient and provider.
Drip changed that.
“We’re changing the name of health care in McHenry County,” he said with a smile. He and his husband live in McHenry, and he loves serving the community he calls home. When Brandon talks about his patients, his entire demeanor shifts. He lights up. “I want my patients here for a good time and a long time,” he joked. “I want them invested in their health, and that means we’re collaborative. I’ll educate you, guide you, and listen to you.”
Brandon sees patients for everything from illness visits to Botox to hormone balancing. He believes in a whole-body approach that embraces both traditional western medicine and supportive wellness practices. “Sometimes people just need someone to talk to,” he added. And he means it, deep conversations are part of the care. And Brandon is easy to talk to. His calm, cheerful, and attentive approach is inviting, immediately putting you at ease. An important quality to have when establishing a partnership in your health journey.
Then there’s Karissa, one of two Drip aestheticians. Fresh out of school when she started at Drip, she’s now an expert guiding clients through facials, skincare, and treatment education. She lives in McHenry with her boyfriend and their dog, and she loves working in the same community where she lives.
At Drip, every service begins with a free consultation. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a hormone visit, skincare appointment, or IV hydration, they believe clients should understand their options and feel informed.
On my recent visit Karissa and I talked through my concerns (fine lines and dullness), and together we decided on a HydraFacial. She walked me through each step as if teaching a class—lymphatic drainage to start, exfoliation, extraction, hydration, and even a gentle hand massage while my face soaked in the glow of a red-light therapy dome. It was relaxing, educational, and surprisingly emotional to take an hour just for myself.
Walking out of the treatment room, it struck me that the experience reflected Drip’s larger philosophy: thoughtful care, no rushing, and providers who genuinely want to help you understand your health. That intentionality comes straight from Lindsay.
As she talked about her four children, her eyes filled. “I want them to have everything they dream of,” she said softly. “I want them to see what hard work can create. And I want to build something for them, if they ever want or need a place to land.”
Her vision for Drip is clear: a place where employees feel valued, patients feel heard, and the community receives healthcare that blends compassion with expertise. It’s a vision reinforced by Brandon’s whole-body approach to medicine, and by Karissa’s passion for helping people feel confident in their skin.
“If you build it, they will come,” she said, quoting Field of Dreams. And they have.
What started as a small IV clinic run between shifts and children’s schedules has evolved into a thriving wellness space. Somewhere people come not just to look better or feel better, but to be cared for by a team who truly believes in what they do. At a time when healthcare often feels transactional, Drip offers a model built on intention, clarity, and respect for the patient experience.
"Every time I saw a need, I wanted to fill it."