Deana Grove, the high-energy and welcoming manager of DripIV in West Bloomfield, puts me in a heated massage chair. It’s instantly clear to me that DripIV is a med-spa environment.
I’ve had IV drips myself locally, from a holistic doctor, and they worked, but the environment…well, let’s say I felt like an invalid. Sitting in the massage chair at DripIV, I feel like a king.
Soon Mark McManus III, the founder of DripIV, joins me. Mark tells me he was diagnosed with ADHD in college and put on Adderall.
At a coffee shop one day, Mark started chatting with another patron named Chaz. Mark shared his diagnosis.
“Chaz is like, ‘I used to take Adderall—I don't take it anymore. I do IV therapy. I own a clinic. Have you ever tried an IV bag? I'll give you a free one.’ He gave me glutathione, B-12 and B-complex with taurine.
“The next day, I go hiking, go to my advanced mathematics class—I’m killing it. A week later, I want to do it again but I can't afford it. I was studying accounting, so I prepared Chaz’s books in exchange for free IV treatments. I quit taking Adderall. Everything changed.”
The following semester, Mark created an IV-therapy business model that took second place in a create-your-own-business competition. Together with his father and grandfather—entrepreneurs themselves—Mark turned DripIV into a reality.
“My dad’s like, ‘We need the best medical director in town.’ He wanted the highest quality. Working with them to start this was the coolest thing I've done in my life. I wasn’t son or grandson—I was more of an equal.”
Their medical director took eight months to create DripIV’s formulas and blends.
“We tested them, made sure that they were the best nutrients, the best ingredients. There's a lot you can do wrong in IVs. There’s a reason people travel from as far as Toledo to see us. I think we’re the highest-quality IV therapy clinic in the country.”
Down the hall, Andrew Szewc, a local wealth advisor, is getting his IV. Andrew’s been coming to DripIV for years.
“I come to take care of myself outside of the conventional, run-of-the-mill medical program,” Andrew tells me. “I’ve got to be on my game at all times. And this is a way for me to also relax. I look at it as a retreat for being proactive with my health.”
Andrew’s custom IV contains B-12, a high dose of vitamin C, magnesium, and a ‘signature drip: a push of amino acids and glutathione.
Jaymi Hall and Kelly Stubbs are getting IVs as well.
“We had gone to another place but we didn't have a great experience, and the person wasn't knowledgeable,” Jaymi says. "We started here in March and we've been back every month ever since.”
Jaymi has rheumatoid arthritis; she gets the anti-inflammatory drip.
“I didn't have pain, like, for 10 days after I got my first drip,” Jaymi recounts. “That's what made me try again. And then we kept coming. And then we got the membership.”
“This is our time,” Kelly says. “It’s truly a bonding experience. And then we feel better when we leave.” Kelly sometimes brings her mother, who has dementia. “You feel her brain waking up,” she notes.
Mark says DripIV’s medical solutions are customized for each patient. The many oncology patient referrals they get, for example, get specific nutrient-driven therapy. “We can also do micronutrient tests and prescribe peptides,” Mark informs me.
I’ve lived in Los Angeles, home of some of the finest medical spas in this country. I tell Mark that DripIV reminds me of an LA spa.
“When we were looking to design this,” Mark replies with a smile, “my dad and I checked out ten LA-area IV spas for inspiration. The environment says, ‘Take a step out of your life, relax, escape and know you're doing something good for yourself.’”
I ask if DripIV has built a connection with the West Bloomfield community.
“I'm a former speaker for United Way,” Deana responds, “so I've been invited to quite a few of West Bloomfield’s senior centers. Our seniors are often dehydrated because they don't like to swallow. And they won't tell anybody.”
Mark’s answer shocks me.
“During COVID, they allowed us to stay open because of medical necessity. We gave away free vitamin C treatments to anyone working at a hospital: janitors, doctors, nurses. We gave away probably $300,000 of IVs. I was more than happy to because it was really helping people. High doses of vitamin C and zinc make a big difference.
“We've done probably 100,000 IV treatments now and we've never had a bad review. I can't tell you how many clients say we've changed their life. It gives me peace. To see positive changes in people makes me really happy.”
To feel the benefits for yourself, visit dripiv.com or call (248) 955-1616.
I can't tell you how many clients say we've changed their life. It gives me peace.
I’ve got to be on my game at all times. And this is a way for me to also relax. I look at it as a retreat for being proactive with my health.