I Tried Infusion Therapy, and Here’s What I Learned

Healthy living one drip at a time

By Todd VanSickle | Jan. 3, 2026

A snowstorm whitewashed the view of Little Traverse Bay as I sat in a leather recliner with an IV in my left arm at Revive Infusions located in Petoskey’s historic train depot in Penn Plaza.

In front of me a television played a continuous loop of a crackling fire on a mountainous beach as a “Reboot” infusion slowly dripped a yellowish concoction, sometimes referred to as a “banana bag,” designed to get me back on my feet after fighting a chest cold for more than two weeks.

Per Revive’s website, the Reboot infusion consists of Zofran and vitamins B1, B2, B5, and B6. The infusion combats dehydration, headaches, and overall achy feelings. There are more than 10 infusions that clients can choose from that are marketed to increase energy and focus, stop the effects of aging, combat illnesses, weight loss, improve skin health, and reduce recovery time to name a few.

Hydration & Health

Two years ago, Aaron Greene and his partner Karolyn Wilder — both psychiatrists—opened Revive Infusions as part of their Beacon Wellness and Psychiatry practice in downtown Petoskey.

Greene said there are many reasons for someone to undergo infusion therapy.

“Number one is hydration,” he said. “Our focus is on an integrative care approach for addressing both the mind and body and how it plays a large role in someone’s wellness.”

Greene added that the therapy is used “to really enhance, in an acute manner, how people are feeling. So let’s say you’re really low on energy, right? That’s probably your B vitamins are low. Maybe your magnesium is low and you have muscle cramping. We’ll do an infusion that has a mixture of the supplements you need.”

Infusion therapy has grown in popularity throughout the United States and is becoming more prevalent in northern Michigan.

A study by Grand View Research valued the hydration infusion industry at 2.64 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to 5.64 billion by 2033 in the U.S. More than two dozen centers are located throughout lower Michigan, with some offering mobile infusion therapy services.

The growth can be attributed to more people taking a preventive personal approach to their healthcare and are opting for alternative practices, like infusions, over traditional medicine. Infusion therapy is also becoming more popular in the world of aesthetics and athletics, while partygoers are hooking up with an IV for a quick fix before or after a night of revelry.

My Experience

Doing something beneficial for my health was appealing, and an infusion at Revive seemed like a right fit for me. However, my fear of needles thought otherwise. Seconds after the IV needle pierced my skin, my temperature rose, sweat beaded up on my forehead, and my mouth ran dry.

“It is a vasovagal response,” Greene calmly said as he waved a freshly opened package of smelling salts below my nose and reclined my chair. “It is common. It happens to my wife every time.”

He brought me a blanket and a small bottle of water and continued to hook up the IV to the bag of ‘Reboot.’ Greene explained that I was very dehydrated and I agreed. Prior to my appointment I drank a pot of coffee or more—a daily routine.

As the infusion made its way into my bloodstream, my hands turned cold and I pulled the white fluffy blanket over me and started to relax. The smell of a eucalyptus-scented candle wafted in the air as Norah Jones played in the background. The space feels more like a day spa than a doctor’s office and that is exactly how Greene wanted it—who did most of the renovations to the historic train station himself.

“When we started this, my partner and I went and tested other places,” Greene said. “We had several different infusions at different clinics trying to see what we liked and what we didn’t like. Which one did we feel more comfortable in; who explained things the best. And [we] really tried to put all that together.”

On average, it takes about 40 minutes for an infusion and the effects can be felt within 30 minutes to an hour and can last up to a week depending on the patient, Greene said.

For me, the infusion took longer—a lot longer, something Greene attributed to my severe dehydration. However, I did feel rested and at ease when the IV came to its last drop.

Appointments & Cost

Greene is a specialized psychiatric physician assistant and Wilde is a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Both administer infusions and hope to hire a nurse and offer more services, like oxygen therapy, as the business grows.

“Together our main role is medicine management and in our clinic we have incorporated the infusion center, which has been a wonderful addition,” Greene said.

Clients can schedule an appointment online or walk-in on Fridays. The check-in process is straightforward with clients answering a few questions about their health and medical history through an app on their phone or on a tablet available in-house.

Revive screens patients and would turn away someone who may be at risk of an adverse reaction to infusion therapy, including having an infection, liver damage, or a history of congestive heart failure.

“This is considered experimental, and we do have people sign a waiver for it, which is standard,” Greene said. “This has been kind of a selective luxury service for a higher income class. However, our goal when we opened this was to make it available to everyone.”

Many infusion therapy centers, like Revive, have subscriptions that allow clients to sign up for monthly treatments to make the procedure more affordable. Revive charges $150 per infusion with an option to add-on other vitamins, antioxidants, or minerals for an additional cost.

Growth & Awareness

The infusion business is growing slowly in northern Michigan, but Greene expects things to change.

“We have visibility downtown for the most part, and the response has been very good,” he said. “It just has grown slowly because I think infusion medicine, which has been popular in more populated or urban areas for many years, is really now just picking up steam locally.”

Revive sees a greater demand for infusion therapy during the summer when more tourists are visiting the area.

“We get a lot of people saying, ‘Hey, I’m up here on vacation and I’m sick. I need an infusion,’ or ‘I’m running a local race,’” Greene said. “The Charlevoix Marathon was in town, and we had people come in pre-race for an infusion, and they would say things like, ‘Yeah, I get an infusion once every two weeks back where I’m from.’ It is just more common.”

He has also received an inquiry from a local high school football coach to have infusion therapy for his players. “As long as their parents bring them in,” Greene responded, as infusion therapy clients must be 16 years or older.

A doctor referral at Revive is not required, but patients often come with a doctor’s recommendation, Greene said. He sees clients who are fighting symptoms of long Covid-19, seasonal depression and morning sickness during pregnancy.

Infusions are also becoming more attractive for individuals who want to look good.

“It became more popular in the esthetics world because we can do different vitamins and things that help build up skin, clear complexion, and things like that,” Greene said.

Other infusions can aid in weight loss treatment and aging, Greene said, or improve the healing process after a surgery.

“I just had a gentleman who had a shoulder injury with inflammation for years and he did not want any surgery,” Greene said. “We did an NAD infusion and it worked quite nicely. It may not be permanent, but it allows for him to rehab in the right way or continue NAD injections at home, just a small little insulin needle, instead of traditional medicine.”

NAD-plus is a vital coenzyme found in all living cells needed for metabolic processes, including converting nutrients into energy and repairing damaged DNA. Levels of NAD-plus naturally decline with age and stress, Greene said. NAD IV therapy is not approved by the FDA.

“It really does work,” Greene said. “I’m telling you, it is wild. And even if it’s temporary, what we find is it just kind of gives the brain and the body physically a feeling of ‘I’m okay,’ because it goes to work so quickly.”

Pros & Cons

Not everyone is a believer that infusions are a cure-all, with skeptics suggesting that vitamins and supplements can be just as effective if taken orally; however, Greene disagrees.

“What we know is that vitamins taken orally have minimal absorption,” he said. “When it’s through an IV, you have a 95 to 99 percent absorption of those compounds you’re infusing, and they go to work right away.”

He added that it is no different than a dehydrated patient being administered an IV with a saline solution at a hospital. According to the National Library of Medicine, 80 to 90 percent of patients admitted to a hospital are given IV therapy in some form. Greene said most ingredients in an infusion are water-soluble and filter through the kidneys, so getting too much of something is not a concern.

Before making an appointment at an infusion center near you, do your research: The FDA has released warnings about infusions alerting the public about unregulated infusion spas operating under insanitary conditions and compounding drugs in the infusion therapy that may lead to liver damage. Infections from improperly administered IVs have also raised concern.

After my infusion I had lunch and made the one-hour drive home. When I got out of my vehicle, and realized I didn’t moan or grunt in agony like I normally do. Maybe it was coincidence or wishful thinking. So, in the name of journalism, I put the IV therapy to a final test: I imbibed four 12-ounce Upper Peninsula-crafted IPAs in the comfort of my home knowing I was well hydrated.

By the next day, I came to the conclusion that another infusion session might be in order.