REVIV’s wellness takeover is now in Canada

In need of an IV drip, anyone?

It may have sounded odd 10 years ago, but in today’s innovative and interpersonal economy, cosmetic medicine is a booming business that continues to breed.

Medical spas have become fixtures in major cities across around the world. The “always on” lifestyle has prompted professionals to seek out new ways to obtain streamlined boosts of energy and overall wellness, in hopes of staying rejuvenated, alert and productive.

Enter REVIV.

Formed in 2010 by a group of certified physicians including ER doctor Johnny Parvani, REVIV is a wellness spa that offers infusion treatments and booster shots that are packed full of essential vitamins and minerals. Celebrities like Rihanna, Chrissy Teigen, Kelly Osbourne and Cara Delevingne have already embraced the wellness company that brings the notion of health cocktails to a new extreme. While it may have entered the spotlight for being hailed as the new “hangover cure,” REVIV’s specialized formulations are said to help with everything from hay fever to jet lag.

Available now in four U.S. cities including the inaugural Miami location as well as New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, REVIV has also expanded internationally with 38 locations and counting. The strongest push has been seen in the last two to three years and just last month REVIV launched in Hong Kong, cementing its presence on four continents.

Over 60,000 treatments have been administered thus far and a couple of months ago Canadians juiced into bourgeoning company, launching the flagship REVIV Canada location in downtown Toronto.

So far the med spa has done over 250 infusions, servicing a key demographic of busy young professionals who simply don’t have an off switch.

“Well over 85 per cent is repeat customers,” explains founder & GM of REVIV Canada, Christopher Chapheau.

A young professional himself, Chapheau’s foray into the wellness world was ignited many years ago. A “health nut,” former competitive rugby player and a disciplined fitness competitor, Chapheau instantly found purpose with REVIV and began the process of bringing it to Canada. Believing wholeheartedly in the service, Chapheau continues to practice what he preaches as the main soundboard for REVIV Canada.

Yahoo Canada decided to check out REVIV up close and learn more about its background and why it’s so darn attractive.

How it works

Upon arriving at REVIV Canada, clients begin the intake procedure, receiving a medical questionnaire that asks various questions regarding one’s health background and lifestyle. After filling out the pages you then undergo a consultation with a registered infusion-vetted nurse (hired from top hospitals in Toronto, ERs, and IV teams) where vitals are taken including your heart rate and blood pressure as well as details such as your height, age, sex and weight. If you are fit for a treatment you then speak with a physician (via Skype), and after you’ve been OK’d from him or her you’re good to get infused.

For the first visit expect at least 45 minutes from “walk in to walk out,” according Chapheau. After your first consultation your time in decreases since you’ve already been charted therefore you only need to deal directly with the administering nurse.

As mentioned above, entering the medical spa does not guarantee you a treatment, and as I saw first hand while doing my own treatment (we’ll get into that later), people are turned away. And no doctor’s note will push that no to a yes, FYI.

“We’ve had people come in who’ve thought they were perfectly healthy, but their blood pressure was reading very high so we simply couldn’t and wouldn’t treat them. If someone’s blood pressure is past a certain point we advise them to speak to their physician,” Chapheau says.

He echoes: “There’s zero point in taking any risks as a patient and for us,” and REVIV’s ethicacy, medical protocol and professionalism is what he believes to be instrumental in the company’s success.

As detailed by Parvani: “Treatments are based on the Myers’ Cocktail, which was formed back in the ‘70s at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.”

What you get is a concoction of electrolytes and vitamins – think a mix of B vitamins, vitamin C and magnesium, for example – and the IV treatment can help boost the immune system, energize, curb chronic fatigue and pain, increase alertness and help cure hangovers, among other boasted benefits.

Yet the foundation of REVIV is surrounded around wellness and hydration.

At REVIV, you can receive IV infusions and booster shots, broken up into “health and wellness infusions” and “recovery infusions,” to be more precise. Key to note: in REVIV’s recovery infusions there are medicinal active ingredients such as pain killers, anti inflammatory meds, antacids and anti-nausea meds. Again, the essentials to help treat concerns like the flu, hay fever and so forth.

“The way the vitamins and minerals are being delivered allows you to get instant results and 100 per cent absorption because it’s going directly into your vein and tissue,” explains Chapheau. And since the formulas are water soluble, “anything your body doesn’t use is naturally flushed out, running no risk of toxic build up.”

While it varies with each person, generally results are felt immediately and last for a number of days. The intermuscular injections (a.k.a. the booster shots) are slower to release, providing an “extended benefit that can last upwards of a week.” Each infusion bag lasts between 20 and 30 minutes.

“A lot of customers will come in and get IV infusions and the immediate results make them feel fantastic, lasting a couple of days, but they’ll also get a booster shot to increase the longevity of the wellness effect,” he says.

Services and pricing

REVIV’s infusions include the “Hydromax” (pure rehydration), “Ultraviv” (nausea relieving), “Vitaglow” (glowing skin) and the “Megaboost” (multipurpose health). Oh, and don’t forget about the “Royal Flush,” which is a double whammy: you get two bags (Ultraviv and Megaboost), pushing both infusion and recovery formulas into one. It’s like a double espresso for the body, but with an extra aid to prevent a pummelling crash.

REVIV’s booster shots like “B-12″ and “Slimboost” offer a wedding of energy and metabolism-heightening inducers and they run between $25 and $50. The IV drips ring in between $100 to $150, and $275 for the deluxed-up “Royal Flush.”

REVIV Canada’s medical director, Renier Van Aardt, is the president of the Canadian Association of Aesthetic Medicine (CAAM) and also a family physician based out of Halifax.

In 2000 Van Aardt became interested in laser medicine and by 2004 he had “transitioned completely into cosmetic medicine.” It seemed only fitting to add something like REVIV to his medical arsenal. Two other seasoned physicians from Toronto have been contracted to also assist with such treatments.

Sure, we all hope to guzzle eight glasses of water a day, but actually succeeding in doing that is not a reality for most of us. As Renier notes: “The main purpose of REVIV is hydration; to get your optimal fluid level. The formulations are simply to support health–these are all vitamins that we would get in our diet, but in a much lower concentration.”

“When you take vitamins by the mouth, they actually lose quite a large component through the liver before getting into the bloodstream,” he explains.

The REVIV model

Van Aardt was also the doctor that vetted the roster of REVIV’s Toronto nurses.

“I assessed each of the nurses and their skill set to make sure they had the aptitude to place the intravenous in a clean inflict manner because it should be as painless as possible. We don’t want to inflict any trauma when people are having intravenous infusion treatments,” he explains.

To be clear: you’re not sitting with a needle in your arm. The needle is used for a split second in order to insert the small tube for the IV drip – so if you’re all clammy about needles, take a breath and that’s how fast the prick takes. Seriously.

Chapheau draws a correlation between what REVIV is doing and what one would experience inside a hospital room.

“There’s a reason why when you go to an emergency room at a hospital for whatever illness, one of the first things they do is put an IV in your arm,” he says. “We’re taking the most effective way to deliver any active ingredient to your body that the medical industry has been using for eons and we’re using it to deliver essential vitamins and minerals to your body.”

“It’s not like we are reinventing the wheel,” furthers Parvani. “Sure we put our own spin on it, but essentially we are just commercializing this, offering it in a very non-clinic type atmosphere.

Speaking of atmosphere, REVIV Canada’s set up is tranquil and serene, and houses an open lounge area (there are private room options too) that invites you to shut off while watching looping documentaries. You can also strike up convos with fellow “REVIVers,” expanding your social circle drip by drip.

Treatment frequency

In order to receive a treatment you need to be clinically sober, but the stipulation as to how often you can come in seemingly varies. Yet there is still a criteria: “We won’t let you come in and do more than three consecutive recovery treatments in two weeks,” states Chapheau. “And, this is tracked in our system.”

Van Aardt suggests that clients come in weekly at the very most, but speculates that the average person would probably do a treatment once a month, perhaps on a special occasion or if there is a pressing symptom, for example.

“If there is a reason why you’re feeling more dehydrated, like the flu let’s say, this would be a very good way to give you a boost and help you get back on your feet,” he explains. “Maybe you went to a music festival or a wedding and you’re dehydrated so you need to get yourself back to your normal routine, this can help.”

He also believes REVIV is a better choice than swigging back an energy drink, or six.

“I’m not really a fan of energy drinks because they contain a high percentage of caffeine, which is a diuretic. It may give people a temporary boost but they’ll be a big downer pretty soon after. Not only will they come down from the high of caffeine, but they’ll be less hydrated as well. REVIV is a much more physiological, supportive treatment for optimal health than energy shots would be,” he says.

But don’t look at REVIV as a fast fix that will produce miracle results.

“Health and wellness is a lifetime commitment and something that should bring pleasure and satisfaction to the client,” explains Brittany Gordon, a personal trainer and nutritionist from Caven Nutrition Group.

One shouldn’t neglect the importance of healthy living in this equation too. To obtain optimal health Gordon advises eating whole, natural foods and moving away from overly processed food items. Abiding by these small dietary changes, Gordon’s clients have noted boosts in energy, weight loss and a better digestion.

It’s all about the hunt for balance.

Parvani views REVIV as a combination of eastern and western doctrines.

“Eastern doctrines think of things in accordance with balance – any system with balance is going to function more optimally, whereas, with western medicine, we tend to think of things as diseases and treatments. I like to think of REVIV as a combination of this.”

“Whether it be an external factor, you know like being out in the sun all day and dehydrated, or something internally like a cold or flu, we use western techniques to bring the body back to balance.”

Finding this balance is essential, but balance to me may not be the same balance you need and it is important to also know that one can go overboard trying to obtain this equilibrium.

“It’s definitely possible to go overboard on vitamins and minerals,” Gordon states. “Although our body does a good job of processing and flushing out what it doesn’t need (think water soluble vitamins), when asked to do this too much it becomes taxing on the body.”

Brittany also points out another concern, which is the overuse of micronutrients that could lead to the “creation of nutrient imbalances.”

“Most micronutrients work with each other one way or another. Too much of one and not the other throws off the relationship, which can lead to minor or more severe issues,” she furthers.

According to Chapheau, REVIV Canada’s most popular cocktail is the “Megaboost” since it is a cluster of nutrients (vitamin C, magnesium, etc.,) paired with a “Slimboost” injection (amino acid, vitamin B complex). Essentially you are getting an all-encompassing body pick-me-up and a metabolic boost in one sitting.

Testing the service

After fulfilling the preliminary requirements, it was time to test REVIV’s treatments first hand. As someone who lives a 24-hour lifestyle (it is currently 4 a.m.), has a history of insomnia and sleep deprivation, and is not afraid to admit energy drinks are regular remedies – an option to fuel-up REVIV-style was more than intriguing.

Vein-snapped and ready, REVIV’s “Megaboost” formula was prepped for my intake. During the drip session I felt anxious at first, not because I was sitting with an IV in my arm per se, but because I wasn’t emailing, texting, talking, working, reading – I was doing nothing at all.

While sitting and watching a mob of fish swim through a TV screen, others came into the building. Personally I don’t typically associate IV’s with relaxation so that was an adjustment, one that I think would permeate with more visits.

Nonetheless I got over my batch of first-time jitters and continued to feel the cooling sensation within.

I also played witness to a couple that came in and when one of them failed the screening process, they were politely told that REVIV wasn’t in the cards for them on this particular day. That impressed me.

After about 30 minutes (I didn’t really know when the bag was empty), I was released into the world to feel the after effects of good ol’ REVIV.

Immediately, I didn’t feel too much (full disclosure: I was late and had just over an hour to pack and catch a train out of the city), but soon after I found myself mellowing-out, but still sprouting with energy, if that makes sense. I also felt like I had gotten more sleep than I actually did. Throughout my travelling and the next day the feeling continued; I truly did feel balanced out.

For my next cocktail Parvani’s advice:

“Try the “Megaboost” and “Vitaglow” at the same time and subsequently the
“Slimboost” injection. The “Megaboost” gives you lots of fluids, the “Vitaglow” has the miracle master antioxidant, glutathione, and “Slimboost” will help with metabolism and increase the duration of what you would get from the other two.”

Future of REVIV

“I think the future of this is endless. I like to compare it to botox ‘cause when botox came out 10-15 years ago there was so much controversy, but nowadays it’s become so commonplace. Plus, people are finding new uses for it,” Parvani says. “I really think if we fast-forward 10 -15 years you’d find something like REVIV at every corner.”

REVIV doesn’t just seem like a service, it’s a service as a lifestyle, one that according to Parvani has unintentionally helped improve people’s skin, hair and nails.

All I know is it’s hard not to imagine what’s next: a REVIV club where instead of dancing people chum up while receiving an infusion? Universities where break time is perfect for a REVIV shot? Roving infusion pods that pop up on the regular? REVIV sleepovers? Too far?

Whatever it may become, REVIV continues to expand across the globe and here in Canada, showing no sign of slowing. REVIV is set to expand across the country and you can keep up with all the latest here.