The Latest Casino Luxury Isn’t a Suite—It’s an IV Drip

Luxury casino resorts are increasingly catering to guests looking to recover from vacation excesses by offering IV therapy to treat hangovers, dehydration, and vitamin deficiencies. Beginning in August, Mohegan Sun in Connecticut will be the latest property to offer the new wellness service.

On Monday (July 20), Mohegan Sun announced the arrival of Second Wind IV Therapy. Located in The Shops at Mohegan Sun, Second Wind offers an array of IV therapies, from hydration and injectable wellness treatments to peptides and weight management.

Second Wind has playfully named its “signature infusions” to appeal to Mohegan Sun’s casino gamblers.

The “High Roller” is a $329 package designed to “support energy, recovery, antioxidant protection, and overall wellness.” The “Full House Defense” is tailored to support the “body’s natural defenses with a carefully formulated blend of hydration, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.”

Second Wind will be open Thursday through Saturday from 10 am until 10 pm, and from 9 am until 5 pm on Sunday.

Casino IV Therapy

Forget the buffet or latest amenity-rich luxury suite—a growing number of casino resort guests are searching out IV drips while on their vacations, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and business trips.

Jeff Hamilton, president and general manager of Mohegan Sun, says Second Wind “offers a refined approach to wellness, recovery, and performance that complements an entire stay with us.”

Mohegan Sun is bringing the IV trend to Connecticut and adding the amenity that its primary competitor, Foxwoods Resort Casino, does not currently provide. Mohegan, however, certainly isn’t the only major casino resort destination to offer on-site IV drips.

The IV trend is today more of a staple in Las Vegas, as numerous prominent resorts, including Wynn and Encore, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, and Resorts World, offer dedicated retail locations for IV therapy.

Drip costs on the Las Vegas Strip can be significantly more expensive than in other parts of the country, with the Clean Market IV Drip Lounge at Wynn Las Vegas featuring a $1,000 package that claims to offer the “highest level of detox.”

Does IV Therapy Work?

After a late night of overindulgence, who wouldn’t want a quick-fix to feel like they just had their beauty sleep? However, the claims IV therapy service providers make remain up for debate.

Health experts say IV fluids certainly rehydrate a person faster than drinking water or beverages with electrolytes because the drip bypasses the digestive system and immediately enters the bloodstream.

For severe dehydration, IV drips are said to be effective in recovery, but for mild dehydration, most people can recover by simply drinking water.

As for IV therapy’s claims regarding detox, immunity boost, anti-aging, and weight management, health experts are more skeptical.

“Very few studies have tested the effectiveness of these vitamin cocktails in people who do not have a true vitamin or mineral deficiency or chronic disease,” Claire Murphy, MD, a pathologist and medical director of PeaceHealth’s Riverbend Hospital Laboratory and Blood Bank in Oregon, told AOL.

Anecdotal evidence or personal stories are not considered strong evidence by scientists. In the end, it just becomes expensive urine, as your body removes all the excess.”

Dr. Claire Murphy

“IV hydration is a great thing for people who really need it. When it comes to these IVs on demand, the short answer is, ‘Buyer beware.’ They are expensive and not clearly helpful in any scientific, proven way,” Robert H. Shmerling, MD, senior faculty editor of Harvard Health Publishing, told the AARP.