By Frank Sabatini Jr. | SDUN Reporter
A new “shot bar and lounge” opened in Hillcrest with a guarantee that you won’t end up with a hangover after indulging in the liquids.
Modern and spa-like, Spark sets itself apart from drinking establishments by greeting patrons with vitamin formulas, syringes and leather IV recliner chairs instead of booze, martini glasses and bar stools. The facility, located at 1010 University Ave., #C-201, marks the first advanced natural medicine clinic to arrive in Uptown.
Popular with the rich and famous for years, the “injectable cocktails” administered in this stylish suite flood the body with various combinations of B and C vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Unlike swallowing supplements or eating vitamin-rich foods, naturopathic doctors assert that our bodies wholly absorb such nutrients when shot directly into muscles or veins, thus leaving recipients feeling both physically and mentally revitalized afterwards.
The injection and IV menus at Spark read like a ticket to the Fountain of Youth. They’re tailored to everything from jetlag recovery and pre-sport endurance to increasing brain power, enhancing libido and relieving hangovers, all without relying on hormones or drugs in their various formulas.
The shots contain three cubic centimeters of nutrients, administered into the glute muscles (buttocks) by a medical assistant. Available in 14 different formulas, as well as customized versions, they range from $25 to $40 per injection. In an eyebrow-raising promotion, however, the clinic features “happy hour” from 3 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, when the shots are $10 off their regular prices.
Unlike the quick needle injections, those opting for IVs receive 300ccs of formula through the forearm. The 45-minute treatments are overseen by Spark’s medical director, Dr. Aliza Cicerone, who earned her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR.
Licensed through California’s Naturopathic Medicine Committee, she is also a fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology.
Recipients of the IVs must first submit to a detailed blood profile, which is provided by the clinic and covered by Medicare and most private-insurance carriers.
“We want to know our patients’ medical histories through in-depth consultations before giving them the IV treatments,” Dr. Cicerone said, adding that their vital signs are checked before, during and after the hookups.
The IV cocktails are also available in 14 types, such as “Energy Boost,” “Cellular Detox” and “Deep Sleep,” designed to calm the central nervous system while balancing cortisol levels. Some of the formulas contain up to 18 ingredients that could include a range of B vitamins mixed with different ratios of selenium, magnesium and calcium for example, or the potent antioxidant synthesized from amino acids, called glutathione.
Both the shot and IV formulas used at Spark are proprietary, which means their contents are conveyed to patients in general terms. They were devised by Dr. Paul Anderson, an authority in IV nutrient therapy based in Seattle. Compared to the popular four-ingredient “Myers cocktail” (magnesium, calcium, B and C vitamins) established some 40 years ago by Baltimore physician John Myers, the mixtures at Spark are customized for specific outcomes.
Bypassing the chic IV lounge marked by silver orbs affixed to mossy green walls, I entered into a small, sunny room for the maximum allowance of two injections per visit.
I randomly chose the “B-Well” and “Zen Master” shots, leaving with a painless butt load of B vitamins and amino acids that included glycine, known for converting glucose into energy as well as repairing damaged muscle tissue and balancing brain chemistry.
Skeptical about detecting any effects, I soon felt simultaneously relaxed and energized. My appetite was mildly curbed for the remainder of the day. More obvious was the chill that had infiltrated my body on this cool, cloudy morning dissipated within 20 minutes without the support of a hot beverage, a sweater, a hike or anything.
Was this the placebo effect? Or was it my body genuinely responding to these concentrated nutrients with the brevity of a dry sponge engulfing water? I’d like to think it was the latter.
“Nobody has come back and said they didn’t feel any benefits from our shots and IVs,” said Dr. Cicerone, touting the feedback of a patient who recently received the “Body Recovery” shot after a weekend involving a CrossFit competition and snowboarding.
“We gave him the shot on Monday and by Wednesday he reported that it made a huge difference in eliminating the soreness and inflammation that he would normally expect,” she added. In the world of naturopathy, his speedy rebound could be partly credited to the inclusion of acetyl L-carnitine in the formula, an amino acid critical for muscle function and repair.
Spark’s co-founder, Aaron Keith, said he launched the clinic based specifically on results from vitamin injections he received after “traveling excessively, eating badly and enduring huge amounts of stress” from his primary job as a business coach.
“I was gaining weight around the mid-section and running on low batteries no matter what I did,” Keith said.
So he turned to Bloom Natural Health in Encinitas and was given a treatment plan based on blood work that included a few dietary changes and vitamin shots to help boost his nutrient levels quickly.
“By the end of the first week I felt so different, with more energy than I had in years,” he said, citing that he now receives the “Max Nutrition” IV at Spark every other week to maintain wellbeing.
Injectable and IV vitamin therapies are ubiquitous in cities like Los Angeles and New York and remain a growing trend in clinics around the globe. Conventional doctors vary in their endorsements for them, with some insisting that the regimens are not magic bullets for combating anxiety, weight gain, fatigue and other ailments — at least not without the support of an all-around healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Cicerone agrees: “Our patients are well educated and understand the importance of combining good nutrition and exercise with our services. It isn’t as though they get a shot, go eat at McDonald’s and think they’ll get skinny. We help people become active players in their health.”
The company also operates a mobile clinic for shots, select IV treatments, blood draws and consultations. For a complete list of Spark’s services, call 888-207-1555 or visit mysparkhealth.com.
