What Actually Happens During an IV Therapy Consultation at Zenith Wellness Lounge?

Every infusion begins with a clinical consultation, where a registered nurse reviews your health and confirms the most appropriate treatment for you. This assessment guides whether we proceed with your booked infusion or recommend an option better suited to your needs. We only prepare your infusion once the consultation is complete and your nurse has confirmed it is appropriate for you, because everyone’s body is different on the day, the week and the month.

Your Visit, From Arrival to IV Infusion

Plan on about 60 minutes all up, and that includes your consultation.

Every visit starts with a chat with one of our registered nurses, whether it’s your first time or your fiftieth. We ask how you’ve been, whether anything has changed with your health, and whether you’ve been unwell in the last week or so. On your first visit, we also take your full medical history, which we cover in more detail below.

Once we’ve agreed on what you’re having, we create the infusion on site. In most appointments, what you leave with isn’t quite what you booked, and that’s normal. Regular clients often tell us what they felt good with last time, and we custom it from there.

Then it’s your time. You have your own private room, so bring a podcast or a book, or just close your eyes. Some clients meditate, and some have a sleep. The drip usually feels cold as it goes in, so bring a light jumper. We have blankets and heating as well.

We Start With Your Medical History, and It’s Non-Negotiable

Without your medical history, we can’t say a treatment is safe for you. So we will not treat you. There’s no workaround for this one.

Before your appointment, you fill in a medical form that asks about your health conditions, allergies and medications. You sign it to confirm everything on it is understood, which is also how we record your consent. What you disclose is up to you, but we can only work with what you give us, so the more complete it is, the better we can look after you.

What we’re listening for is mostly your conditions, because that’s where an ingredient can turn out to be a poor fit. If you have asthma, for example, you can’t have our antioxidant IV. Most people have no way of knowing that before they walk in, which is exactly why the consultation comes first. Medications rarely interact with what we give, though we still take a full list. Conditions are what can rule an ingredient in or out, so we need to know about any active investigations into your heart, kidneys or liver. We also need to know if you are going through chemo, or are under a specialist’s care, and who that specialist is.

Why We Mix Your Infusion After We’ve Talked

We make up every infusion on site, and only once the consultation is finished. It’s common for us to chat with someone and land on something different from what they expected, so mixing in advance would mean assuming we already know what your body needs. We talk, we decide together what you’ll have, and only then do we create the customised infusion.

You Don’t Have to Know What to Book

Plenty of people book without knowing exactly what they’re booking for at the time. When someone’s unsure, they usually book in for The Pinnacle, which is an all-rounder infusion. That’s a fine place to start. Once we’ve spoken with you, there’s often another IV better suited to what your body needs right now.

For example: a client recently booked Glowtime, which is aimed at skin, ahead of a trip away. During the consult it came out that she’d been quite sick with a virus and was worried about having no energy while she was travelling. We moved her to a Pick-Me-Up, which kept the Glowtime ingredients and added one focused on energy and recovery, to help with the lingering symptoms a virus can leave behind. She was happy with the swap. A skin-focused IV isn’t only about skin either. Your skin, your energy and your mood are connected, which is why we think of every treatment as a whole body experience.

What If the IV Doesn’t Go Ahead?

It’s uncommon but people do know it’s possible before they arrive. The two main reasons are being acutely unwell on the day, or veins our nurses can’t safely use. In those cases we either rebook you or change what we’re offering. We also do booster shots, which are injections into the arm, much like a vaccination, so there’s another option on the table when an infusion isn’t suitable.

The other reason is a missing medical history. Without it, we can’t say a treatment is safe, so it doesn’t go ahead.

Occasionally, someone’s health means they’d be safer having treatment with doctors close by. We aren’t set up as a medical clinic, so we tell them that plainly and point them to clinics across town that are staffed by doctors. If something were to go seriously wrong, we want that person in a safe place, with doctors in the room. People are generally very respectful of that.

Setting Realistic Expectations

The first questions we hear are usually “How many do I need?” and “When do I come back?” For many people it’s their first IV, so we use this part of the consultation to explain what to expect, and to provide honest answers relating to questions prompted at this initial consultation.

If you have a good baseline of health and you’re dealing with something new, such as fatigue after a virus, a cold or flu, a big trip overseas or a stretch of heavy work, one to two infusions is often enough. How quickly you respond depends on how sensitive you are to the vitamins, minerals or amino acids we give you, and where your body is at on the day.

If you’ve been exhausted for years, or you’re living with something like an autoimmune condition or chronic fatigue, we’ll tell you straight that it will take longer. It’s not a quick fix. Think of it like going to the gym: you don’t do some sit-ups once and have a six-pack for life. It’s ongoing maintenance.

For many clients we suggest two treatments within two weeks, then reassess a month later and see how you’re going. After that, depending on who you are and what’s affordable for you, most people settle into monthly infusions or one every quarter. Results vary, and we’d rather you hear that in a consultation rather than having an expectation that is unrealistic.

Getting the Most Out of Your Visit

A few things make the visit easier and the conversation more useful:

1. Fill in your medical form completely and honestly, including conditions, allergies and every medication you are taking.
2. Tell us who your specialist is if you’re under one, and mention any active investigations or recent illnesses.
3. Have something to eat and drink beforehand. If you’re coming in at 10, have breakfast. Being hydrated helps the nurse find a good vein, and a bit of food in your stomach stops you feeling queasy.
4. Wear something comfortable that gives easy access to your arm, nothing tight.
5. Come with a goal rather than a fixed menu choice, and be open to the possibility of us recommending something different.
6. Ask us why. We’ll always explain the reason behind a recommendation, and we’ll tell you when something isn’t right for you.

There’s no need to bring your Medicare card, as IV therapy can’t be claimed on a Medicare rebate.

If you’re thinking about iron specifically, our page on iron IV therapy in Black Rock explains how that works for adults with a diagnosed iron deficiency.

When you’re ready to book, call us on 1300 631 606 or email [email protected]. We’re at 10 Bluff Road, Black Rock VIC 3193.