Alternative Wellness: Vail iV Wellness & Recovery

Editor’s Note: The Vail Daily’s Tricia Swenson searched the valley for alternative wellness modalities that are lesser-known and have proven benefits. Follow this series and take steps to improve your well-being and see which offerings work for you.

Let’s face it, you spend a lot of time and money on a ski vacation, so you want to make sure that you feel good for every minute of it. But, altitude sickness, fatigue from skiing and snowboarding all day and one too many drinks last night may leave you feeling less than stellar. Let Vail iV Wellness & Recovery come to the rescue so you can get back to having fun.

IV therapy? Like the needle and all? Yes, that kind of therapy, but the benefit is the fluids, vitamins and minerals go straight into your blood stream. Remember, you’re going home in three days, so you want to make sure you can get back in the game faster.

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Vail iV Wellness & Recovery started treating people in December of 2020. The company is owned by husband-and-wife team, Andrew and Kristin Pilecki. Kristin is an ER nurse at Vail Health and Andrew is an EMT and firefighter at Eagle River Fire and has his master’s degree in business.

“We thought COVID was the perfect time to start a business because even though we both had full time jobs, we had all this extra time since we couldn’t go skiing or anything. So, we decided to do it and bring more wellness to the valley,” Pilecki said.

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Vail iV Wellness & Recovery offers a variety of treatments to help clients with the effects of altitude sickness, immunity, fatigue, hangovers and more.  

“I would say one of our biggest requests is something to aid in altitude sickness. People will come up here every year and say, ‘I get sick, I don’t know what to do,’ and they find us, they try us out and realize how fluids, vitamins and minerals can be administered through an IV and their altitude sickness is gone,” Pilecki said. “We have some people schedule their appointment right after their plane lands because it is that important to them. They get their suitcase in the door and then they’re getting an IV because it helps so much.”

Kacy was an absolute godsend! After feeling horrible with altitude sickness she helped me get back on my feet! These treatments are amazing. Only a couple of hours after treatment I was able to eat and rest. I’m now able to go to the wedding we traveled here for and not miss out on anymore more family fun. Thank you for offering these services and making what could’ve been a horrible weekend, much better.

-Taylor C.

Vail iV Wellness & Recovery comes to you at your home, condominium or hotel.

“We carry a backpack with everything in it, portable IV poles and vitamins and minerals for the concoctions. We’ll also bring oxygen to appointments because the client’s oxygen might be a little low. It can help with altitude sickness, shortness of breath and headaches,” Pilecki said.

I set up my appointment and actually felt a cold coming on. I started feeling the scratchy throat, and wondered how long I was going to have to endure the cold. I told Kristin how I felt, and she suggested I do the Immunity Boost treatment. This treatment helps enhance your immune system, reduce the impact of the illness, increase your body’s ability to heal and absorb iron and create collagen.  

“When you are feeling down and feel a virus coming on, IVs are amazing to nip it in the bud and knock it out in the beginning,” Pilecki said.

There I was, in the comfort of my own home, and Kristin set up everything, took my vitals (they take your vitals before and after) and we talked about what I might feel. I’m not afraid of needles, but I asked Kristin what they do when people are afraid.

“It can be a little scary for some people because, of course, this is an invasive procedure. We are inserting an IV into the vein and people may get concerned and scared around needles. So, we try to calm their concerns and make them realize they can have confidence in us because most of us are ER nurses, we are all currently practicing nurses and have a lot of experience with administering an IV,” Pilecki said.

Vail iV Wellness & Recovery can serve more than one person at a time at your location, and they can help you pick the right treatment for you on-site.

“When we arrive to your place, we will ask you what sort of outcomes you are looking for in this appointment, what are your ailments, how are you feeling? Our nurses are so amazing and trained in figuring out what each specific person needs. Then, they can create the best “cocktail” for each person,” Pilecki said.

Did you ski hard all day? They have a concoction for that. Recovering from surgery? Vail iV Wellness & Recovery can give you an IV that helps with muscle repairs and helps your body start healing. Hangovers? Yes, this can even help you recover after a big night out.

The morning after my birthday I was gifted a vitamin IV from my sister and I cannot express how amazing I felt after receiving it! They came right into my living room, sterilized the area, made sure I was comfortable and explained everything. This was my first experience with Vail iV Wellness & Recovery and it will NOT be the last!!!  If you are hurting after a night of partying or just looking for a terrific healthy boost in your day, give them a call.

-James L.

“If someone’s been skiing a few days and they’re not used to that and they’re muscles are really fatigued, we give them amino acids to help repair those muscles. We have Toradol, which is a souped-up anti-inflammatory that helps with migraines, headaches and muscle soreness. We have Zofran which is an anti-nausea medicine. We can give you Glutathione, which helps with immunity and kidney and liver detoxification. The list is endless and if someone wants something and we don’t have it, they can always contact us in advance and we can try to get it and create a cocktail just for them,” Pilecki said.

I felt fine during the IV treatment and afterwards, Pilecki explained a few things I might experience.

“You’ll have a bruise on your arm where we placed the IV, some people bruise more easily than others. Your urine may be neon yellow because all of these vitamins in the IV fluid are water soluble and not fat soluble, so they don’t hang out in your body,” Pilecki said. “We’re not introducing anything new to your body. It’s fluids, salt, vitamins, minerals and that’s it.”

I will say my cold didn’t last as long and I had very few symptoms the next day. Pilecki also gave me a B-12 vitamin as an add-on to the Immunity Boost and I think that is what I noticed the most. It increases energy and alertness by promoting healthy nerve function, blood cells and muscle cells. It’s not a “caffeine buzz” at all, but I did feel more energized, which was good because I had a busy week at work.

“Each person reacts a little different, just like when you drink an energy beverage or eat certain foods, people can feel one reaction or another,” Pilecki said. “With altitude sickness, I always say give them one sleep so that way it can absorb into your body and people feel amazing by the next day. For hangovers, I always say it cuts your hangover time in half, it almost immediately eliminates your nausea, your headache is almost gone, but each person is a little different.”

To learn more, go to VailIVTherapy.com.