Here at 5,280 feet, everything from one strong beer to your first (or 50th) fourteener can leave you feeling parched. Fortunately, there’s a new way to quench your thirst without having to tote your Nalgene everywhere: hydration therapy. An export from other dry cities such as Las Vegas, the treatment is essentially on-call, intravenous rehydration. In most cases, a registered nurse or paramedic delivers an IV full of vitamins, minerals, saline, and small doses of medication to get your body back in balance. Recently, Denver has gained several hydration providers, each with a different formula for helping you recover from high-elevation adventuring of every kind.

If you spent your summer: BIKING

5280 September 2016
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Check out: Onus IV Hydration

Opened in May 2015 by avid cyclists, this wellness service’s menu includes treatment options designed specifically for athletes. Its staffers can come to you in a Mercedes-Benz van that co-owner KristyAnderson calls a “living room on wheels.” Once you’re inside, we recommend a hit of the Bolt ($85), a B-vitamin infusion, or the more complex A-Team solution ($115), which comes with B vitamins, amino acids, Toradol (a pain med), and calcium for muscle relief—and enough motivation to head back up the mountain.

If you spent your summer: TANNING

Check out: Hydrate IV Bar

We all know what Colorado’s climate can do to your skin (face, meet ray gun). Which is why we turn to Hydrate IV Bar’s Anti-Aging treatment ($169) for a dose of B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, and glutathione that nourishes your skin from the inside out. You can also use this drip as a supplement to any wellness regimen (think: a way to get additional vitamins). Co-owner Katie Wafer offers $125 monthly memberships, good for one hydration treatment and a B-12 injection, for those who know they’ll be coming back to her clinic.

If you spent your summer: DRINKING

Check out: Divine Hydration Therapies

During their residencies at Denver Health, Erik Adler and Elisa Dannemiller would give each other IVs to recover from having one (or three) too many. Now the emergency medicine physicians bring that service directly to you. If you wake up feeling shaky, book a same-day appointment and one of Divine’s nurses will arrive at your home (or hotel or office) to customize your hangover treatment ($135), hook you up, and then leave. Don’t worry; they’ll return when you’re more inclined to interact with other humans.

Herbal Healing

Find a more natural cure for your cold at Denver’s first tea apothecary.

The next time you get the sniffles, your kitchen cabinet may hold a more potent remedy than your medicine cabinet: tea. In June, Denver nutritionist Robin King and herbalist Lynn Flanagan-Till launched Restorative Rites, a line of medicinal loose-leaf teas. The pair blends 10 specialty teas from organic and ethically harvested plants to combat everything from cramps (the Mean Reds) to a sore throat (Thor Throat). Steep the teas ($12) overnight to fully break down the vitamins and minerals in the leaves, making it easier for your body to absorb the nutrients. You won’t need a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, but you can add one if you’d like.

BONUS: Iced Tea Cubes Recipe

Tea isn’t just for sipping (or curing colds). Nutritionist Robin King uses the versatile leaves in many ways, including her recipe for Iced Tea Ice Cubes.

1. Pour approximately 4 cups of boiling water over 4 tablespoons of Miss Tilly Rosalie’s Beauty Tea in a French press or large Mason jar.

2. Let steep with herbs free floating for 15 minutes.

3. Strain.

4. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze.

5. Add to sparkling grapefruit water with cucumber slices and an optional (but encouraged) splash of gin.

—Photo courtesy of Restorative Rites