Top: DRIPBaR, Bottom: Candace Byrnes (Courtesy of DRIPBaR)
There is no shortage of bars in Portsmouth but none that are as unique The DRIPBaR, which opened in downtown in September. Here the cocktails that patrons try don’t have any liquor but rather vitamins. Here patrons don’t kick back with the latest IPA but rather an IV drip customized for their needs, whether it’s recovering from the effects of stress (or a hangover), boosting their energy, boosting their immunity or fighting the aging process.
The DRIPBaR offers a variety of drips containing a myriad of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, all administered by nurses. DRIPBaR is a franchise with 80 locations nationwide, but Portsmouth is the first NH location, opened by Candace Byrnes and her husband Steven.
Health franchises seem to be in Byrnes’s blood. She started working the front desk for Planet Fitness while in college and worked her way up the corporate ladder to vice president of franchise development. Byrnes decided she wanted a franchise of her own and found inspiration after the CEO of DRIPBaR reached out to convince her to come work for him developing franchises.
It didn’t take long for Byrnes to realize it was more than a job opportunity—she had found her franchise. “DRIPBaR was started by a nurse, using the latest advancements of vitamin IV therapy,” Byrnes says. “What made me become so passionate about it is we are a disrupter in the industry much like Planet Fitness was.”
She says before DRIPBaR started, there were businesses providing IV therapy to hungover tourists out of vans in Las Vegas. She says DRIPBaR took the concept further, creating IV drips onsite, hiring nurses to administer them in a relaxing atmosphere and having a team of doctors, nurses and R&D consultants to design the drips, she says. All that convinced her she needed to own her own location.
DRIPBaR offers more than 18 “lifestyle drips” as well as health drips that take about 35 to 45 minutes to administer, she says. A health drip may include a high dose of Vitamin C. Popular drips include those designed to boost immune systems, such as the “Flu Fighter,” “The Shield” and a post viral drip.
“We have drips for going on a plane to build up the immune system. We have drips for energy. We have another for relaxation. We have the restoration drip that is the hangover cure. I have seen it bring people back to life,” Byrne says. “Every client completes a medical form and consults with DRIPBaR’s medical director before being administered drips in the Drip Lounge, which includes comfy chairs. Clients can also opt to have drips administered in a private room.
Most drips cost $199, but if people buy a membership to receive one to two drips a month, they receive 20% to 25% off that price, Byrnes says. For those who do not have time for the drips, they can opt for a shot instead.
Byrnes now has a staff of five, and she is interested in opening more locations. “If I can help people live a better life and get healthy, what better job could you have?” she says. For more information, visit thedripbar.com/Portsmouth.
Current Issue - May 2024