Hydrate IV Bar ventures into franchising with Fort Collins location

FORT COLLINS — Hydrate IV Bar, an IV therapy spa franchise based in Denver, will open the brand’s first franchise location at 222 Linden St. in downtown Fort Collins in mid September. The newest spa location is one of 10 expected to open by the end of 2021. 

Hydrate IV Bar has five corporate locations in the Denver/Boulder area; it recently launched a nationwide franchise program.

The company was founded in 2016 by Katie Wafer, a former Denver Broncos cheerleader and medical sales professional. Wafer struggled to maintain her energy level and, after visiting IV clinics, she decided to create a company that was positioned as a spa instead of a clinic, the company said in announcing the new Fort Collins location.

Wafer joined with friend Amy Dickerson and Dickerson’s husband, Chad Grote, to scale Hydrate IV Bar nationally. The team brought on redC Business Advocacy, a franchise consulting company. That company’s founders, Brendan Charles and Blair Ramsing, signed on as the Hydrate IV’s first franchise owners.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better partnership for our first franchise. Brendan, Blair, and the entire redC team were essential while we established our franchise model earlier this year, so it was a dream to have them sign on as our first franchise owners,” Wafer said.

“Going through the process [of creating a franchise organization,] I got an intimate view of the business,” Charles told BizWest. “The timing was perfect. I have been a Hydrate IV Bar customer for more than three years, and we’ve been working together professionally for more than a year. Now, I am thrilled to deepen that partnership by helping grow a brand that I trust and believe in so much,” he said.

“The Hydrate IV Bar business model was a great fit for us personally, but we also saw how well a service like this could integrate into the Fort Collins community. We were very fortunate during our real estate hunt to find a great location in the heart of downtown Fort Collins, and the rest has fallen together just as seamlessly. Now, we’re eager to open,” Ramsing said. 

The business will have 11 recliners in the 1,400-square-foot facility, but only about half of them will be used at any one time to permit spacing as required by coronavirus public health orders, Charles said. 

The owners aren’t particularly concerned about COVID limitations right now. “This is a health and wellness spa. We’re promoting wellness through IV therapy,” Charles said.

While the corporate locations experienced a downturn in business initially when the pandemic began, “things have picked back up,” he said. Customers are “promoting health within themselves,” he said.

The treatment room at the Fort Collins location features music and visuals so clients can relax while they receive services. The cocktail-style menu offers services for illness, wellness, recovery and beauty, ranging from injections starting at $30 to IVs starting at $69. Hydrate IV Bar also offers a monthly membership. 

Hydrate IV Bar Fort Collins is hiring registered nurses and front-desk staff to join the team. Opening is planned for Sept. 10, and “we’re 98% certain we can hit that target,” Charles said.

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