IV drip clinics in Seoul: four compared

IV drips, 수액 (suaek) in Korean, are sold in Seoul as cures for hangovers, jet lag and tiredness, as skin treatments, and as a boost during recovery from cosmetic surgery. They are not surgery, but they are a medical procedure: a needle in a vein, a bag of fluid, and whatever has been added to it. This page compares what four Seoul clinics that offer drips in English publish about them, under the same headings for each, and sets that against what the evidence says.

How the four were chosen and checked

VEI Clinic comes first. The other three came up in English searches for “iv drip seoul clinic”, “hangover iv seoul”, “glutathione drip korea clinic seoul” and “iv therapy seoul english clinic” on 30 September 2026, after leaving out listing sites, a clinic that withholds its IV details, and sites whose operator could not be confirmed, and follow in alphabetical order. They are spread across three districts: Gangnam, Jung-gu and Mapo.

Each was looked up in the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s hospital information service, which lists the doctors and specialists a clinic reports, and in the medicalkorea registry of institutions registered to attract foreign patients. All four are registered clinics (의원), and all four are on the registry with status active. None of the four lists IV drips among the non-covered prices it reports to HIRA, so the prices below come from the clinics’ own pages.

What the evidence says

The most direct statement comes from the American College of Clinical Pharmacology. Its 2024 position statement on hydration and vitamin infusion clinics found little evidence that these infusions provide benefit, because the clinical trial data is lacking, and concluded that there is little to no evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks. It recommends infusions only with physician approval for a valid medical reason. The best-known formula, the Myers’ cocktail, was tested against placebo in a small pilot trial in patients with fibromyalgia, and no statistically significant difference was found.

According to the ACCP, possible dangers range from infusion-site reactions to thrombophlebitis, cellulitis, blood clots, fungal infection and septic shock, and it cautions that the fluid may not be tolerated by those with kidney, heart or liver disease. In Korea, infection is no theoretical concern: in September 2018 the country’s disease control agency reported suspected septic shock in patients who had received IV infusions at a clinic in Incheon, with Serratia marcescens detected in their blood.

Glutathione is sold as a “white jade” drip for lighter skin, and the sources we found on that use raise both evidence and safety concerns. The Philippine Food and Drug Administration warned in 2019 that no published clinical trial had evaluated injectable glutathione for skin lightening, that it had approved no injectable product for that use, and that reported side effects included toxic effects on the liver, kidneys and nervous system. The same advisory notes that large doses of vitamin C have led to haemodialysis in people with G6PD deficiency. A 2025 review associated intravenous glutathione with anaphylaxis and liver toxicity, made worse by the lack of standard doses.

The English translation of Korea’s Medical Service Act that we read describes nurses as assisting in treatment under the guidance of a physician; we did not find a rule specific to vitamin drips, or check later changes to the law. With the ACCP’s recommendation, that is why the first heading below, for every clinic, is who decides what goes in the bag.

VEI Clinic

Who sees you. VEI Clinic (베이의원) is on the third floor of Beneheim City, 162 Apgujeong-ro, Sinsa-dong, a minute from exit 5 of Apgujeong Station on Line 3. It describes itself as an internal medicine clinic. Its one doctor, Dr HyunSung Park, is listed on the about page as an internal medicine specialist and gastrointestinal endoscopy subspecialist, ECFMG certified, who lists a clinical professorship in gastroenterology at Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital. The IV page says every drip is prescribed after a consultation with the internal medicine specialist, covering symptoms, history, current medicines and vital signs, with blood tests where needed, before deciding whether to give an IV at all.

What goes in. Thirteen drips and injections, among them a Myers’ cocktail, glutathione, vitamin C, NAD+, hangover, immune, liver, sleep, hydration and headache drips. The pages list ingredients by type rather than dose: the Myers’ cocktail page gives fluids and electrolytes, magnesium and calcium, B vitamins and vitamin C, with the formulation set after the consultation. Drips are given in private rooms with monitoring, and several pages give about 30 to 60 minutes for the infusion. A post-procedure drip is offered to patients eating less or tired after dental, dermatology or cosmetic procedures; the page asks them to bring the discharge instructions from the clinic that did the procedure, and says anti-nausea medication is chosen not to conflict with their post-procedure medicines.

What it claims. Several of VEI’s drip pages state the limits of the evidence. The Myers’ cocktail page says few studies support vitamin IVs for people without a deficiency; the glutathione page says the evidence for whitening is insufficient and that regulators elsewhere have issued safety warnings; the hangover page says the drip does not make a hangover go away and is supportive care. The post-procedure page says that drip does not reduce swelling or bruising. The main IV page, however, describes a drip combined from “five areas”, including “prevention of degenerative brain disease” and “detox”, without evidence for either.

Price. Not published.

For visitors. Every IV page exists in English; the staff’s languages are not stated. Booking is by phone or KakaoTalk, and the clinic asks people who want a drip straight away to call first to check a room is free. Its location page gives Monday, Thursday and Friday 10:00 to 19:00, Tuesday to 20:00 and Saturday to 16:00, closed on Wednesdays and Sundays; a Q&A on the IV page says it is open until 20:00 on Saturdays too, so check before a Saturday visit.

Public records. One physician, an internal medicine specialist, appears on the HIRA list. Registration for foreign patients is in place.

Clionic ENT & Sleep Clinic

Who sees you. Clionic (클리오닉이비인후과의원) is on the second floor of 251 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, by exit 13 of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station. It is an ear, nose and throat and sleep clinic. Its one doctor, Dr Younghoon Cho, is described as a board-certified otolaryngologist certified in sleep medicine, and the IV page says its specialists consult in English and design each protocol rather than offering menu drips.

What goes in. Glutathione; Ferinject, an intravenous iron, which the page says is given only after a physician has reviewed your blood results; Histobulin for rhinitis; and a nutrition drip of amino acids, lipid emulsion, electrolytes and micronutrients. It also mentions hydration, immune, anti-inflammatory and jet-lag options. Infusions are given in a private room with a bed. The duration is not stated.

What it claims. Glutathione is said “to support detoxification pathways, antioxidant defense, and post-inflammatory recovery”, and Histobulin is said to help “restore immune balance”, with no evidence offered for either.

Price. Published in won: glutathione 40,000, Ferinject 50,000, Histobulin 70,000 and the nutrition drip 90,000.

For visitors. The phone line is Korean only; English is by WhatsApp or Facebook, and booking is through Naver, Calendly or KakaoTalk. The clinic says it bills several international insurers directly, including Cigna and BUPA. It is closed at weekends.

Public records. HIRA lists one doctor, an ear, nose and throat specialist. Foreign-patient registration is active.

Forena Clinic

Who sees you. Forena (포레나의원) is on the seventh floor of H-CUBE, 140 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, by exit 9 of Hongik University Station. The site lists four doctors, led by Dr Jihye Yeom, with society memberships and training but no specialist certification. Its IV page says “our team” helps choose a drip in a one-to-one consultation and asks you to mention health conditions and medicines; it does not say a doctor makes the choice.

What goes in. A signature cocktail of vitamin B, vitamin C, glutathione and alpha-lipoic acid, and single drips of glutathione, alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin B and vitamin C, with vitamin D as an intramuscular injection. Drips take about 20 to 30 minutes.

What it claims. Faster absorption “bypassing the digestive system”, and vitamin D that “may help with bone health and overall immunity”.

Price. Published in won, including VAT: 55,000 for each single drip or injection and 163,900 for the signature cocktail.

For visitors. The team replies in English, Japanese, Thai and Chinese. It is open every day, including public holidays.

Public records. HIRA lists four doctors and no specialist. Foreign-patient registration is active.

RE:BERRY Clinic Myeongdong

Who sees you. RE:BERRY (명동리베리의원) is at 58 Myeongdong 10-gil, Jung-gu, two minutes from exit 8 of Myeongdong Station on Line 4. Its IV page describes the head director, Dr Baek Seung-Jae, as an “Aesthetic Medicine Specialist”; aesthetic medicine is not among the specialties HIRA lists for the clinic. The IV page says every session begins with a physician consultation, which it puts at ten minutes; the hangover page puts the consultation at 60 to 90 minutes. The IV page also says vitamin C above 15 grams requires a G6PD test.

What goes in. Glutathione, vitamin C, NAD+, immune and fatigue drips, plus bespoke blends, with stated ranges of 10 to 25 grams of vitamin C and 600 to 2,400 milligrams of glutathione. The hangover drip is described as a litre of saline with B vitamins, vitamin C and glutathione. Infusions take 20 to 45 minutes, with a nurse checking every five to ten minutes.

What it claims. “95-100% nutrient bioavailability”, and for the hangover drip that headache intensity “drops 40-60%” and nausea “resolves in 1-2 hours”. None of the hangover figures comes with a source.

Price. The only price given is a starting one, from 59,000 won including VAT; the consultation confirms the exact figure.

For visitors. Consultations in English, Japanese, Chinese and Spanish, and contact by WhatsApp or Kakao. The home page says walk-ins are welcome and gives opening hours every day of the week; the IV page’s own table says booking is required.

Public records. HIRA lists seven doctors, of whom one is a specialist, in psychiatry. Foreign-patient registration is active.

Side by side

Before you sit down for a drip

• Who is deciding. The ACCP recommends that people receive infusions only if a physician approves them for a sound medical reason.
• What is in it, and how much. Only RE:BERRY publishes doses; the Philippine FDA’s warning about high-dose vitamin C and G6PD deficiency is a reason to ask.
• Kidney, heart or liver disease, which the ACCP says can make people more sensitive to the fluid load.
• Recent surgery. VEI asks post-procedure patients to bring the discharge instructions from the clinic that operated; the surgeon who wrote them is the person to ask. Recovery after surgery in Korea covers what the first weeks are like.
• Get the price before the needle. Three of the four publish prices; VEI does not publish one or say when it quotes.

If you are in Seoul for an operation, eyelid surgery clinics in Seoul and breast augmentation in Seoul compare clinics in the same way.