frequently asked questions
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what is kuya?
Kuya is a wellness center that offers a new model of healing from mental illness and head trauma, as well as everyday therapeutics to support wellness. We combine integrative psychiatry, psychedelic-assisted therapy, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, functional medicine, and life design—all under one roof. Our goal is to support your brain, body, mind, community, environment, and relationships.
At Kuya, our doctors practice Transformational Medicine. We combine clinical aspects of psychiatry and regenerative medicine with optimization tools for total wellness. We also offer therapeutics like float tanks, IV infusions, and hot/cold therapy to support healing as well as everyday wellness.
We treat psychiatric conditions including depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). We also treat the neurologic experience of Post-Concussive Syndrome (PCS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
Our medical team is comprised of specialists in psychiatry, neurology, and psychotherapy who are trained in psychedelic-assisted therapy. We work closely with an advisory board of trusted wellness practitioners who have dedicated their careers to transforming the field of medicine. To read more about our practitioners, please visit Our team.
treatment plans + therapeutics
For those seeking healing, our Basic Diagnostics is the first step in your journey. This package includes blood work, genomics, a psychological assessment and mental health diagnosis (if applicable), a cognitive assessment (performance, memory, and sleep), a lifestyle assessment, a nutrition and lifestyle optimization plan (taken from blood work and genomics), and a 60-minute health plan discussion with a Kuya clinician. Start with a consultation here.
If you want to use our everyday therapeutics like float tanks, IV infusions, or hot/cold therapy, you can schedule a float here or drop in for the rest.
No.
Start by reading through the website, which offers a comprehensive overview of our treatment philosophy and the therapeutics we use. Once you have an appointment booked, we will also supply you with onboarding materials.
This depends on what treatment you’re coming in for, e.g. IV infusion, psychotherapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, etc.
This depends on the condition we are treating and what your goals are. This is something you will discuss with your doctor before treatment begins.
This is highly individualized and everyone’s process is unique. When we create your personal treatment plan, we can discuss this in more detail.
For a full list of treatments and therapeutics, please visit Our offerings. Some of them include individual and group psychotherapy, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, flotation therapy, IV therapy, hot/cold therapy, and neurofeedback.
This means using a legal FDA-approved psychedelic medicine such as ketamine to support the psychotherapeutic process.
Ketamine, which is the psychedelic medicine we offer at Kuya, has been legal for 50 years. We estimate that MDMA- and psilocybin-supported therapy will become legal in the next one to two years.
Ketamine is in the field of dissociative medicines, and when used in psychotherapy it aids in distancing you from your usual mode of thinking in order to gain a different perspective on your life experience. It also supports the brain and nervous system by decreasing inflammation and relieving chronic pain.
Ketamine has been safely used in the general surgery field for decades and has proven to be one of the safest psychedelic-supported psychotherapy medicines available.
Ketamine creates a dissociative experience, which means most people will slowly feel more distanced from the body and everyday mode of thinking.
Ketamine does have abuse potential. That being said, the incidence of addiction to ketamine is almost entirely in the recreational use arena. When ketamine is used in a safe, mindful, and controlled setting, the incidence of misuse is extraordinarily low.
The incidence of side effects from ketamine is low and includes blurred or double vision, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, change in blood pressure or heart rate, and sleep disturbance.
Ketamine can be given in oral, nasal, injectable, intravenous, or rectal forms.
People can have unpleasant experiences with ketamine. This is most often associated with an unsafe environment, a lack of preparation by the user, or a lack of skilled, trained facilitators supporting the process.
A float tank is a tub of salt water that allows a person to float on the surface. It is also known as a sensory deprivation tank because of its ability to significantly decrease the experience of sensations coming into the body and brain.
The experience of floating effortlessly on the surface of water in a dark room is akin to floating in space. There is much less input from the senses—little gravity, no light, no sound, and no need for balance—which stimulates deep states of relaxation.
In short, no. The tub is only filled with about 10 inches of water and the salt solution is denser than a human body. Even if you fall asleep you will remain afloat! Since the invention of float tanks in 1954, there have been only a few exceedingly rare cases where people have died while floating due to other causes, such as excessive illicit drug use or medical conditions having nothing to do with the flotation therapy environment.
Thousands of people have overcome claustrophobia in the float tank by gradually becoming more and more comfortably exposed to the warm, dark environment and eventually feeling completely calm even with the door fully closed. We have some of the largest, if not the largest, custom-designed float surfaces that exist today. Our tanks are nearly six feet wide by nine feet long, and they have seven feet tall ceilings, making them spacious enough to stand up and walk around in. They are noticeably larger than bathtubs, and some describe them as small pools. You also have the option to leave your float tank door slightly ajar. If you're concerned, feel free to stop by and take a look at the tank area anytime.
Floating is a bit like meditation on steroids. It is the first time since your conception that you can experience being without sensory input. This womb-like environment has the benefit of stimulating the rest-and-relax system of the brain, and over subsequent sessions this becomes more and more integrated into one’s usual way of living.
No. But you can if you want to!
If you have kidney or liver disease or related problems, floating may not be right for you. Please check with your physician prior to making an appointment. If you are prone to motion sickness, floating may not be right for you. The motion of the body can mimic the motion of a boat or a car traveling, which may cause problems if you feel nausea or become ill from motion. Frequently people find that taking over-the-counter medicines or chewing ginger prior to the float will alleviate their symptoms of motion sickness and they can enjoy all the benefits of floating.
Floating while pregnant has significant positive benefits for both mother and baby. Even in the second and third trimesters, floating can provide an environment that offers relief from the pressures, pains, and additional weight that pregnancy brings. Imagine all the pressure relieved from your joints, especially the hips. Epsom salts reduce swelling and inflammation throughout the body, relieving more pressure than weightlessness alone while correcting any magnesium deficiency, which is especially important while building a new human. The calm and relaxed state of the mother induces a calm and relaxed state in the baby, which is a better state for everyone! We request your float be cleared by your physician.
Totally up to you! Most people do float au naturel. All of our guests have private floating pools with private showers and changing areas. A bathing suit would add unnecessary sensory input. Additionally, due to the high levels of salt, any article of clothing you take into the tank will become caked in salt as it dries.
We recommend you avoid caffeine and do not shave on the day of your float.
We ask our guests to bring a towel, if it's convenient. We provide face towels and all necessary toiletries. If you would prefer to float using a neck pillow, please ask us for one when you arrive.
No, your skin will feel great after your float, thanks to the Epsom salts (magnesium and sulfur). Both magnesium and sulfur play important roles in the health of your skin and nails. You will not prune either! We recommend not floating for at least 48 hours after you color your hair. If you use hair straightening treatments with keratin, floating is not recommended, as the salt will disrupt the hair treatment. Some people like to use a swimmers cap. Feel free to do so, although we do not provide them.
Between each float session, the solution (which is saltier than the Dead Sea, where no organism grows) passes through a 5 micron sediment filter and an NSF certified UV filtration system. The entire solution passes through these filters three or four times. Additionally, we maintain a 50-100 ppm concentration of hydrogen peroxide, ensuring complete sanitation of the salt solution.
Hot/cold therapy is also known as contrast therapy, and when done in association with water it is known as contrast hydrotherapy. The effects of alternating exposure to extreme temperatures have been used for thousands of years to globally support the brain, body, and mind. A few of these benefits include strengthening the immune system’s ability to ward off infections, stimulating the pumping action of the lymphatic system to detoxify the body, tonifying the neurological system through adaptive breath modulation, and building resilience in the mind to lean into challenging experiences.
Yes, people can get hypothermia if exposed too long to cold temperatures. As a result, we only recommend a max time of three minutes in the cold tubs.
IV stands for intravenous. This method refers to inserting a small needle into an accessible vein in order to provide a cocktail of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, immune modulation cofactors, and cellular energy enhancers. These health-promoting agents work systemically throughout the body to aid in returning you to your underlying state of vitality and well-being, an internal state called homeostasis.
Cellular hydration, nutrition, and energy as well as lessening the effects of inflammation, chronic pain, and advanced aging.
Many people do use IVs as a hangover treatment.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a Vitamin B3 derivative and key coenzyme found in every cell of our bodies. Its primary purpose is to aid the body in performing metabolic functions including ATP production, DNA repair, cellular repair, upregulating the sirtuin proteins (a.k.a. “guardians of the genome”), gene expression, and cellular communication.
The amount of NAD+ the body makes naturally declines as we age, with a corresponding decrease in the activity of numerous enzymes and healthy aging proteins. Decline of NAD+ has been associated with chronic fatigue, mood disorders, substance addiction, weakened immunity, memory disturbances, sleep problems, focus and concentration defects, and other chronic diseases.
NAD+ is not absorbed orally; therefore, intravenous NAD+ is rapidly becoming one of the most robust tools to help revitalize our cells, replenish our energy reserves, and rejuvenate our brains. Unlike traditional protocols that take six to eight hours to administer, our NAD+ IV takes just one to two hours.
cost + insurance
For everyday wellness therapeutics like floating, IV infusions, and hot/cold therapy, we offer two monthly membership levels starting at $250 per month. (Learn more about memberships here.) You can also view à la carte pricing for therapeutics here. To begin a more in-depth healing journey, you’ll start with Basic Diagnostics, which cost $1,200. (Learn more about what’s included here.) Beyond diagnostics, every treatment plan is individualized and costs will vary.
Since most of our therapeutics are not covered by insurance, we do not currently accept insurance, although we hope that ketamine treatments will be covered soon. Psychotherapy treatment at Kuya is often reimbursable by most insurance plans as an out-of-network therapy provider. We provide our psychotherapy patients with a superbill once treatment is complete so that you can seek reimbursement from your insurance company. Please note that we cannot ensure that any portion of your treatment will be reimbursed, so please consult your insurance provider before treatment begins.
Kuya is an approved provider for Advance Care. They offer up to 14 months of true interest-free financing. Advance Care provides the most cost-effective way to finance elective medical procedures or procedures not covered by insurance. Click here to apply for Advance Care credit.
No, you do not need a referral for any of our services.
i'm not sure what I need
You know you need help but you’re not exactly sure why. You may be struggling with an undiagnosed mental health condition, excessive anger, general stress, dysfunctional relationships, or a series of physiological symptoms. Answer a few short questions and let us point you in the right direction.
Take the Short Survey