SAN ANTONIO — In this extreme heat staying cool and hydrated is of the utmost importance. Temperatures downtown can run quite a bit hotter than those just 20 miles away.
The reason it is hotter down here is because San Antonio, especially downtown, is what is called an urban heat island.
"We don't have a lot of shade in downtown, so hydration becomes that much more important when you don't have the shade opportunities that you need to combat the heat," said Trish DeBerry, the CEO of Centro San Antonio.
An urban heat island is an area of a city that includes structures, buildings, and a whole lot of concrete including sidewalks and streets and other infrastructure that absorb and re-emits the sun's heat more than areas just outside of the city that have natural landscapes like farms or bodies of water. Temperatures can be close to 10 degrees warmer in the downtown area of a city like San Antonio, compared to rural areas such as outside of loop 1604.
"But if there's not enough shade, what are they doing? They've got to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate," DeBerry added.
Heat islands don't just make it hotter. They create elevated emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Increased energy consumption. Impaired water quality. And compromised human health and comfort. And that's why Centro San Antonio and Cryofit/Sweat Equity San Antonio are partnering with Dewy Skin Studio to create this IV hydration station downtown for fluids with or without vitamins.
"A lot of people don't know that there are so many different processes that have to happen from balance to gut permeability. So when you have vitamins intravenously, you're going to absorb them at 100%," said Heather O'Neill, the owner of Sweat Equity.
These Centro ambassadors were happy the be among the first today to hydrate their bodies.
"What Centro is doing for them is really remarkable and also for our tourists," O'Neill added. "We want our tourists to have a really good experience. And in San Antonio and with the hot heat right now, that can be a little challenging."