Peptide Therapy · San Diego
Peptide Therapy in San Diego, not a vial
You have probably heard about peptides from a podcast, a friend or your gym. Some of what you’ve heard is useful and some of it isn’t. Maybe recovery feels slower than it used to, you want a longer-term plan for how you age, or you simply want a straight answer from a Doctor about whether peptides make sense for you.
At Saffron & Sage, Peptide Therapy is prescription-based. It is only considered after a medical assessment and lab work with our licensed medical team, and for many people the honest answer is that something else should come first.
- Prescription-based, physician-led
- Starts with a Holistic Health Check-In
- Use at home after a Peptide Onboarding, or in our clinic
- HSA, FSA and LSA welcome, always gratuity-free
- Session
- About 1 hour
- Cost
- Check-In uses 1 medical credit; peptides are paid per prescription
- Practitioners
- Naturopathic Doctors, overseen by our Medical Director
- Payment
- HSA, FSA and LSA welcome
- Where
- 2555 State St, San Diego
New patients
How to start Peptide Therapy
Peptides are paid for as a product, not with membership credits. To get access, every new patient starts with a Holistic Health Check-In (1 medical credit), where a Doctor reviews your health history, labs and goals and decides whether peptides fit. If you will give your peptides at home, our team then schedules your Peptide Onboarding. You can also have them given in our clinic.
1 medical credit
Your Holistic Health Check-In
- A health review with a Naturopathic Doctor
- Labs reviewed before anything is prescribed
- A plan with follow-up and monitoring
Medical credit + consultation
Holistic Health Check-In + consultation
- Your Holistic Health Check-In
- A full consultation and health history, a $300 value, included
- Lab review if you bring recent results
New patients. Through November 26, 2026. Book online and pay at checkout. HSA, FSA and LSA welcome. We are direct pay and do not bill insurance; superbills are available on request.
After your Check-In
At home: our team schedules your Peptide Onboarding, where we show you how to give your injections safely. Peptide Onboarding is scheduled by our team, not booked online.
In our clinic: your injections can be given here instead. Peptides are paid per prescription, not with membership credits.
Not sure Peptide Therapy is right for you?
Talk it through on a free discovery call first. Book a discovery call
Why patients book
Why our patients book Peptide Therapy
These are the reasons we hear most from people across San Diego, from Little Italy and Downtown to Mission Hills, La Jolla and North Park. We listen, look at your history and labs, and tell you honestly whether peptides belong in the conversation.
Recovery feels slower
Workouts, travel or long weeks take longer to bounce back from than they used to.
Recovery and performance →A plateau you can’t explain
You already sleep, train and eat well, and things still feel stuck.
Peptides and performance →A longevity plan
You want a proactive, medically supervised plan for the decades ahead.
Biological age vs calendar age →Sleep that isn’t restoring you
You sleep enough hours and still wake up tired.
Why hours are the wrong sleep metric →Skin and healthy aging
Questions about how peptides fit alongside Facials and skincare.
Peptides and skin aging →Already using peptides
You bought peptides elsewhere and want a Doctor to check what you are taking.
The hidden risk of peptide stacking →Cutting through the noise
You have read a lot online and want a clear, medical answer.
What peptide injections actually do →Part of a bigger plan
You are already working with our Doctors and want every piece to fit together.
The basics
What is Peptide Therapy?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids. Your body makes many of its own, and they act as messengers between cells and systems. Peptide Therapy uses specific peptides, prescribed by a licensed provider, usually as small injections under the skin.
There are many different peptides, and they are not interchangeable. Each one acts on different pathways, and several are prescription-only. The right choice, if any, depends on your health history, your medications, your labs and what you are hoping for. That is why Peptide Therapy here always starts with a medical assessment, never with a product list.
We don’t make promises about results. Peptide Therapy isn’t right for everyone, and research on many peptides is still developing. Our medical team will be straight with you about what is known, what isn’t, and when sleep, nutrition, movement or another kind of care should come first.
How Peptide Therapy fits into integrative care here
At Saffron & Sage, peptides are never a stand-alone purchase. Any peptide is ordered and overseen by our licensed medical team, based on your assessment and Diagnostic Testing, and reviewed at follow-up visits. Your plan can be coordinated with your Naturopathic Doctor, Acupuncturist and nutrition work.
Many patients pair a peptide plan with Nutritional Therapy, Acupuncture or IV Therapy. If you have a diagnosed condition, our providers work alongside your existing Doctors rather than around them.
What it feels like
What to know before you start
Peptides are prescription-based care, not supplements. Your provider reviews your health history, medications and labs, and talks through the possible benefits, the risks and the unknowns before anything is prescribed. Some people are told peptides aren’t a good fit for them right now, and that is part of doing this properly.
If a peptide is prescribed, you are shown how to use it, told what to watch for and booked for follow-up. Your provider checks how you are doing and adjusts or stops the plan as needed. Please don’t combine peptides from other sources without telling us.
Peptides may not be right for you if:
Your provider will talk through your situation. Tell us at intake if any of these apply:
- You are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding
- You have, or have had, cancer
- You take several prescription medications
- You are already using peptides from another source
Your visit
Your Peptide Therapy appointment, step by step
Book your Holistic Health Check-In
A Doctor reviews your health history, labs and goals and decides whether peptides fit. It uses 1 medical credit for members; new patients pay $250, normally $300.
Complete your intake
Complete your intake online before you arrive, so your time together starts focused on you. Gather a list of your medications and supplements, including any peptides you already use, and any bloodwork from the last year. Plan to arrive about 10 minutes early.
Your peptide plan
If peptides are appropriate, your Doctor prescribes them and explains how they are used, what to watch for and how progress will be checked.
Onboarding or in-clinic injections
For at-home use, our team schedules your Peptide Onboarding. Or have your injections given in our clinic. Then we monitor and re-test as your plan needs.
Our sessions
Types of Peptide Therapy we offer
Every peptide plan is built around one person, so there is no menu to pick from. Here is how care works, and the goals people most often bring to their first conversation. Specific peptides are only discussed with your provider after your assessment.
Weight loss is one of the goals people bring us. Saffron & Sage offers Doctor-led weight loss care that can include GLP-1 peptide therapy when it is appropriate after your assessment, and we were voted Best Weight Loss Clinic in San Diego Magazine’s Best of San Diego 2025. Results vary by individual.
Goal
Holistic Health Check-In
Your required first step: a one-on-one medical visit with a Doctor to go through your history, goals and questions, and to decide together whether peptides make sense at all.
Why peptides come up in preventive care →Labs
Lab work and review
Baseline bloodwork, from here or another clinic, reviewed in plain language so any plan starts from real numbers.
Why measuring beats guessing →Your plan
Personalized plan
If peptides are appropriate, your provider explains the option, how it is used, what to watch for and how progress will be checked.
For at-home use
Peptide Onboarding
After your Check-In, our team schedules your onboarding, where we show you how to give your injections safely and answer your questions before you go home. Prefer not to inject yourself? We can give them in our clinic.
Ongoing
Follow-up and monitoring
Regular check-ins and repeat labs where needed, so your plan can be adjusted or stopped based on how you are actually doing.
Safety review
Review of peptides from elsewhere
Already using peptides from another source? Bring them. Your provider will review what you take and talk through any concerns.
Goal
Recovery and training goals
For people who train hard or have a physically demanding life and want to talk through recovery with a medical provider.
Goal
Sleep and stress goals
For people whose sleep or stress has stopped responding to the basics. Peptides are one of several options your provider may discuss.
Hormones, sleep and mood →Goal
Skin and healthy aging goals
For people who want their skin care and medical care to work together, often alongside Facials with our Esthetician.
Goal
Body composition and metabolic health
For people with questions about weight and metabolism, including prescription medications they have read about. Whether any prescription fits is a medical decision made after assessment.
Goal
Longevity planning
A longer-term plan built around your labs and goals, where peptides may or may not play a part.
How we approach longevity →Care team
Coordinated care
Peptide care that fits alongside IV Therapy, nutrition, Acupuncture and the rest of your plan, with one team keeping track.
Your practitioners
Meet our Peptide Therapy team
Peptide Therapy is prescribed and monitored by our Naturopathic Doctors and overseen by our Medical Director, as part of one medical team.
MD
Dr. John Kasawa
Medical Director. Oversees the medical side of the clinic, including protocols, prescribing standards and safety.
Read bio →
ND, MHSN
Dr. Alexander Aponte-Davila
Naturopathic Doctor and Nutritionist. Labs, gut and hormone health, nutrition, peptides and IV care.
Read bio →
ND
Dr. Nazanin Ghetmiri
Naturopathic Doctor. Gut, endocrine and women’s health, hormones, Microneedling and IV care.
Read bio →Book online
Book your Peptide Therapy
New patients start with a Holistic Health Check-In. Choose your Check-In, pick your Doctor and a time, then pay at checkout.
New to Saffron & Sage? Start with your Holistic Health Check-In for $250, normally $300.
Book now
Location
Peptide Therapy near Little Italy, San Diego
Saffron & Sage is in Mission Hills, just north of Little Italy, a short drive from Downtown, Bankers Hill, Point Loma and North Park. Many patients come in before or after work.
Hours: Monday and Thursday 8am to 2pm; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8am to 8pm.
Questions
Peptide Therapy FAQs
How much does Peptide Therapy cost in San Diego at Saffron & Sage?
At Saffron & Sage, peptides are paid for as a product, priced per prescription, not with membership credits. Every new patient starts with a Holistic Health Check-In (1 medical credit; $250 for new patients, normally $300, or $300 with a full consultation, normally $600). Your Doctor confirms your peptide pricing before you start. HSA, FSA and LSA dollars are welcome.
What are peptides?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids. Your body makes many of them naturally, and they work as signals between cells. In Peptide Therapy, a licensed provider prescribes specific peptides for a specific person after an assessment.
How do I book Peptide Therapy?
Start by booking your Holistic Health Check-In online. If peptides are right for you and you will use them at home, our team schedules your Peptide Onboarding. Peptide Onboarding is not booked online. You can also call (619) 933-2340.
Are peptides safe?
It depends on the peptide, the person and how it is sourced and used. Research on many peptides is still limited, and they aren’t right for everyone. That is why we only consider peptides after a medical assessment and labs, and why we monitor anyone on a plan. Using peptides bought online without medical oversight carries real risks.
Are peptides legal?
Many peptides are prescription-only, and the rules around which peptides can be prescribed and compounded have been changing. Our medical team only prescribes what they can source and prescribe appropriately, and will tell you if something you’ve read about isn’t available.
Do I need a prescription for Peptide Therapy?
Yes. Peptide Therapy here is prescription-based and ordered by our licensed medical team after an assessment. We don’t sell peptides over the counter.
How is Peptide Therapy given?
Most peptides are given as small injections just under the skin with a very fine needle. Some come in other forms. If a peptide is prescribed for home use, you complete a Peptide Onboarding, where we show you how to use it and what to watch for. You can also have your injections given in our clinic.
Do peptide injections hurt?
Most people feel a small pinch. The needles used for injections under the skin are very fine. We’ll teach you how to do it comfortably before you start.
How long until I notice anything?
There is no single answer, and some people don’t notice a difference. Your provider will set realistic expectations and check in at follow-up visits, and the plan can be changed or stopped at any time.
Who is Peptide Therapy not right for?
Peptides may not be appropriate if you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, have a history of cancer, or take certain medications. Your provider will go through your full history before recommending anything.
Can I combine or stack different peptides?
Please don’t without medical guidance. Combining peptides can add up in ways that are hard to predict. If you already use peptides from another source, tell your provider so they can review everything together.
Peptides vs supplements: what’s the difference?
Supplements are sold over the counter and taken by mouth. Peptides used in Peptide Therapy are prescription-based, usually injected and act on specific pathways in the body, which is why they need a medical assessment and monitoring.
Do I need lab work first?
Yes. Your provider reviews recent labs, or orders new ones, before considering any peptide. You can bring results from another clinic or have labs done here as part of our Diagnostic Testing.
Is Peptide Therapy covered by insurance or HSA?
We accept HSA, FSA, HRA and LSA funds. Your plan administrator decides which services are eligible, so please check with your plan. We are direct pay and do not bill insurance; superbills are available on request.
Do peptides use membership credits?
No. Peptides are paid for as a product, priced per prescription, whether you are a member or not. Your Holistic Health Check-In uses 1 medical credit for members.
Where are you located?
2555 State Street, Suite 101, San Diego, CA 92101, just north of Little Italy. The entrance is on West Maple Street. Call (619) 933-2340.
Free guide
Use the health money you already set aside.
Our free guide to using HSA and FSA dollars for your care. The current limits, the rules that changed for 2026, and the traps that quietly cost people money. Not tax advice.
- HSA, FSA and HRA: how they differ
- The rules that changed for 2026
- Five traps that quietly cost people money
Ready when you are
Start with your Holistic Health Check-In
Book your Holistic Health Check-In for $250, or add a full consultation for $300, normally $600. Not sure yet? Our team will listen, explain your options and help you pick the right appointment and practitioner.
All medical services are provided by Kasawa Medical APC dba Saffron & Sage MD. Peptide Therapy is prescription-based, requires a medical assessment, isn’t right for everyone and doesn’t replace care from your other Doctors. Please tell us about pregnancy, any history of cancer, and all medications, supplements and peptides you use. If you have a severe reaction, chest pain or trouble breathing, call 911.