Two of the most-asked-about services at our West Hollywood, Manhattan Beach, and Newport Beach studios have almost nothing in common except the word “light.” Red light therapy uses specific wavelengths of visible and near-infrared light with essentially no heat. An infrared sauna uses infrared energy to raise your core temperature until you sweat. Clients often assume they are two versions of the same thing. They are not, and knowing the difference will save you money and get you better results.
Here is how each one works, what to expect once you are in the room, and how we usually sequence them alongside body contouring and lymphatic work.
Red Light Therapy: Targeted, Cool, and Skin-Focused
Red light therapy, sometimes called photobiomodulation, delivers red and near-infrared wavelengths into the skin and the tissue just beneath it. The working idea is that mitochondria in your cells absorb that light and respond by producing energy more efficiently. In practice, that is why interest has clustered around collagen support, skin tone and texture, and localized recovery in areas that stay sore or stiff.
We use professional LightStim LED panels, which deliver a consistent dose across the treatment area rather than the scattered output you get from a consumer handheld device. That consistency is most of the reason a studio session and a gadget from an online marketplace are not the same purchase.
The session itself is undramatic in the best way. You lie or sit with the panel positioned a few inches from the target area. There is no meaningful heat, no noise, and nothing touching your skin. You wear eye protection, the room goes red, and you rest for roughly 10 to 20 minutes depending on the area being treated. Most people describe it as a mild warm glow at most. Afterward there is no downtime at all. You can go straight back to work, straight into a workout, or straight into another treatment.
Because it is targeted, red light is the right pick when you have a specific area in mind. Clients book it for the face and neck, for the abdomen and thighs alongside a contouring series, for shoulders and lower backs that never quite loosen up, and for skin comfort after other treatments. If your goal is facial skin specifically, we run a separate LED light therapy protocol configured for the face, while body red light therapy covers the larger areas.
Infrared Sauna: Whole-Body Heat and a Real Sweat
The Clearlight infrared sauna works from the opposite direction. Instead of concentrating on one patch of skin, infrared heaters warm your body directly rather than heating the air around you first. You get a deep, sustained sweat at a cabin temperature far more tolerable than a traditional Finnish sauna, usually somewhere in the 120 to 150 degree range instead of 180 plus.
What clients use it for is different, too. The common reasons are sweating, circulation, general relaxation, and easing muscle soreness after training. Heat raises your heart rate modestly, roughly the way light cardio does, and most people walk out feeling loose and pleasantly wrung out.
Plan on 30 to 45 minutes. You will sweat, genuinely, usually starting around the ten minute mark. Bring water, drink before and after, and expect to shower. Some people love the heat and some find it too much, which is worth learning about yourself before you commit to a package. The full setup is on our Clearlight infrared sauna page.
Which One Should You Book?
The short version: choose red light when the goal is skin or one specific area, and choose the sauna when the goal is whole-body.
- Skin tone, texture, fine lines, or comfort after a treatment: red light therapy.
- General heaviness, stress, or post-workout soreness across the whole body: infrared sauna.
- One stubborn area, like a lower back or a knee, that you want to work on repeatedly: red light therapy.
- You want to sweat, and sweating is part of how you feel reset: infrared sauna.
- You have 15 minutes and cannot get your hair wet or your makeup off: red light therapy.
- You are heat-sensitive or managing a cardiovascular condition: talk to us first, and know that red light is usually the more comfortable option.
Stacking Them With Body Treatments
This is where most of the real value shows up. Both services work better as add-ons than as standalone appointments.
Before Endermologie or lymphatic work
A short sauna session beforehand warms the tissue and gets circulation moving, which many clients say makes the body work itself feel easier and less tender. Fifteen to twenty minutes is plenty here. You do not want to arrive at the table already depleted.
After body contouring
Red light is our more common post-treatment add-on. It brings no heat, no pressure, and nothing that could aggravate an area that has just been worked on, and clients often use it to support skin comfort in the treated zone. It is also far easier to layer on when you are already ninety minutes into an appointment.
On the days in between
Plenty of regulars book the sauna on days between contouring sessions purely as a reset. That is a perfectly good use of it, and it keeps the habit alive between the bigger appointments.
How Often Is Enough?
Both reward consistency far more than intensity. One session of either is pleasant. A month of them is where clients tend to notice something.
For red light therapy, three to five short sessions per week during an initial four to six week stretch is the pattern we see work best, then dropping back to once or twice weekly to maintain. Sessions are short enough that this is actually realistic.
For the infrared sauna, two to four sessions a week suits most people, with three being the sweet spot. If you are new to heat, start at twenty minutes and build from there. Hydration matters more than duration. A shorter, well-hydrated session beats a long miserable one every time.
If you want both, the simplest approach is sauna on training days and red light on the rest, or both in a single visit with the sauna first and red light after.
A Note on Safety
Neither service is right for everyone. Contraindications exist for both, including pregnancy, certain cardiovascular conditions, photosensitizing medications, active infections, and some recent procedures. Heat in particular is not appropriate for every body. Tell us about any health conditions, medications, or recent treatments when you book so we can point you to the right service or adjust the protocol.
Results vary from person to person, and none of this is medical advice. If you have a specific medical concern, check with your physician before starting either service.
Still not sure which one fits what you are working on? Tell us your goal and we will sort it out with you at the front desk. Book a session in West Hollywood, Manhattan Beach, or Newport Beach and we will build the sequence around you.
