Start with professional red light sessions, and add a home panel later if you want to keep going. Cleveland Clinic says home devices may be less powerful, and a trained team sets the time and protects your eyes. A panel pays off only if you use it 1 to 3 times a week for months.
Our Red Light Therapy page lists the session lengths and bundles, so you can try a short course first.
At-Home Red Light Therapy vs Professional: What Actually Differs?
Red light therapy shines low levels of red and near-infrared light on your skin, at home or in a clinic. Cleveland Clinic says wavelength decides how far the light reaches into your skin, so ask any seller which wavelengths a device uses. The differences sit in five places, and each one changes who should buy what.
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| At home | Professional session | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Cleveland Clinic says home devices may be less powerful, so results can fall short of what you wanted. | Built for clinic use. Session length is set to match your goal. |
| Area covered | A mask or wand treats one small area. A panel treats the area facing it. A full-body bed covers most of the body. | Sessions are sized to the area you are treating, from one area up to most of your body. |
| Who runs it | You do. You read the directions and protect your own eyes. | Trained staff set the time and give you protective eyewear. |
| How you pay | One purchase up front, then no fee per use. | A fee per visit, or a bundle of visits. |
| Fits you when | You finished a course and want to keep going, and you will use it most weeks for months. | You are starting out, want a short course, want wider coverage, or want to try it before you spend on a device. |
Neither is a trick. The right one is the one you will really use, and the next sections help you work that out.
Is a Red Light Therapy Panel Worth Buying?
A panel can be worth buying after a course of sessions, if you will keep using it most weeks for months. A panel left in a cupboard delivers nothing at any price. Cleveland Clinic says home devices may be less powerful, so treat a panel as the follow-up and check the wavelengths and return policy first.
Tick each line below that is true for you. If you cannot tick them all, book a few sessions first and decide after.
Tick the lines that are true for you.
How Much Does Light Therapy Cost at Home and in a Clinic?
A home panel is one purchase, and a professional session is a fee for each visit. Prices differ from shop to shop and change over time, so use your own quotes below. We keep ours next to the session lengths on the Red Light Therapy page.
To do the sum by hand, divide the panel price by the price of one session. The answer is the number of visits that cost the same as the panel. If you expect to go fewer times than that, sessions cost less.
Fill in the first two boxes to see how many visits equal the panel price.
The example numbers are only there to show how the sum works. They are not our prices. The sum does not count that a home panel may be less powerful, or the time you spend using it.
How Many Sessions Does It Take?
Cleveland Clinic gives the usual range as 1 to 3 sessions a week, kept up for weeks and sometimes months. What we find works well for most skin goals is two to three sessions a week of 10 to 20 minutes.
Plan on at least four to six visits before you judge the results. Longer-standing concerns often need six to twelve. One visit will not give you a big change, so judge the course and not a single trip.
Our guide to red light therapy for skin covers the skin research and how often to go.
Which Option Fits You? Tap Your Situation
Tap the line that sounds like you. The answer opens right below it.
I want to treat one small areaSessions first
A mask or wand is made for one patch of skin, but a trained team sets the length and protects your eyes, and you learn what works before you buy. Start with sessions, then ask about a home device to keep going.
I want my whole body treatedSessions
Whole-body coverage is where a professional session helps most, because the visit is sized to the area you are treating. Our session lengths run 10, 15 and 20 minutes.
I have an event or a deadlineSessions
A short course is easier to schedule than waiting on a delivery and learning a new device. Book your visits close together, then decide about a panel later.
I travel a lot or cannot book regular visitsSessions first
Book the visits you can. A home device can fill the gaps between them, but Cleveland Clinic says it may be less powerful, so treat it as the back-up and not the plan.
I want to try it before I spend moneySessions
A few sessions cost far less than a panel and tell you whether you like the routine. Read the Cleveland Clinic page first, and ask your doctor.
I want to keep my results going after a courseThen a panel
Many people book a course of visits first, then use a home device to keep going. If you do, ask what your plan should be before you buy one.
What Happens During a Professional Session?
A visit has four short steps, and nothing is applied to your skin.
- You tell us your goal. We set a 10-minute, 15-minute or 20-minute session to match the area you are treating.
- You get ready. You undress to your comfort level in a private room, and we give you protective glasses or goggles.
- You relax. You stand or sit about a foot from the LED light panels while the session runs.
- You carry on with your day. There is no downtime. We can also add whole body vibration in the same visit.
One visit will not change much. This works as a course, so plan on several weeks.
Who Should Ask a Doctor First?
Ask your doctor or a dermatologist before you start, as Cleveland Clinic advises. Some people need to check first, or skip it.
- Our intake does not recommend sessions during pregnancy, with open wounds, or with active cancer.
- We caution anyone with epilepsy, because some devices flicker.
- If you take a medicine that makes your skin sensitive to light, ask your prescriber first.
- If you have a skin or eye condition, ask your own doctor first.
A panel is not for you if it would sit in a cupboard. Sessions are not for you if you want one visit to fix a medical condition, because this works as a course and supports skin and recovery. It does not replace medical care.
This is general information and not medical advice. We provide protective eyewear for every session, and Cleveland Clinic says to protect your eyes with any home device too.
What Does the Research Support?
Light therapy has real research behind specific uses. A review published in 2023 looked at low-level laser and LED therapy for pain in common muscle and joint conditions. It found supportive evidence.
An earlier review found effects on skin healing and repair.
Cleveland Clinic calls the skin results promising and says studies are under way on pain from tendonitis and knee osteoarthritis. It also says many studies are small and long-term safety of devices is not yet known.
Has research behind it
Pain in common muscle and joint conditions. Skin healing and repair.
Still being studied
Pain from tendonitis. Knee osteoarthritis. Skin uses more broadly.
Good to know
Cleveland Clinic says there is not yet scientific support for weight loss, cancer, cellulite removal or depression.
Photobiomodulation is the research term for this kind of light treatment. Our laser treatments page lists a photobiomodulation session too, priced separately.
Read the sources below and judge for yourself: the 2023 pain review, the skin review and the Cleveland Clinic page.
Book a Red Light Therapy Session in Fenton, Missouri
Our Fenton spa is at 50 Fenton Plaza. Clients come from Sunset Hills and Des Peres. Tell us at booking what you are working on, and we will set the session length to match.
To book, call 1-636-492-2668. For session lengths and bundles, open the Red Light Therapy page.
Curious about pairing light with the salt room? Our light and salt chamber bundle combines 10, 15 or 20-minute light sessions with 10 or 20-minute salt chamber sessions, once a day, six days a week. Our guide to salt room benefits covers what a salt session adds on its own.
Want to see everything else we offer? Our guide to the services offered in a spa explains each one.
At-Home vs Professional Light Therapy: Questions, Answered
The answers below cover points the sections above skip.
No. Tanning beds give off ultraviolet light, which damages skin. Red light uses red and near-infrared light and gives no tan. Cleveland Clinic says misuse can still harm skin or eyes, so protect your eyes and follow the directions.
Some people do. Our unlimited bundle allows a visit up to once a day, six days a week, and we set how often you come from your goal. For a home device, follow the maker’s directions or ask your provider how often is right for you.
Cleveland Clinic says it typically is not a covered treatment, so you pay out of pocket. It also says costs can add up across many treatments. Add up the full cost of a course, or a panel, before you commit.
Cleveland Clinic says short-term use as directed appears safe and is not linked to side effects. It also says misuse can damage skin or eyes, and the long-term safety of devices is not yet known. Ask your doctor if you are unsure.
Ask who runs the session, how long it lasts, which area it covers, and whether you get eye protection. Ask what the price is for one visit and for a bundle. Cleveland Clinic notes that spas, salons, gyms and wellness centers all offer it, so check who provides it.
Yes. Our booking page lists it as a stand-alone service or an add-on to any massage, facial, advanced skincare service or other wellness session. Mention it when you book, so we can plan your time.
Above & Beyond Wellness Spa is owned by Sarah Hankammer, a Missouri Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) since 1999. You can look up her license, number 2015027635, in the state register.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Red Light Therapy, benefits, side effects and uses
- PMC: Low-intensity LASER and LED photobiomodulation therapy for pain control in common musculoskeletal conditions
- PMC: Low-level laser (light) therapy in skin, stimulating, healing, restoring
This page is general guidance, not medical advice. Check with your own doctor before you start, especially if you have a skin or eye condition.