Twenty Minutes of Light. Relief That Builds.

It is a treatment that uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light so your cells can produce energy more efficiently. Scientists call it photobiomodulation. You lie on a treatment table with the panel above you for twenty minutes. There is nothing to do and nothing to feel except a gentle warmth.

Light is absorbed inside your mitochondria, the part of the cell that makes ATP. That is the fuel your body spends on everything from repairing tissue to building collagen. When cells are stressed, a molecule called nitric oxide gets stuck where oxygen should be, and energy production drops. The light knocks it loose. What follows is more cellular fuel, better local blood flow, a mild stress signal that switches on the cell’s own repair machinery and a lift in its antioxidant defences. Much the same principle as exercise.

Nothing much, honestly. A deep red glow and a gentle warmth, and that is it. No stinging, no pressure, nothing touching you but the light, nothing to brace for. It is not a sauna: you will not sweat and there is no heat stress. Most people find it deeply relaxing and a fair few fall asleep. Some feel more alert afterwards, some feel pleasantly sleepy. Both are normal.

There is no UV at all. Ultraviolet sits at 100–400 nm of the spectrum. Red and near-infrared sit at 600–1,000 nm, a different part of the spectrum with different physics behind it. It is not a tanning bed. It will not tan or burn you. Red light therapy has an excellent safety record: non-invasive, no meaningful heat, no needles, side effects that are mild and temporary when they occur at all. It is still not right for everyone. See “Who shouldn’t have red light therapy” below.

Twenty minutes of light. Budget about thirty for your first visit, because we do a short health screening first. Going much past twenty minutes does not improve anything and may work against you. The effect is dose-dependent in both directions, a real phenomenon with a name: the biphasic response. We also keep to no more than twenty minutes in any six-hour window. The panel runs on its own timer and switches off at the end, so nobody is watching a clock.

Plan on three to five sessions a week for the first few weeks, which is the pattern across almost all the research. Consistency matters more than frequency. A weekly or twice-weekly session keeps it going after that. One session on its own is unlikely to tell you much. We will set a review point with you: roughly four weeks for pain and mood, eight to twelve weeks for skin and collagen. Sleep often shifts sooner than either.

As little as you are comfortable with. Light cannot pass through fabric, not even thin fabric, so anything covered simply is not treated. Most people keep their underwear on and that is completely fine. You will have a private room, and nobody will push you past what feels comfortable. Come with clean, dry skin. Skip the makeup and body lotion beforehand, and the sunscreen too, because they all block the light. Save your skincare for afterwards, when it absorbs better anyway.

Yes, and they are provided. It is not that the light is dangerous at treatment distance. It is that the LEDs are genuinely very bright. They are comfortable and take three seconds to put on. You can also simply keep your eyes closed, because red light passes through eyelids and you lose nothing either way.

The ones actually reported are mild and short-lived: temporary skin pinkness or a feeling of tightness, eye strain if you look at the lights, the occasional headache (usually from brightness or dehydration), and feeling thirsty afterwards. Drink water before and after. If redness lasts more than about half an hour, tell us. It usually just means your next session should be shorter, or a little further from the light.

This is an adults-only service. Beyond that: we will not treat over a known or suspected tumour or cancerous lesion, over an open or bleeding wound, over an active infection, or while you have a fever. It is not used on infants either. We will also ask you to get your doctor’s go-ahead first if you are pregnant or nursing, taking a medication that increases light sensitivity, taking steroid medication or having steroid injections, being treated for cancer, have an overactive thyroid, have Graves’ disease, have lupus, have any other autoimmune condition, have a photosensitive condition, have epilepsy, have a seizure disorder, have any eye disease, or have had recent Botox, facial fillers, LASIK. Please tell us about all of it at your screening. It takes two minutes and it is the whole point of doing one.

Yes, and there is decent reason to. Studies have found red light plus massage works better than massage alone, and light applied at acupuncture points has been studied with good results. Practically, it also makes for a lovely appointment: twenty minutes of warm light either side of hands-on work. It sits just as easily alongside the rest of what we do: counselling, facials, cupping, naturopathic care. Tell the front desk what you would like and we will sequence the bookings for you.

Red light therapy is covered by most extended health plans when it is part of a treatment plan with a registered practitioner, which is how we deliver it. It bills under acupuncture or massage therapy, and sometimes under naturopathic care. You do not need a doctor’s referral, and we direct-bill most insurers where your plan allows it. Every plan is written differently, so call us with your policy details and we will check yours before you book.

Yes. The room is booked by the session, and your first visit includes the health screening, so please book rather than dropping in. You can book online any time, or call us during clinic hours: Monday to Thursday 9:30–5:00 and Friday 9:30–3:00.

Some things are quick. A post-session glow the same day. Often a bit more energy within three to five sessions, and sometimes better sleep inside a week or two. Muscle recovery and pain usually shift over two to six weeks. Skin and collagen are the slow ones: eight to twelve weeks for visible change, often still improving at six months. It works incrementally, so keep a short note or a photo. People frequently improve for a while before they notice.

No. This is an adults-only service. The panel is specified for adult use, and the research on long-term effects in young people is thin enough that we would rather not be the ones extrapolating from it.

Generally yes. Red and near-infrared light do not emit the kind of electromagnetic signal that interferes with pacemakers, and they do not pass any electrical current through the body. Light reflects off metal and redirects through the surrounding tissue, and silicone implants are nowhere near a temperature that could affect them. Research on hip replacements and dental implants has found benefit rather than harm. Because the specific data is still limited, we ask you to clear it with your surgeon or cardiologist. A biological (bovine) heart valve or a deep brain stimulator definitely needs your doctor’s sign-off.