What red light therapy is
Panels that emit light in the visible red and near-infrared part of the spectrum, typically somewhere around 600–900 nanometres. You sit or stand close to them for a set period, with eye protection, on bare skin where you want the exposure.
It is sometimes called low-level light therapy or photobiomodulation. It is not a sunbed — there is no UV involved — and it is not the same thing as an infrared sauna, which uses heat. Infrared at reef is a separate thing.
What a session is like
- Length: usually ten to twenty minutes.
- Temperature: mild. You may feel gentle warmth; it is nothing like a sauna.
- Eyes: shielded. The panels are bright and you do not look at them.
- What to wear: as little as you are comfortable in, over the areas you want exposed. Light does not travel through clothing.
- Afterwards: nothing. No shower needed, no cool-down, no recovery time. You put your clothes on and carry on with your day.
What we will not tell you
We make no health, medical or cosmetic claims about red light therapy, and we are not going to.
You will find red light marketed with a long list of outcomes: skin, recovery, sleep, pain, hair, inflammation, ageing. We are not repeating any of them.
That is not us being coy. In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority has repeatedly banned red light and LED advertising for making medical claims, and has ruled that even softer phrasing — “helps repair”, “fights the signs of ageing”, “accelerates healing” — counts as a medical claim unless the device is registered with the MHRA. A business that will tell you an unsupported thing about a light panel will tell you an unsupported thing about anything else.
What we will say: it is ten quiet minutes, it is pleasant, and it sits naturally at the end of a reformer session.
Who should check first
Speak to your GP before booking if you are pregnant, taking medication that increases light sensitivity (some antibiotics, acne treatments and St John's Wort do), have a history of skin cancer or any active skin condition in the area, or have an eye condition. If you are being treated for anything at all, ask your clinician rather than us.
Where and when
57 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1XJ, from December 2026, alongside the reformer studio, infrared, changing rooms and showers. Prices and the timetable go to reef Club members before they are published anywhere else. Join the club free.
