Clinic “light therapy” is usually one of three jobs: photobiomodulation (red/NIR LED or laser), bright-light boxes for circadian/SAD, or—misnamed—infrared heat. This parent is the map. Not tanning, not UV, not an ablative cosmetic laser.
Light Therapy in a longevity clinic is not one device. Most menus mean photobiomodulation (PBM): red (~630–670 nm) and/or near-infrared (~800–850 nm) LEDs or low-level lasers aimed at skin, joints, or a full-body bed. A second, different protocol is bright light therapy: a 10,000-lux box in the morning for seasonal depression and circadian timing. A third thing people call “infrared” is an infrared sauna, which is heat—see Heat Therapy, not this page.
What it is not
Tanning beds (UV). Ablative or hair-removal lasers. PEMF (magnets, not photons). A spa glow that cannot quote irradiance at the skin. PBM is photochemical—cytochrome c oxidase and downstream signaling—not a sweat session.
Evidence and limits
PBM has a real literature in wound healing, some pain/inflammation, and dermatology, with messy dosing (wavelength, irradiance, joules, distance). Bright light has better psychiatric evidence for seasonal affective disorder than a red panel has for “mitochondrial optimization.” Full-body beds sold for longevity are often underdosed compared with research protocols, or they blend NIR heat with LEDs and call it science. Eye protection matters on high-output arrays. Cash-pay is typical.
Remove makeup/sunscreen on the treatment field if doing PBM on skin. Bring a medication list (photosensitizers). For SAD lamps, plan a morning slot—not 10 p.m.
No downtime for most LED sessions. Mild warmth is common. Bright-light boxes can cause headache or agitation; stop and call if mood flips high.
Eye injury without protection, burns from high-irradiance or close-contact devices, photosensitivity reactions, mania risk with bright light in bipolar disorder, and wasted money on a bed that is really a heater.
Chung H. et al. The nuts and bolts of low-level laser (light) therapy (Photomed Laser Surg / related PBM reviews).
https://doi.org/10.1002/lsm.22048Hamblin M.R. Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation (AIMS Biophys / J Photochem Photobiol B lineage).
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2016.12.011Golden R.N. et al. The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis (Am J Psychiatry, 2005).
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.162.4.656FDA. Radiation-emitting products (lamps and lasers): consumer overview.
https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products© 2026 Longevity Clinic Finder. All rights reserved.
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People with a named indication (skin, localized pain, SAD) who will use eye protection and a real dose. Not a substitute for sleep, training, or antidepressants when those are indicated.
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