The world of wellness is varied, at times weird, and we love it. We once wrote a blog about sun-tanning your genitals, because just the idea of it makes it worth exploring. What does science say? How does it make you feel? Is it healthy or harmful? So far, soles-up sun-tanning hasn’t made the leap from fringe curiosity into legitimate science-backed wellness.
Red light therapy, on the other hand, has now become mainstream. Granted, like saunas and cold plunges before it, red light isn’t exactly novel. In fact, it’s as old as time itself.
And as winter settles in, when sunlight becomes a scarce luxury for most of us, this is where the story starts to matter.
Seasonal Routines, Nature, and the Light We Evolved Under
As you've likely heard, we humans weren’t built for fluorescent ceilings and blue-lit phones. We were shaped by the light of dawn, midday, dusk and their shifts in wavelength that once told our biology what time it was, how to regulate hormones, how much energy to produce, and when to call it a night.
But modern life breaks that rhythm.
Most of us don’t get enough morning light — does anyone have time for a slow sunrise anymore? Most of us don’t get enough of any natural light. And our bodies register the cost: Sluggishness, poor sleep, low mood, tight muscles, foggy thinking, and the creeping edge of seasonal depression. And that’s during the good-light months, before the endless scrolling, dopamine pings, and Netflix marathons make it worse.
Kala Red Light Elite Panel
So when winter hits, the question becomes:
How do we replace the parts of sunlight our bodies depend on without baking ourselves under UV or chasing the equator? That’s where red light therapy has taken center stage.
Why Sunrise and Sunset Are Naturally Red-Light Rich
There’s a reason sunrise feels grounding and energizing — and why sunsets aren’t just for romance or golden-hour photos, but feel restorative and calming. When the sun sits low on the horizon, its light has to travel through more of Earth’s atmosphere. We suspect if you ask the solar physicists, heliophysicists, spectroscopists, and photobiologists, they’ll tell you: The atmosphere scatters the shorter wavelengths — blue, violet, and green — while allowing the longer wavelengths, red and near-infrared, to pass through more cleanly.
This leaves dawn and dusk saturated with:
- Visible red light (620–700 nm)
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Near-infrared light (700–1100 nm)
These are the same wavelengths modern red-light therapy devices are built around. In other words: The most healing parts of sunlight appear when the sun is at its weakest. Another way to think of it is less about getting your pre-winter Mexico pre-tan, and more like Superman harnessing the sun to recharge.
And winter takes that away from us.
So to keep a healthy light routine going during the darker months, we can bring the best parts of the sun indoors with us.
What Red Light Therapy Uses (and Why It Works)
Red light therapy devices isolate the exact wavelengths the body is biologically tuned to use:
1. Red Light — ~620–700 nm
The deep red light you can literally see at sunrise/sunset. Supports surface-level benefits such as:
- Collagen production
- Improved skin tone
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Reduced inflammation
- Faster wound healing
Kala Red Light Mini 2.0
2. Near-Infrared Light (NIR) — ~700–1100 nm
Invisible to the human eye but deeply penetrating. Reaches muscle, fascia, joints — even bone.
Supports:
- Increased ATP production (cellular energy)
- Reduced joint pain
- Faster muscle recovery
- Improved physical performance
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Better metabolic health
These wavelengths activate the mitochondria, which you may recall from grade 8 science is your cells' energy engines, prompting them to make more ATP. More ATP = More life force for every system in your body.
Sunlight gives you these wavelengths mixed with ultraviolet, blue light, and heat. Red light therapy; however, gives you only the beneficial wavelengths — targeted, concentrated, and consistent.
This is why structured red light sessions have become a core part of their routines for people who care about performance, recovery, mood, and long-term health.
The winter months are when the device can serve double duty in our routine.
Light Therapy and Seasonal Affective Disorder
If bright light therapy helps reverse SAD, then getting more of the right light — red and near-infrared is a logical next step. Generally, bright light boxes use ~10,000 lux to stimulate cells in the retina that regulate circadian rhythm. But red light therapy supports the same system from another angle: cellular energy, mitochondrial output, and anti-inflammatory signaling.
Together, they help rebuild the internal clock winter tries to dismantle. It’s your superman healing in a box.
A Quick Primer on The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Light is energy. Light is a nutrient. Different wavelengths result in different effects on the body.
- UV: Skin tanning, Vitamin D (and potential damage)
- Blue: Alertness, screens, circadian disruption
- Green / Yellow: Being studied
- Red (620–700 nm): Healing, skin, inflammation reduction
- Near-Infrared (700–1100 nm): Deep tissue repair, ATP production
- Far Infrared: Sauna heat, Sweating
Notably, we’ve left out theories about sunning your nether regions here — that entire topic lives in a rabbit hole of internet myths and influencer science. It’s entertaining, sure, but not an area we can (or need to) wade into more than we already have.
Now, modern LED technology allows brands like Kala to isolate the most beneficial wavelengths — red and NIR and deliver them directly to the body without heat, UV, or risk.
Why We’re Introducing Kala Red Light
Amusingly, we both once braved the Dragon’s Den stage (think Shark Tank in the USA) stage, which is a shared rite of passage that gave us that instant, kindred-spirit vibe. On some level we knew our products were aligned.
More importantly, Kala is Canada’s #1 red light therapy company for a reason: They build devices designed for real results, not gimmicks. Their panels combine red and near-infrared wavelengths for maximum depth and efficacy.
Reported benefits include:
- Increased collagen production
- Better sleep
- Reduced inflammation
- Faster muscle recovery
- Enhanced weight management
- Improved physical performance
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Elevated mood and energy
For us, red light isn’t a trend — it’s a modern ritual, a winter survival tool, and a return to the wavelengths nature always meant for us.
