Get a closer look at Equinox’s latest non-invasive light treatment in this first-person account.
I Tried is a series that spotlights an individual as they experience an Equinox offering for one month. In this installment, writer Renee Cherry tries LightStim LED Therapy — now available at The Spa at Equinox.
I’ve watched an embarrassing number of TikTok videos about at-home red LED devices, from science-heavy deep dives to parodies about cameras-off Zoom calls. I find the potential benefits of red light therapy fascinating, and my algorithm knows it.
I have yet to purchase my own — some at-home products don’t emit as much power as devices that have been used in studies, from what I’ve gathered — but I’ve dabbled in red light therapy during facials and sauna sessions. Last month, I upped the ante, committing to a month of regular full-body LED therapy. Twice a week for two months, I’d complete 30-minute sessions on a LightStim LED bed.
The beds, which are available at NYC Equinox Spas in Dumbo, Flatiron, Brookfield Place, and East 85th, feature 18,000 light-emitting diodes, which give off therapeutic red and infrared light at wavelengths of 630 and 660nm, and 855 and 940nm, respectively.
Admittedly, the red light therapy benefits I’m mainly interested in have always been skin-deep. Research has linked low-level light therapy — particularly at the red wavelength — to anti-aging skin benefits. For example, during a 2019 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology researchers treated human skin cells with red and infrared LED light at wavelengths of 640 and 830 nm. It found that the treatment boosted the production of hyaluronic acid (a sugar molecule that keeps skin hydrated), and collagen and elastin (proteins that give skin its structure and elasticity).
But focusing on the potential skin benefits alone would be ignoring an equally exciting area of red light therapy research: recovery. NASA “stumbled upon” a possible benefit of red and blue LED light during an experiment, according to the agency’s site. Researchers who were using the lights on plants to promote photosynthesis noticed that abrasions on their hands were healing unusually fast, suggesting wound-healing effects.
NASA went on to fund research exploring the potential for red LED light to treat pain and inflammation and speed along the healing of minor injuries. In one such 2001 study, Navy SEAL team members who used LED devices had a 40 percent greater improvement in musculoskeletal injuries and 50 percent improvement in wound healing time compared to a control group.
LightStim’s LED beds are FDA-cleared to temporarily relieve various minor aches and pains, relax muscles, and increase local blood circulation, so I had high hopes that trying one out would both improve my skin and recovery time. Here’s how my experience went.
Week One: Getting Acquainted
I checked into the Flatiron Equinox for my first LightStim appointment, making a detour in the locker room and removing my makeup so that nothing would come between the red light and my skin.
In the treatment room, I undressed (underwear is optional but will block the light), donned protective goggles, and powered on the bed to start my 30-minute session.
The bed has one large panel — unlike enclosed light beds that can feel more claustrophobic — along with an smaller adjustable panel that you can position on your face when you’re face up. While I was used to red light sauna sessions that left me feeling depleted and in need of a shower, the LightStim bed gives off a gentle warmth that’s more on the level of a car’s seat warmer. Halfway through the session, the bed beeped to let me know to flip over onto my stomach.
My introduction to LightStim came at the perfect time. During my first visit of the week, I’d just spent a weekend imbibing and taking long walks through New York during a heat dome. At my second session, I was running on two hours of sleep after some ill-timed espressos.
While it was still early days, I could already appreciate the benefit of taking a 30-minute break in my day to shut my brain off and relax. The bed’s mild warmth and soothing music filling the treatment room sent me into a trance.
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Week Two: An Average Week
My third and fourth treatments happened during an ordinary week. Despite last week’s drinking and subpar sleep, my Oura ring told me at the start of the week that my readiness was high and my sleep score was “good.” I completed my usual fitness routine of walking and lifting four times per week.
I realized that the act of taking a 30-minute break in the middle afternoon seemed to give me productivity boosts. When I’d post up to get some writing done after my sessions, it was relatively easy for me to reach a state of flow.
Week Three: Recouping After Sickness
After my second session last week I came down with a mild sickness, which tends to happen to me around extreme changes in temperature. My symptoms were gone and I felt ready to return to the gym by the time my fifth LightStim session approached. Between my two sessions of the week, my sleep score went from “pay attention” to “good” and my overall readiness score increased.
Week Four: Dodging Soreness
If ever I was in need of a LightStim session, it was at the start of week four. Over the past three days I’d attended three hours’ worth of dance classes, a bootcamp class, and a reformer Pilates class that made my abs burn like nothing I’d experienced. I felt an overall fatigue accumulate from the three types of full-body workouts. I received further confirmation that my body needed a break when I nearly fell asleep on the table and my Oura ring thought I’d been napping.
After my second session of the week, it was as if I hadn’t pushed my limits through back-to-back workouts. My readiness score was “optimal,” I clocked a night of uninterrupted sleep lasting eight hours on the dot, and my discomfort was gone apart from subtle lingering ab soreness.
Following my final session I also noticed that my skin was looking particularly fresh and plump. I knew I’d done something right when I glanced at my face with no makeup in a horribly lit public bathroom and actually thought it looked good.
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Final Thoughts
I put my body through its paces during the four weeks of my LightStim experience. I was drinking more than usual, got sick, and threw off my sleep schedule with caffeine. I completed back-to-back workouts that targeted muscles I don’t usually hit (a recipe for delayed-onset muscle soreness), and didn’t stretch before and after my sessions for the most part.
LightStim promises both immediate and cumulative results, and I did feel like I experienced the most noticeable effects during week four. While I would’ve expected to feel depleted that week, my Oura metrics and intuitive judgment suggested I’d recovered well.
Time is a valuable resource, and I loved the thought of benefitting my skin, aiding recovery, and practicing mindful relaxation in a single treatment. I’d suggest the treatments if you’re keen on optimizing your wellness routine or have an event like a marathon coming up. If, like me, you’ve been intrigued by social media buzz around red LED therapy, it’s worth checking out.