Chromotherapy vs. Red Light Therapy: Why Not All Sauna Light is the Same

Sauna lighting has become a hot topic, and it's plastered all over marketing these days. Brands say things like chromotherapy, red light therapy, color therapy, and LED therapy. What's the actual distinction between these terms and the infrared light already used in saunas, and can light in saunas actually prove any benefits beyond the heat?

This article was written to clear the fog and dispel any myths around the true science of infrared light and red light therapy.

What is chromotherapy in a sauna?

Although the origins and science behind chromotherapy itself are shaky, the different colored lights in a sauna do seem to have a notable effect on the mind. Usually, infrared saunas let the user cycle through colors and choose what color they want the sauna to be through an LED. This is purely a psychological effect, and the goal is to improve mood, ambiance, and personalization.

The colored lights in a sauna reportedly do genuinely affect the mental state of the person using it. The main misconception that's unfortunately tossed around is that this is somehow similar to red light therapy or medical light therapy. That's not true; infrared saunas use far infrared light to heat the person in the sauna, which is where all the wonderful benefits of a sauna actually come from.

What is red light therapy?

Red light therapy, sometimes called photobiomodulation, uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light aimed directly at the skin. Unlike chromotherapy, there's actual research behind it. Studies have looked at things like skin health, wound healing, muscle recovery, and inflammation. The light penetrates the skin at a shallow depth and is believed to interact with the mitochondria in your cells, which is why you see it marketed as a recovery or anti-aging tool.

The confusion comes from saunas using near infrared as part of their heating panels, and some full-spectrum saunas market near infrared as if it delivers the same red light therapy benefits. It doesn't, at least not in any meaningful way. Red light therapy devices are built to sit close to the skin at a specific, controlled distance and wavelength for a set amount of time. A sauna panel is heating the entire room and your whole body from several feet away, not delivering a targeted dose to a small area of skin. So while your sauna's near infrared panel might technically emit a similar wavelength, you're not getting the actual therapy; you're getting a sauna.

The key difference

Chromotherapy is often listed as a benefit of an infrared sauna, while the science doesn't necessarily back that up. A sauna with a red light LED glow may give a mood-boosting effect, but it won't deliver any real medical benefit. The appearance alone doesn't tell the full story.

Genuine red light therapy saunas are rare, and most saunas that advertise "red light" aren't using it in the medical sense, just the literal color.

Why sauna brands blur the terms

Well, there are two primary reasons the terms overlap, one being a bit more malicious than the other.

Firstly, the terms are just very similar. When you're talking about red light, some companies may genuinely be pandering to the crowd that gets positive effects from literal red light.

Secondly, the more likely outcome is that they're trying to ride the red light medical therapy wave, without delivering the real medical results, essentially just marketing.

There are genuine red light therapy saunas, but the vast majority are just trying to ride off red light therapy's wave. Axis's saunas embrace the emotional and personalization benefits, but infrared saunas are saunas first; the light is just secondary, and the benefits of infrared saunas are genuinely good without having to go into other territory.

How to evaluate sauna lighting claims

As we mentioned above, "red light therapy" gets thrown around very loosely, so it's worth knowing what to look out for when trying to find something genuine.

The wavelength numbers tell the real story. Actual red light therapy happens in specific ranges, roughly 630 to 660nm for red and 810 to 850nm for near infrared. If a brand only says "red light" with nothing else attached, that alone is a sign it's not legitimate.

Beyond wavelength, irradiance matters just as much, measured in mW/cm². This is really what separates a therapeutic dose from a colored glow. Most accent lighting in saunas sits under 10 mW/cm², while actual photobiomodulation generally starts around 50 to 100 mW/cm² at the skin. A light can technically be the "right" color and still fall way short of doing anything for you.

Conclusion/TL;DR

So, to answer the question this article poses: Does sauna lighting actually do anything beyond the heat?

Chromotherapy is real in the sense that colored light can affect your mood, but it's psychological, not medical. Red light therapy is the opposite; it's backed by actual research, but it only works with the right wavelength, the right irradiance, and the right distance from your skin, none of which most sauna panels are built to deliver.

So if a sauna brand tells you their light does both, look past the color and check the numbers. Wavelength and irradiance will tell you the truth a lot faster than the marketing copy will.

This article is educational and not medical advice. Individual results vary. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or have concerns about heat tolerance, consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning sauna use.