HEALING THROUGH THE POWER OF LIGHT.
With the opening of Healing on Spring, a red light wellness studio I worked on, I thought we’d take a quick look into wellness spaces and redlight as a healing modality. Lighting design plays a crucial role in creating wellness spaces that promote relaxation, rejuvenation and overall well being. Add to this, the element of red light, and you have yourself an incredible combination!
Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, involves the use of low level red or near-infrared light to promote healing, reduce inflammation + pain and improve skin health with minimal side effects. The visible red wavelength isis between 630-700nm, with the most commonly used for therapies being 633nm and the infrared wavelength 780nm-1mm with the most commonly used for healing being 830nm. 20mins is all it takes for the red light to boost blood flow and the longer wavelength infrared light to penetrate deeper into the body tissue, reaching muscles and nerves to stimulate the natural recovery process and increase the production of mitochondria, the cell’s energy source, which in turn may improve cellular function and repair.
There are currently red light wellness studios opening up globally using this technology in the wellness space but there are also some very cool studies and uses in the medical field. If you’re curious check out the work of Dr Kyle Diagle at Neuro Solutions, using photobiomodulation as one practice for patients recovering from severe traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, developmental delays, CRPS, chronic pain, mold exposure, and sports performance injuries, and this TED talk by Mary Lou Jepsen, using light and sound to track tumors, measure neural activity.
When designing Healing on Spring, our key considerations were creating lighting scenarios that encourage mindfulness practices, meditation, and relaxation techniques by creating a serene & calming atmosphere and using soft, diffused lighting, warm color temperatures, and gentle transitions between the red light (and the aftershock associated with the saturation of red light), warm white light and daylight/nightscape of the street upon exit to foster a sense of tranquility and mental clarity.
Red light therapy represents a promising approach to enhancing wellness spaces with its therapeutic benefits and holistic healing properties. By incorporating thoughtful lighting design strategies and innovative technologies, designers can create immersive and effective red light therapy environments that promote health, relaxation, and rejuvenation for users.
