Clearlight is primarily an infrared sauna company — one of the most established in the space, founded in 1997 by Dr Raleigh Duncan. Their entry into standalone red light therapy devices came later, but it leveraged decades of experience with infrared technology and heat management. The result is a product line that sits at the premium end of the market and is designed to integrate with Clearlight’s broader infrared sauna ecosystem.

This review focuses on Clearlight’s dedicated red light therapy products, their integration with Clearlight saunas, and whether the premium price is justified by the technology and build quality.

Clearlight’s Red Light Therapy Products

Clearlight Red Light Therapy Tower

The flagship standalone device. The Tower is a floor-standing unit designed for whole-body treatment:

Wavelengths: 660 nm (red) + 850 nm (near-infrared)
LED count: Approximately 600 LEDs
Treatment area: Full-body coverage (approximately 40 x 120 cm active area)
Stand: Integrated floor stand with wheeled base
Construction: Aluminium and steel housing
Timer: Built-in digital timer with auto-shutoff
Approximate UK price: £1,200–1,800

Clearlight Light Therapy Add-On (Sauna Integration)

Designed to mount inside a Clearlight infrared sauna cabin, this add-on brings red light therapy into the sauna session:

Wavelengths: 660 nm + 850 nm
Installation: Mounts to the interior wall of Clearlight sauna cabins
Purpose: Combined infrared sauna + photobiomodulation in a single session
Approximate UK price: £500–800 (as add-on to sauna purchase)

Clearlight Personal Light Therapy

A smaller panel designed for targeted treatment:

Wavelengths: 660 nm + 850 nm
Treatment area: Approximately 20 x 30 cm
Use case: Face, joints, localised treatment areas
Approximate UK price: £400–600

The Tower: Design and Engineering

Build Quality

The Clearlight Tower is built to a standard that reflects the company’s premium positioning. The housing is predominantly aluminium with a powder-coat finish that is visibly superior to budget competitors. The integrated stand is heavy and stable — this is not a device that risks toppling during use.

The engineering reflects Clearlight’s sauna manufacturing experience: heat management is excellent, with efficient internal cooling that keeps the unit comfortable to stand near during extended sessions. The fan noise is modest — noticeable in a quiet room but not intrusive.

Weight: Approximately 15 kg with stand Footprint: The wheeled base allows repositioning, but this is fundamentally a permanent fixture in a room rather than a device you move between spaces.

LED Array and Optics

The Tower uses a dense LED array with individual lenses over each LED to focus the beam. This optical design helps maintain irradiance at distance — the lenses reduce beam divergence, meaning less light is lost as you move away from the panel compared to unlenssed designs.

The 1:1 ratio of 660 nm to 850 nm LEDs is standard, with the two wavelengths interspersed across the array. Some premium panels (PlatinumLED BioMAX) offer additional wavelengths; Clearlight stays with the established dual-wavelength approach.

Irradiance

Clearlight reports surface irradiance of 150+ mW/cm² at the LED surface. At practical treatment distances:

Distance	Estimated Irradiance
0 cm (surface)	150+ mW/cm²
15 cm	70–100 mW/cm²
30 cm	30–50 mW/cm²
60 cm	15–25 mW/cm²

These figures place the Tower in the upper tier of consumer panels, comparable to PlatinumLED BioMAX and Mito Red MitoPRO series. The lensed optical design helps maintain irradiance at distance, which is where many budget panels fall off sharply.

EMF Emissions

Clearlight emphasises low EMF as a core product feature — unsurprisingly, given that EMF is a major selling point in the infrared sauna market. The Tower is designed to minimise electromagnetic field emissions at treatment distance. Clearlight claims near-zero EMF at 15 cm from the device, which places it among the lowest-EMF panels available.

For most users, EMF from LED panels is not a significant health concern at normal treatment distances. However, for users who specifically prioritise low EMF — or who are also Clearlight sauna owners — this is a meaningful differentiator.

Sauna + Red Light Therapy Integration

The Concept

Clearlight’s sauna integration add-on allows users to receive photobiomodulation during an infrared sauna session. The idea is compelling: infrared saunas raise core body temperature and increase peripheral blood flow, while red light therapy stimulates mitochondrial function and collagen production. Combining both in a single session could theoretically enhance the benefits of each.

How It Works

The red light therapy panel mounts to the interior wall of the sauna cabin, facing the user during their sauna session. The user sits in the sauna at typical distances of 30–60 cm from the light panel while receiving the standard infrared sauna heat treatment.

Is the Combination Beneficial?

There is limited direct research on combining infrared sauna with photobiomodulation, but the theoretical rationale draws on established evidence:

Enhanced blood flow: Infrared sauna exposure increases peripheral vasodilation and blood flow. This enhanced circulation could improve the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to tissues simultaneously receiving photobiomodulation, potentially amplifying the cellular response.

Tissue temperature: Beever (2009) reviewed the cardiovascular and haemodynamic effects of far-infrared saunas and confirmed significant increases in peripheral blood flow and cardiac output during sessions (Canadian Family Physician, 55(7):691–696). Warmed tissue has different optical properties than tissue at normal temperature, and some researchers have hypothesised that mild tissue heating may enhance photon absorption by chromophores, though this is not conclusively established.

Detoxification and recovery: Both infrared sauna and PBM are used for exercise recovery. Combining them may provide additive benefits — sauna for systemic recovery (improved circulation, heat shock protein induction) and PBM for localised tissue repair (collagen synthesis, mitochondrial function).

Cautions: The sauna environment introduces complications for the LED panel. High temperatures (typically 45–60°C in infrared saunas) stress electronic components, and moisture from perspiration can affect LED performance over time. Clearlight designs the sauna add-on specifically for this environment, with appropriate heat shielding and moisture resistance, but long-term durability in a sauna environment remains a consideration.

Who Benefits from the Combination

The sauna + RLT combination makes sense for:

Existing Clearlight sauna owners who want to add PBM without dedicating additional treatment time
Athletes and fitness enthusiasts who already use saunas for recovery and want to stack modalities
Users with limited time who prefer to combine two wellness protocols into a single session
People with musculoskeletal conditions who benefit from both heat therapy and photobiomodulation

It is less compelling for:

Users who do not already own or plan to purchase a Clearlight sauna (the add-on is not compatible with other sauna brands)
Those who need specific PBM dosing protocols, as the sauna environment limits control over treatment distance and duration
People primarily interested in facial skin rejuvenation, as the sauna position is not optimised for facial treatment

Clearlight Tower vs Premium Competitors

Clearlight vs PlatinumLED BioMAX

Feature	Clearlight Tower	PlatinumLED BioMAX 600
Wavelengths	660 + 850 nm	630 + 660 + 810 + 830 + 850 nm
Irradiance (15 cm)	70–100 mW/cm²	80–120 mW/cm²
Build quality	Premium aluminium	Premium aluminium
EMF	Near-zero (claimed)	Low
Stand	Integrated (wheeled)	Separate purchase
Wavelength variety	2 wavelengths	5 wavelengths
Approximate UK price	£1,200–1,800	£700–900 (panel only)

PlatinumLED offers superior spectral coverage with five wavelengths and comparable irradiance at a lower price for the panel alone. However, Clearlight includes an integrated stand and emphasises low EMF — factors that matter to specific buyers.

Clearlight vs Mito Red MitoPRO

Feature	Clearlight Tower	Mito Red MitoPRO 750
Wavelengths	660 + 850 nm	630 + 660 + 830 + 850 nm
Irradiance (15 cm)	70–100 mW/cm²	70–100 mW/cm²
Modular	No	Yes (stackable)
Stand	Integrated	Separate purchase
Approximate UK price	£1,200–1,800	£600–800 (panel only)

Mito Red offers similar irradiance with four wavelengths, modularity (stack multiple panels for full-body coverage), and a significantly lower price. The Clearlight Tower justifies its premium through integrated design, brand ecosystem (sauna compatibility), and build quality rather than raw specifications.

Clearlight vs Bontanny

Feature	Clearlight Tower	Bontanny Full-Body
Irradiance (15 cm)	70–100 mW/cm²	40–70 mW/cm²
Build quality	Premium	Functional
Stand	Integrated premium	Included basic
EMF	Near-zero	Low
Approximate UK price	£1,200–1,800	£350–500

Clearlight delivers meaningfully higher irradiance with superior build quality, but at 2.5–4 times the price. For pure therapeutic output per pound, Bontanny wins decisively. Clearlight’s premium is justified by engineering quality, EMF performance, and brand ecosystem, not by dramatically better clinical outcomes.

Strengths

Premium build quality — among the best-constructed consumer panels
High irradiance — upper tier output comparable to top competitors
Integrated stand — no separate purchase needed, wheeled for easy repositioning
Near-zero EMF — industry-leading electromagnetic field performance
Sauna ecosystem integration — unique capability for Clearlight sauna owners
Lensed optics — better irradiance retention at distance
Brand heritage — 25+ years in infrared technology
Digital timer with auto-shutoff — safety and convenience
Quiet operation — effective cooling with minimal fan noise

Weaknesses

Premium price — £1,200–1,800 is significantly more than competitors with comparable output
Only two wavelengths — 660 + 850 nm, while PlatinumLED offers five
Heavy and bulky — 15 kg with integrated stand limits portability
No pulsing modes — continuous wave only
Sauna add-on only compatible with Clearlight saunas — not universal
No third-party irradiance verification publicly available
Limited availability in the UK — primarily distributed through specialist wellness retailers
No modular stacking — unlike Mito Red, you cannot combine multiple units

Who Should Buy Clearlight

Ideal for:

Existing Clearlight sauna owners who want integrated PBM capability
Users who prioritise premium build quality and design aesthetics
Those who specifically require low-EMF devices
Buyers who want an all-in-one floor-standing solution with no assembly
People investing in a long-term wellness setup and willing to pay for engineering quality

Not ideal for:

Budget-conscious buyers (Bontanny or Hooga deliver adequate therapy at a fraction of the cost)
Users who want multi-wavelength panels (PlatinumLED BioMAX)
Those who need modular, stackable systems (Mito Red MitoPRO)
People who want portable devices for travel
Anyone who does not own or plan to purchase a Clearlight sauna (the ecosystem benefit is lost)

Verdict

Clearlight brings premium build quality and infrared technology expertise to the red light therapy market. The Tower delivers competitive irradiance in a well-engineered, floor-standing format that justifies some — but not all — of its price premium.

The strongest argument for Clearlight is the sauna ecosystem. If you own a Clearlight infrared sauna and want to add photobiomodulation to your routine, the integration add-on is a compelling and unique offering. No other brand provides purpose-built sauna-compatible red light therapy panels.

As a standalone panel purchase, the value proposition is harder to justify. PlatinumLED BioMAX offers more wavelengths at a lower price. Mito Red MitoPRO matches the irradiance with modular flexibility. Bontanny covers the basics at one-third the cost. Clearlight’s advantages — build quality, EMF performance, integrated stand — are real, but they are refinements rather than transformative features.

The honest recommendation: buy Clearlight if you are already in the Clearlight ecosystem (sauna owner, brand loyalty), if low EMF is a specific priority, or if you value premium engineering and are comfortable paying for it. For pure PBM performance per pound spent, there are better options.

Rating: 7.5/10 — Premium engineering and unique sauna integration in a high-output panel, held back by price and limited wavelength variety compared to direct competitors.

This review is editorially independent. Product details and prices were accurate at the time of writing and may change. See our methodology for how we assess devices.

Clearlight Red Light Therapy — Full Review