I?ll answer this the same way I do in clinic when a patient shows me a glossy sauna brochure: usually no, a Clearlight sauna does not automatically include red light therapy as part of the base sauna itself. Clearlight?s standard value proposition is infrared heat. If you want actual photobiomodulation, you are typically adding one of Clearlight?s red light towers, most commonly the CORE Tower that can mount inside the sauna door.
That distinction matters because heat therapy and red light therapy are not interchangeable. Infrared sauna sessions can help with relaxation, perceived recovery, and in some people blood pressure or exercise tolerance over time. Red and near-infrared light are being studied for pain, skin quality, tissue recovery, and inflammation signaling. Sometimes those goals overlap in real life, but the mechanism is different, and so is the hardware.
My skeptical take: Clearlight is not being deceptive when it talks about red light, but buyers absolutely can misread the marketing and assume every Clearlight cabin has therapeutic red light built in. It generally does not. You need to confirm whether you are buying a sauna only, a sauna plus a mounted red light tower, or a separate light device used outside the sauna.
Short answer: what is actually included?
If you buy a standard Clearlight infrared sauna, you are buying an infrared sauna first. Clearlight?s own red light materials describe the red light towers as a separate light-therapy system, and the company states that the CORE Tower is the version designed to attach to the door of a Clearlight sauna.
So if your question is, ?Does the Clearlight sauna include red light therapy?? the practical answer is this: not by default on most purchases, but Clearlight does sell a sauna-compatible add-on that lets you combine sauna heat with red and near-infrared light in the same session.
That is a reasonable setup if you already own Clearlight or strongly prefer the brand. It is not the same as buying a model where red light is factory-integrated from day one.
What Clearlight is selling versus what people think they are buying
This is where consumers get tripped up. In the sauna world, brands often blur together several separate features: infrared heat, near-infrared heaters, chromotherapy mood lights, and true red-light therapy panels. Those are not the same thing.
True red-light therapy means dedicated LEDs delivering studied red and near-infrared wavelengths, typically in the neighborhood of 630 to 660 nm and around 810 to 850 nm. Clearlight says its red light systems use 650 nm red and 850 nm near-infrared. That is a sensible range and broadly consistent with the photobiomodulation literature.
What does not count clinically? Colored cabin lighting, generic ?full-spectrum? language, or a heater that glows red. Those can change the user experience, but they should not be confused with a dedicated photobiomodulation device.
| Setup | What you get | Best for | Main drawback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Clearlight sauna | Infrared heat only | People who mainly want heat, sweat, and a lower-temp sauna experience | No dedicated red light therapy |
| Clearlight sauna + CORE Tower | Heat plus in-sauna red and near-infrared light | Existing Clearlight owners who want one combined session | Extra cost for something many buyers assumed was included |
| Standalone Clearlight PERSONAL or FULL BODY tower | Red light therapy outside the sauna | Users who want spot treatment or separate light sessions | Does not solve the ?one session, one cabin? goal |
| Sun Home model with integrated or bundled RLT | Red light included or clearly structured as an add-on depending on model | Buyers prioritizing red light from the start | May push you toward a different brand or higher upfront spend |
What the evidence says about sauna heat versus red light therapy
From an evidence standpoint, I would separate the claims cleanly.
Sauna bathing has the stronger long-range population literature, especially around cardiovascular and metabolic markers, though much of the best evidence comes from traditional Finnish sauna research rather than premium home infrared cabins. Reviews of sauna studies suggest plausible benefits for blood pressure, vascular function, and symptom relief in some chronic conditions, but that does not mean every infrared cabin produces the same magnitude of effect.
Red-light therapy, more accurately called photobiomodulation, has decent evidence for some pain and recovery use cases, but the literature is heterogeneous. The most defensible signals are in pain reduction, tissue healing support, and modest skin-related effects. Where I become more skeptical is when brands jump from those narrower findings to sweeping claims about hormones, detox, or broad disease treatment.
Clinically, that means a combined sauna-plus-red-light setup can make sense, but mostly because it is convenient and may stack two reasonable wellness interventions in one routine. It does not turn the sauna into a superior medical device, and it does not rescue a poor-quality sauna purchase.
What actually matters clinically, and what is mostly hype
1. Wavelengths and usable exposure matter more than fancy wellness language
If a brand can clearly state the wavelengths and show that the panel is intended for close-enough use inside the cabin, that matters. Clearlight?s published 650 nm and 850 nm specs are more useful than vague terms like ?light-enhanced detox.?
2. The biggest real-world decision is integrated versus add-on
For most buyers, this is the whole question. If you already own Clearlight, an add-on is sensible. If you are buying new and red light is a must-have, I usually prefer a brand or model where the red-light plan is explicit from the beginning, because it reduces cost creep and buyer confusion.
3. EMF and luxury-tech marketing are usually overemphasized
I care more about build quality, electrical safety, thermal performance, and whether you will actually use the device three times a week. Ultra-granular EMF messaging tends to dominate sauna marketing far beyond what most buyers need for practical decision-making.
4. ?Detox? is the least useful reason to buy this setup
Patients often come in wanting a sauna for detox. That is not how I would frame the benefit. Better reasons are relaxation, heat tolerance, symptom relief for muscle tightness, a structured recovery ritual, and possibly support for certain pain or exercise-recovery goals. If a company is leaning hardest on detox language, I become more cautious.
When adding red light to a Clearlight sauna makes sense
There are three situations where I think the Clearlight approach is reasonable.
- You already own a Clearlight sauna and want one combined recovery session instead of adding a separate red-light station elsewhere in the house.
- You mainly care about pain, stiffness, or post-exercise recovery and like the idea of stacking heat with photobiomodulation.
- You trust the Clearlight cabin itself and are comfortable paying extra for the convenience of brand-matched hardware.
In that scenario, the most logical product is the Clearlight RED Light Therapy CORE Tower, because it is the Clearlight unit specifically described for mounting inside the sauna. If you want red light mostly for spot treatment to the face, hands, knees, or a single injury-prone area, the Clearlight RED Light Therapy PERSONAL Tower is a more targeted option and may actually fit your use better than trying to turn every sauna session into a full-body light session.
What I would not do is pay a premium for the sauna first, then discover months later that the feature you cared about most was not included. This is a purchase category where the final invoice can drift upward quickly.
If you are cross-shopping Clearlight against Sun Home
This is where the ?People Also Ask? question becomes useful. If someone asks me, ?What is the best Sun Home sauna with red light therapy?? I would split the answer by use case rather than give a one-size-fits-all ranking.
As of July 22, 2026, Sun Home?s own product materials make an important distinction: some models include factory red light, while others treat it as an add-on. Their red-light collection specifically says the Eclipse series integrates red-light therapy, while the Luminar outdoor line offers red light as an optional add-on rather than standard equipment.
So my practical judgment is this: if integrated red light is your priority, I would look first at the Sun Home Eclipse line rather than Luminar. If you want an outdoor infrared sauna and red light is merely a nice extra, Luminar plus the red-light add-on is the cleaner comparison to Clearlight plus a CORE Tower.
In other words, Clearlight and Sun Home are closer competitors than many buyers realize once you strip away the brand language. Both can get you to heat plus red light. The deciding issues are whether red light is standard or optional, whether you prefer indoor or outdoor placement, and whether you want a system designed around one combined experience from the start.
My bottom-line buying advice
If you are asking strictly whether Clearlight includes red light therapy, assume no unless the specific quote lists the red-light tower. That is the safest purchasing assumption.
If you already own a Clearlight sauna, adding the CORE Tower is a reasonable way to combine the two therapies. If you have not bought anything yet and red light is one of your top two priorities, I would compare the final all-in price of a Clearlight sauna plus tower against a model that includes red light more explicitly. In many cases, that comparison is more informative than comparing brand reputation alone.
From a clinical standpoint, I would also keep expectations grounded. A sauna with red light may be a very useful home wellness tool for recovery, relaxation, and symptom management. It is not a shortcut around sleep, exercise, blood pressure control, or evidence-based medical care. The best unit is the one with a clear spec sheet, realistic claims, and a setup you will use consistently.
FAQ
Is red light therapy the same thing as infrared heat in a sauna?
No. Infrared heat warms the body. Red-light therapy uses specific red and near-infrared LED wavelengths for photobiomodulation. They can be combined, but they are not the same therapy.
Can you use Clearlight red light therapy outside the sauna?
Yes. Clearlight sells standalone towers for use outside the sauna, and its materials state that the CORE Tower can also be used outside the sauna with the appropriate stand.
Does every premium sauna with colored lights have real red-light therapy?
No. Colored chromotherapy LEDs and therapeutic red-light panels are different products. If the brand does not publish red and near-infrared wavelength specs, I would not assume you are getting clinically relevant photobiomodulation.
What is the best Sun Home sauna with red light therapy?
If you want red light built in from the start, I would start with Sun Home?s Eclipse series. If you want an outdoor model, the Luminar is strong, but red light is typically an added upgrade rather than a standard inclusion.
About Dr. Sarah Novak
MD, Integrative Medicine ? Minneapolis
I’m an integrative medicine physician based in Minneapolis. Board-certified in Internal Medicine with fellowship training in Integrative Medicine through the Andrew Weil Center. I’ve spent 8 years incorporating heat therapy protocols into patient care and tracking outcomes. I write about what the research actually shows ? not what the sauna industry wants you to believe. Read more →
About Dr. Sarah Novak
MD, Integrative Medicine · Minneapolis
I’m an integrative medicine physician based in Minneapolis. Board-certified in Internal Medicine with fellowship training in Integrative Medicine through the Andrew Weil Center. I’ve spent 8 years incorporating heat therapy protocols into patient care and tracking outcomes. I write about what the research actually shows — not what the sauna industry wants you to believe. Read more →