The harmonious relationship between light and the human body has been a subject of inquiry for thousands of years. It has been successfully utilised by ancient civilizations, early modern medicine, NASA, and most recently as an effective tool in integrative, proactive, and wellness driven applications.
Because of its long established benefits, LED therapy has earned a reputation as an important and versatile “must have” in spas, salons, and treatment rooms across the world. Throughout this community until recent years, light therapy has best been known as an effective treatment for skin rejuvenation and acne, however, growing interest in wellness related treatments and a body of evidence that continues to be generated by researchers at a robust pace have given rise to new applications for treatment.
Consumer interest in self-care has created an opportunity for spas to position themselves as environments that specialise in providing both expertise and treatment in the area of proactive wellness and relaxation.
Full body LED treatments (LED bed) can provide all of the benefits we have come to appreciate in the spa industry, but since the treatment area is greater (meaning more of the body’s cells directly absorb therapeutic light energy) most experience a more profound response often described as “deep relaxation and calm” or even “conservative euphoria.” The unique and specific design elements of the LightStim Professional LED Bed ensure maximum absorption of light energy while maintaining a consistent temperature throughout the body by monitoring and adjusting every contact point from the core to the tips of the extremities on a millisecond by millisecond basis. These thoughtful elements, along with LightStim’s MultiWave® Patented Technology, are in large part responsible for LightStim’s overwhelming success. This patented technology allows for the uninterrupted delivery of four specific therapeutic wavelengths of light for a more thorough and comprehensive treatment and consistently superior results.
In addition to better wound healing (light therapy is widely used in post-surgical applications) studies have demonstrated a number of positive effects on overall health and performance including improvements in blood pressure, enhanced muscle regeneration, better stamina, post-exercise recovery of strength and function, and reduced pain. These benefits are often attributed to the fact that specific wavelengths of light have the ability to release nitric oxide (NO) from cells making it available to the body. NO is an important signaling molecule that we produce less and less of as we age. In fact, by the time we reach the age of 60, it is believed that the body’s production of NO drops by a staggering 85%. Nitric oxide, often referred to as “the miracle molecule”, is critical to many areas of health due to its ability to signal blood vessels and arteries to relax and expand, immune cells to destroy invaders, and brain cells to communicate with each other.
Our society’s appreciation for fundamental proactive self-care and its essential role in health, happiness, and even beauty continues to grow. Modern technology that refines and builds upon centuries of healing wisdom in response to this understanding is a critical component in the evolution of the spa environment.
- Amy Gardner is a licensed aesthetician and LightStim’s director of education