What Happens in Your Body after 16 Minutes of Full-Body Red Light Therapy at Very Well
TL;DR: Sixteen short minutes, five powerful wavelengths, full-body repair and revitalization. That’s the promise of full-body Red Light Therapy at Very Well in Baltimore, MD.
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Every cell of your body—from the surface of your skin, through your muscles and organs, down to the deepest levels—is alive with quiet electricity. Tiny power plants, mitochondria, work constantly to produce the energy that fuels thought, movement, repair, and resilience at every layer. When these engines falter, we feel it in the most human ways: fatigue that lingers, muscles that ache, skin that loses its youthful radiance, moods that sink or panic.
Red light therapy is the science of speaking directly to those cellular engines. At Very Well, our full-body Red Light Therapy bed surrounds the body with five of the most evidence-backed wavelengths of light (630, 660, 810, 850, and 940 nanometers). Each penetrates to a different depth, from the surface of the skin to deep muscle and connective tissue. In response, the mitochondria absorb the light and convert it into energy, increasing ATP production and setting off a cascade of healing: circulation improves, inflammation quiets, collagen pathways awaken, and muscles recover.
630 nm (red) – wakes up the skin’s surface layers, sparking repair and renewal.
660 nm (deep red) – penetrates further into tissue, stimulating collagen and reducing inflammation.
810 nm (near-infrared) – slips past skin into muscles, nerves, and connective tissue.
850 nm (near-infrared) – sinks even deeper, helping with circulation and joint recovery.
940 nm (near-infrared) – reaches the body’s deepest tissues, supporting systemic healing and resilience.
What makes Red Light Therapy at Very Well remarkable is its efficiency. Many systems require 30 or 40 minutes to deliver an adequate dose. Here, the intensity, spectrum, and positioning of the LEDs are optimized so that a single 16-minute session can achieve equal—or greater—effects. It is thispowerful precision, rather than duration, that makes the difference. In less time than it takes for a coffee break, your body has already begun the process of renewal, cell by cell.
This is the story of those 16 minutes.
Minutes 1–4: The First Touch of Light
As the session begins, your body is enveloped in a field of red and near-infrared light. The shallower wavelengths—630 and 660 nanometers—linger in the skin, where they stir collagen-producing cells awake and begin reducing surface inflammation. At the same time, the longer wavelengths—810, 850, and 940 nanometers—slip deeper, reaching muscles, organs, joints, and even bone. Within minutes, mitochondria in every layer begin absorbing this light like seeds drinking in the sun.
Minutes 5–8: Energy Awakens
The mitochondria convert photons into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of life. With more ATP available, cells shift from survival mode to repair mode. Blood vessels open slightly, drawing in oxygen and nutrients while clearing away metabolic waste. This is the moment when the invisible becomes tangible: circulation improves, inflammation quiets, and tissues feel subtly more alive.
Minutes 9–12: Repair in Motion
Now the healing cascade is fully underway. Skin cells begin laying down the scaffolding of new collagen and elastin, preparing for a more youthful appearance. Muscles respond to the deeper near-infrared wavelengths, accelerating recovery from strain or tension. Inflammatory signals diminish, allowing repair pathways to dominate. Some people describe a sense of calm washing through them here, as the nervous system shifts out of stress chemistry and into balance.
Minutes 13–16: Integration
By the final minutes, every system has joined the conversation. The skin is primed for renewal, the muscles and joints are fueled for recovery, and the nervous system is tuned toward peacefulness. Importantly, this is not a fleeting effect. When the lights fade, your cells continue to use that reservoir of ATP for hours—sometimes days—afterward, completing repairs and building resilience long after you’ve left the room.
Why People Use Red Light Therapy
Every person who lies in the light does so with a different goal. Some seek the visible—smoother skin, fewer lines, a return of radiance. Others come for what lies deeper: muscles that recover more quickly, joints that ache less, organs that function more efficiently, an immune system that stands taller against stress and illness. Still others are drawn by subtler shifts—improved mood, better sleep, better cognition, a sense of vitality that seems to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
The science confirms this diversity of potential outcomes. Red and near-infrared wavelengths have been studied for their ability to stimulate collagen, reduce inflammation, accelerate wound healing, support circulation, and even protect neurons. In short: wherever energy is needed, red light therapy offers it.
(Red light therapy is a heavily researched modality. For whatever condition or symptom you’re interested in addressing, we recommend doing a web search to check out the likelihood it can help: “red light therapy or photobiomodulation for [condition].” Also, see below for a few peer-reviewed studies with supporting evidence for our wavelengths.)
How Often Should You Use Red Light Therapy at Very Well?
Like any form of nourishment, the benefits of red light therapy accumulate with rhythm and consistency. A single session can leave you feeling recharged, but the body responds most profoundly when the practice is repeated.
We often recommend two to three sessions per week for the first month to build momentum—especially if your goals involve pain reduction, skin renewal, or systemic energy improvement. After that, many people find that once a week is enough to sustain progress, though athletes and those with chronic conditions may benefit from more frequent use. Think of it less as a treatment and more as a practice: a steady rhythm of light feeding the body’s ongoing repair.
Red Light as a Partner to Other Therapies
Red light therapy does not need to work in isolation—it harmonizes beautifully with the other healing arts and sciences at Very Well. After acupuncture, it deepens relaxation and enhances circulation, helping the body integrate the subtle energetic shifts of the needles. Following massage, it amplifies muscle recovery, reduces soreness, and extends that feeling of loosened ease. And when paired with PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field therapy), the effects compound: while PEMF helps charge the cell membrane and improve ion exchange, red light floods the mitochondria with usable energy. Together, they create an environment where repair is not just possible but inevitable.
At Very Well, we truly feel that no healing story or wellness story is complete without the warm presence of Red Light Therapy.
Ready to step into the light? Individual sessions are $45, with generous discounts available through packages and memberships. Schedule now to see how sixteen minutes can change your body’s story.
Some Peer-Reviewed Evidence for Red Light Therapy
Red and near-infrared light stimulate mitochondria to increase ATP, nitric oxide, and cellular repair pathways
Hamblin MR. Mechanisms and applications of the anti-inflammatory effects of photobiomodulation. AIMS Biophys. 2017
Red (630–670 nm) and NIR (780–940 nm) wavelengths target cytochrome c oxidase, the mitochondrial enzyme linked to energy production
Chung H, et al. The nuts and bolts of low-level laser (light) therapy. Ann Biomed Eng. 2012
Combined 630 nm and 850 nm LEDs significantly increased ATP in human muscle tissue
Borsa PA, et al. Effects of phototherapy on delayed onset muscle soreness. Clin J Sport Med. 2013
Red (630–670 nm) and NIR (810–850 nm) light stimulate collagen production and skin rejuvenation
Barolet D, et al. Light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy in dermatology. J Drugs Dermatol. 2016
Multi-wavelength PBM (590, 660, 850 nm) improved vision and reduced drusen in dry AMD patients
Merry GF, et al. Photobiomodulation reduces drusen volume and improves visual acuity in dry age-related macular degeneration.Eye. 2017
Broad evidence supports 630–670 nm and 780–850 nm ranges for wound healing, anti-inflammatory effects, and tissue regeneration
Johnstone DM, et al. Photobiomodulation: clinical applications and mechanisms of action. Front Ophthalmol. 2024