In recent years, the health and wellness sphere has been illuminated by the growing buzz around red light therapy. Once confined to the realm of alternative medicine, red light therapy has now captured the attention of a diverse audience, ranging from fitness enthusiasts to skincare aficionados. Its rising popularity can be attributed to a confluence of factors, including advancements in equipment technology, an expanding body of scientific research, increasing accessibility, and an array of potential health benefits. As this therapeutic technique continues to bask in the limelight, its applications and implications are garnering attention from both professionals and the general public.

Within the tanning industry, red light therapy has emerged in recent years as the next big thing and become a fundamental service for many salons alongside UV tanning and spray tanning. At the same time, red light therapy has also become a full-fledged business of its own outside of the tanning industry. New franchises that specialize in red light therapy exclusively are becoming more predominant, and with devices that are inferior to the best red light equipment found in tanning businesses, they’re charging $200 for monthly memberships.

The global light therapy market is projected to grow to $1.5 billion in the next decade. While red light therapy is still a largely untapped market, that tells us that the success businesses are having now is just the tip of the iceberg. Meanwhile, interest is mounting. As of July 2023, online searches for red light therapy were up 48% compared to 2022. It’s also become a trend of sorts on TikTok, with videos featuring the hashtag #redlighttherapy garnering over 96 million views. While much of the overall popularity and reputation of red light is being developed outside of the tanning industry, tanning businesses are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the hype.

The concept of a red light session is more familiar for UV tanners, and you know your customers are already coming to you because they want to look and feel good. Even better, the advent of hybrid tanning equipment can provide a natural introduction to red light. As an industry, we need to take control of this emerging market before other types of businesses take hold. Many of today’s tanning businesses are already focused on the use of multiple light spectrums with hybrid equipment and a variety of devices that incorporate other spectrums in various ways. We are already the light spectrum treatment centers of the world.

Going all-in on multiple light spectrums doesn’t mean tanning services will be any less important or profitable. This is simply the next step in the evolution of the industry. At the beginning, there was one kind of tanning. Then, there was better equipment and multiple levels. Then, there was sunless and other forms of spa and wellness diversification. Then hybrid tanning equipment. Red light therapy equipment came along somewhere along the line but never really became a primary offering until recently. Why? One of the main reasons is the right technology wasn’t available yet, at least not at a cost that was practical for most tanning businesses.

The SmartSun Therapy SST28 represents the tanning industry’s first big step into becoming full-fledged light therapy businesses. It’s a different category of equipment than any other red light device used in tanning businesses in the past. No other equipment found in tanning businesses today is carefully engineered to balance the amount of energy emitted from each diode, the total amount of energy emitted from the device, and the distance between the light source and the body. You’re only likely to find other equipment of this caliber in medical facilities, and comparable options are often sold for upward of $100,000.

As more people begin to understand and experience the true benefits of highly optimized red light therapy, it’s a safe bet that the service is going to continue to boom.