Marketing in the US sometimes outpaces the science — claims around weight loss, brain health and 'detox' show up in studio collateral that the peer-reviewed literature doesn't currently support. The reasonable evidence base is in skin health (Avci 2013, Wunsch 2014), wound healing, hair regrowth (Lanzafame 2013) and post-exercise recovery (Ferraresi 2016). Dose-dependent: most studies use 4–60 J/cm² in the 630–850 nm range, dosed 3–5× per week.
Pricing in the US: $30–60 per session for full-body bed access, $80–150 for medical-grade dermatology PBM, often included as monthly memberships in higher-end gym chains. Equipment matters more than venue — a center with a 200 mW/cm² Joovv panel produces a different experience than a 30 mW/cm² consumer-grade panel marketed as 'red-light therapy'. Always ask for the specs.
