Red light therapy has moved fast from "biohacking niche" to a standard line item on recovery equipment shortlists. It's one of the lowest-friction additions a gym, spa, or clinic can make — low staffing, straightforward install, and a price point that's approachable compared to bigger recovery investments like cryotherapy.
But "approachable" doesn't automatically mean "worth it." Here's what the numbers actually look like.
What it costs, and what you get for it
A portable commercial red light panel — the lower-cost, more flexible entry point.
Commercial red light therapy sits on a spectrum:
- Panels — the more affordable, space-efficient option, generally in the low thousands of pounds. Good for targeting specific areas (joints, back, face) and easy to fit into an existing treatment room.
- Full-body beds — a bigger investment, typically settling around £12,000 for a well-specified commercial unit, but they deliver full-body coverage in a single session and read as a premium service to members.
Both formats are largely self-administered or need only light staff supervision, which keeps ongoing labour costs low compared to something like cryotherapy.
Space and installation
This is where red light therapy has a real edge over almost every other recovery category. Panels can go into a corner of an existing room. Beds need a dedicated treatment space, but nothing close to the ventilation or electrical requirements of a cryotherapy chamber or hyperbaric unit.
For spas and clinics already running individual treatment rooms, red light therapy usually slots into space you already have.
Staffing and running costs
A full-body red light therapy bed — higher price point, but a stronger member-facing "premium service" positioning.
Sessions are short (commonly 10–20 minutes) and largely plug-and-play. Once a staff member sets the protocol, the session runs itself. That means red light therapy can be added to a facility's offering without a meaningful increase in payroll — one of the more common reasons operators pick it as a first or second recovery service.
Ongoing costs are mostly electricity and the occasional bulb/panel maintenance, both low compared to chiller or nitrogen-based equipment.
Payback period: where it actually lands
A red light therapy setup priced around £12,000, used by roughly 15% of a 400-member facility at £20 per session/month, generates about £1,200 in additional monthly revenue — a payback period of roughly 10 months, in line with the industry's typical 3–6 month range at higher utilisation or premium pricing.
The wide range here comes down to two levers: session price and volume. Spas charging a premium per-session rate (rather than bundling into membership) tend to hit payback faster; gyms bundling it into an existing membership tier see it show up more as a retention driver than a standalone revenue line.
So is it right for your facility?
Red light therapy makes sense if:
- You want a lower-cost, lower-space entry into recovery services
- You already run treatment rooms and want to add a service without new staffing
- You want something that pairs naturally with existing spa or physio offerings
- You're looking for a service that can be priced per-session or bundled into membership, whichever fits your model
It's less of a fit if:
- You're looking for a single standout "wow factor" service — cryotherapy or a hyperbaric chamber tend to make a bigger visual impression
- Your facility doesn't have consistent treatment-room availability to book sessions into
A common path we see: facilities add a red light panel first as a low-risk test, then upgrade to a full-body bed once they've proven member demand — sometimes running both side by side once member volume justifies it.
Run your own numbers
The figures above are averages. Your actual payback depends on your member count, your pricing, and how you package the service — all things worth plugging into your own projection rather than relying on someone else's.
Try the Recovery Revenue Calculator →
It takes under a minute and gives you a real payback estimate for red light therapy — or any other recovery solution you're weighing up.
Figures in this article are estimates based on typical commercial pricing and usage patterns. Actual costs, revenue, and payback periods will vary based on your facility, location, and market.