Red light therapy continues to gain recognition throughout the health and fitness world. Due to its unique ability to penetrate deep into our cells, enhancing everything from recovery and athletic performance to weight loss, more facilities than ever before are offering RLT treatment.
Traditionally, access to RLT was limited to high-end spas and specialty clinics. However, in recent years, gyms such as Planet Fitness, Crunch Fitness, and Club Fitness, have started incorporating red light therapy machines. Maybe you’ve wondered, “What is total body enhancement at Planet Fitness?” Well, the answer is Red Light Therapy.
But Planet Fitness total body enhancements are just the start. In this video, we’ll compare and contrast RLT therapy services at all three of these major clubs. We’ll also ask the most important question of all: How do these in-gym red light therapy options compare to at-home devices from companies like Recover Red?
If you’ve ever wanted to know more about RLT, your gym membership, and whether a personal RLT device might be a better choice, this is the article for you.
Red Light Therapy and its Benefits
In order to get excited about new RLT-related offerings like total body enhancement at Planet Fitness, it would help to know what Red Light Therapy is. Specifically, Red Light Therapy employs low-level wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to stimulate deep cellular functions beneath the skin. This is a process known as photobiomodulation.
However, this innovative technique does not heat the skin like traditional saunas or infrared therapies. Instead, it enhances mitochondrial function, boosting the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency crucial for a wide array of cellular activities. And here’s the interesting part: those activities include cellular repair and regeneration.
So, in adding total body enhancement, Planet Fitness is offering a way for its customers to boost their recovery and reduce muscle aches. Beyond that, they’re providing access to cosmetic treatments. This is because RLT’s benefits also include skin rejuvenation, wrinkle reduction, and improved skin elasticity, as well as significant health improvements like pain management, inflammation reduction, and accelerated wound healing.
Additionally, RLT is celebrated for its ability to enhance mood and promote hair growth. These attributes make RLT ideal for addressing specific health conditions but also for routine wellness applications. So, whether you go the gym to get fit, stay fit, or simply feel better, RLT can be a big part of the process. Of course, the big gyms like Planet Fitness also know that many of the devices they use are available for use in the home. That’s why they’re putting so much effort into promoting them.
Let’s take a look at how the different offerings stack up.
What is the Total Body Enhancement at Planet Fitness?
Planet Fitness is one of the largest and most inclusive gym franchises in the world. At the end of 2023, the franchise had approximately 18.7 million members and 2,575 stores in 50 states. But in an effort to keep those members, the company has recently added its Total Body Enhancement machine for use by Black Card members.
The TBE functions similarly to an upright tanning bed, only it uses therapeutic red light instead of harmful UV light. The machine also incorporates a vibrating footplate designed to stimulate muscle activity and enhance circulation, optimizing the post-workout recovery process alongside the RLT.
At the moment, Planet Fitness is recommending session times of around 12 minutes, which they bill as being perfect to enhance recovery and muscle growth after a gym session. If you go on Instagram, you can find lots of influencers posting Planet Fitness Red Light Therapy before and after photos. This is because Planet Fitness is also promoting the aesthetic aspects of RLT as well.
Specifically, the company states that its vibration treatment, when combined with the RLT, can significantly improve skin health, provide a natural glow, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Either way, lots of Black Card members are excited about the new offering, and others are looking to upgrade just to get access to the service.
Planet Fitness Total Body Enhancement Competitors
As we mentioned earlier, Planet Fitness is not the only major gym franchise attempting to cash in on the RLT. Crunch Fitness and Club Fitness provide similar amenities but with a bit of a twist that some members might not be expecting.
Crunch Fitness
Crunch Fitness is known for offering diverse membership plans that include access to group fitness classes, personal training, and spa-like amenities, including hydromassage and infrared saunas. Their most recent RLT-infused saunas combine the aesthetic appeal of traditional Nordic saunas with the benefits of Red Light Therapy, creating a soothing environment that stimulates cellular energy production without excessive heat.
In Crunch Fitness’ case, they use the beauty angle to promote RLT to their clients. Though some locations also have a vibration plate to enable them to compete with Planet Fitness directly, others try to focus more on the beauty treatment aspect of the RLT sauna. This is a good way to differentiate their service from Planet Fitness, but – at the end of the day – they’re the same thing. The main difference is the vibration plate, which has been shown to enhance muscle strength and tone, increase flexibility, and boost circulation.
Club Fitness
On the other hand, you have Club Fitness. A smaller and often more expensive chain, Club Fitness recently expanded its offerings to include premium plans that provide access to infrared light therapy. Unlike traditional saunas that focus primarily on detoxification through sweating, this therapy directly targets the skin, muscles, and deeper tissues. So, rather than provide the benefits of RLT, it instead heats the body in a more comfortable, much safer way.
Though they may be trying to bill it as Red Light Therapy, that’s simply not the case. Even though they both use the word ‘infrared” and light, these two uses of the infrared light spectrum result in completely different treatments. Again, a sauna is more about detoxification and stimulating the body via effects that are very similar to working out. There are, of course, still benefits to using this, including pain relief, stress reduction, sleep enhancement, and deep tissue relief.
Planet Fitness is Good, But Why Not Get Your Own In-Home RLT Device?
While the availability of Red Light Therapy at gyms like Planet Fitness offers convenient access for many gym-goers, owning a personal RLT device has several compelling advantages. For starters, home RLT devices eliminate the need for premium gym memberships, which often come with higher costs and may include amenities you don’t want. Planet Fitness is renowned for being extremely inexpensive. Many people recognize that they can get all the use they want out of a home RLT device and save money in the long run.
The other big problem with gym RLT machines is that you can end up waiting so long that you skip using the device altogether. However, personal RLT devices offer the flexibility to integrate your therapy into your daily routine at your convenience, free from the constraints (and potential hygiene problems) associated with public gym equipment.
Last but certainly not least, you get privacy. No offense to Planet Fitness, Crunch, or Club, but most facilities have hundreds of members or more, and that can be overwhelming to lots of us. With a high-quality, at-home Red Light Therapy device, you can get all the benefits with none of the drawback.
