Skincare Renaissance
LED Light Therapy is in Berks County
Photos courtesy Baja Beach Tanning Club
While wellness products, techniques and technology take turns in the spotlight, it’s hard to compete with the research backing LED Light Therapy. According to Cleveland Clinic, NASA began researching LED’s effects in promoting wound healing in astronauts by helping cells and tissues grow. Following NASA’s 2022 study that demystified medical uses of light, LED Light Therapy grew 48 percent over the past year, putting it at a current volume of approximately 107K searches per month according to Glimpse.
Although the recent surge in interest, Berks County’s Baja Beach Tanning Club added LED Light Therapy to its service arsenal more than a decade ago in 2010. Owner Bridget Coe shares that red light stimulates the skin to produce collagen and can improve its appearance and texture while blue light kills acne-causing bacteria, shrinks pores and improves the skin’s texture and tone. Baja Beach’s facial unit, available at every location, combines the use of red and blue LED lights.
LED Light Therapy contributes to both wellness and aesthetics without the risks, costs and, at times, toxicity associated with plastic surgery and other wellness services and products. Baja Beach houses two full-body red LED light therapy beds and two infrared cocoon wellness pods at each location. The full-body red LED light therapy bed is designed to assist customers with stretch marks, scarring, cellulite and skin imperfections by stimulating the production of two different kinds of proteins that work together as the key components of the skin’s connective tissues: collagen and elastin. Infrared light, however, penetrates through the skin all the way to the bone according to Coe.
“With infrared light, there's no tanning, and it's not UV at all, but it has been shown to help with pain relief, detoxification, weight loss, muscle recovery, better circulatory health, better sleep, better mood, and the list goes on,” she says. “Infrared light has so many different benefits.”
Baja Beach’s Training and Development Leader, Angela Himmelberger, says her son used the pod for a whole week during his ice hockey camp and looked forward to going there every day for a half-hour.
“He listened to Netflix, and he loved it. We definitely saw the benefits of being able to have less muscle soreness the next day. He had a little bit more flexibility and overall a faster recovery,” says Himmelberger.
Baja Beach experienced an uptick in customers utilizing this service due to the expanded research, the virality of the service on social media and the fact that LED light therapies are safe for children, adults and elders. The company is embracing this wellness shift and offers LED Light Therapies in its tiered packages that can be used with or without tanning and salon services. There are also plans in place to expand wellness services as a part of its rebrand.
“Health and wellness are an investment, and we're able to expand access to these services with our price points unlike other doctor's offices and high-end spas. It’s not just about the services we offer; it’s about convenience through having locations in all of the corners of Berks County and how you feel when you come to our salon and when you leave our salon,” says Coe.
Fun Facts
Higher Body Temperature Yields Benefits.
The cocoon wellness pods reach 190 degrees Fahrenheit and immerse the entire body except for the head to allow the internal body temperature to rise to that same temperature.
Low Risk, High Reward.
LED light therapy lacks adverse side effects and is painless. Clients tend to find the treatment relaxing and experience visual and physical results in one to three months.
