Walk through any sauna brand’s website today and you’ll see cabins glowing deep red. Red light has become one of the most popular add-ons in home saunas. Here’s what it actually is, without the hype.
What “red light” in a sauna means
A red light sauna is an infrared sauna with extra LED panels inside that shine visible red light and near-infrared light. The sauna’s regular heaters still do the heating; the red light panels are a separate feature you can usually switch on and off.
Sun Home, for example, lists red light panels at 660nm and 850nm wavelengths in its Eclipse and Pod saunas.
What it’s like
The first thing people notice is the atmosphere. The cabin fills with a warm red glow, which many owners find calming, especially on dark winter evenings. One Sun Home customer reviewing the Luminar add-on wrote that it made the sauna feel especially comforting in winter.
Beyond that, experiences vary. Plenty of people like having heat and red light in the same session because it saves time; others barely notice a difference and leave it off.
Your options with Sun Home
Sale prices as of September 2026.
| Option | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pod | One-person far-infrared sauna with red light built in | $6,599 |
| Eclipse | Two- or four-person full-spectrum sauna with red light panels built in | From $9,999 |
| Luminar + add-on | Outdoor full-spectrum sauna; red light panel sold separately for the door | Add-on $1,699 |
The Luminar add-on is the clearest way to see what red light costs on its own: about $1,700 on top of the sauna. For context, the Eclipse two-person costs a few thousand dollars more than Sun Home’s Equinox two-person, which has no red light (though the two differ in other ways too).
See the Pod → · See the Eclipse → · See the Luminar add-on →
Saunas ship free and code CABINET takes $200 off, as of October 2026 — the red light add-on itself isn’t eligible for the code.
Do you need it?
Get it if: you already like red light, you want the most complete setup, or the glow and the “all in one session” convenience appeal to you and the price difference doesn’t hurt.
Skip it if: you’re buying your first sauna on a budget. The sauna itself is the core experience. You can put the difference toward a better cabin, an electrician, or a cold plunge. With the Luminar, you can add red light later.
Still choosing a sauna? See Sun Home’s lineup explained and infrared vs. traditional.
Our picks
1-person, red light built in
Pod
$6,599 · free shipping, as of Oct 2026
A compact, one-person cabin with red light panels already inside. Code CABINET takes $200 off.
Check price2-4 person, red light built in
Eclipse
From $9,999 · free shipping, as of Oct 2026
Full-spectrum infrared plus built-in red light panels. Code CABINET takes $200 off.
Check priceAdd red light to a Luminar
Luminar Red Light Add-on
$1,699
A separate panel for the door of a Luminar outdoor sauna. Not eligible for CABINET.
Check priceThe honest part
Red light in a sauna isn’t magic, and we’re not going to promise it fixes anything. It’s a feature many people enjoy for the atmosphere and routine. If you’re pregnant, have a heart condition, take medication that makes you sensitive to light or heat, or have any eye condition, check with your doctor before you use it, and follow the manufacturer’s eye-protection guidance.