SEEING INFRARED

The celeb-favorite treatment claims to grow your hair and youth-ify your skin. Could it outshine LED? 

- Katie Berohn

Picture this: It’s one of those perfect, sun-filled days in late July that feel like 36 hours instead of 24. Low humidity and high temperatures. Your skin resembles a solar panel, soaking in energy and getting warmer to the touch. That heat you’re feeling? It’s actually infrared energy, which our bodies perceive as warmth.

Though infrared is emitted everywhere, including the sun’s rays and our own bodies, it has only recently become something of a wellness buzzword. The craze started with infrared saunas, which celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow touted for their muscle-soothing benefits. Then it started spreading to workout studios, like Fierce Grace’s locations in New York and Cosmo Contour & Spa in Los Angeles and Miami, which use infrared panels to improve circulation during classes. Now it’s made its way to beauty tech, cropping up in at-home devices to boost collagen and aid hair growth.