How to Go Into Summer Feeling Like the Best Version of Yourself
Summer is almost here. And if we're honest, we all want to feel as good as the season looks. This is a guide on how infrared light therapy helps you show up this summer with glowing skin, real energy, and a body that feels like yours again.
Let's be honest. Summer has a way of making us all a little more aware of how we feel in our own skin. Not in a punishing way — but in a "I want to feel well, alive, and like myself" kind of way.
The good news is that the things you do now — consistently, over the next few weeks — genuinely make a difference. And infrared light therapy is one of the most efficient ways to address all three of the things most people want heading into summer: clearer, more radiant skin. Sustainable energy that doesn't require four coffees. And a metabolism that's working with you, not against you.
Here's the honest, science-backed version of what it actually does — and how to use it this summer.
Skin & Glow
Collagen, circulation & cellular renewal
Energy & Vitality
Cortisol, mitochondria & deep rest
Body & Metabolism
Heat shock proteins, fat metabolism & strength
Skin & Glow
COLLAGEN · CIRCULATION · CELLULAR RENEWAL
The "infrared glow" is real — and it's not just marketing. Here's what's actually happening when you step out of a Healux session looking and feeling luminous.
First, the immediate effect: infrared heat causes vasodilation, increasing peripheral blood flow by two to three times. More blood at the skin surface means more oxygen and nutrients delivered directly to skin cells, and more efficient removal of waste products. The visible result is flushed, plump, luminous skin — and with regular sessions, that baseline microcirculation improves even outside the sauna.
Then there's the cellular work happening beneath the surface. Near infrared light at 880nm is the precise wavelength at which fibroblast cells absorb light energy — triggering collagen and elastin production. A 2006 study found that both collagen and elastin increased after infrared exposure, with all patients reporting enhanced skin texture, reduced roughness, and improved tone. When combined with visible red light at 660nm, the effect is even stronger.
Over six months of consistent use, clinical research on photo-aged patients found improvements in skin texture of 51–75%, with biopsies confirming elevated collagen and elastin levels. These aren't temporary surface effects — they're structural changes in the skin that build with regular use.
51–75%improvement in skin texture over 6 months of infrared use, confirmed by biopsy
880nmthe near infrared wavelength at which fibroblasts absorb light and produce collagen
2–3×increase in peripheral blood flow — the immediate source of the infrared glow
HONEST EVIDENCE SUMMARY — SKIN
Proven - Immediate circulation boost and visible glow from vasodilation. Improved skin texture and tone with consistent use.
Likely - Collagen and elastin maintenance with regular near infrared and red light exposure over weeks.
Note - If you have rosacea, approach with caution — heat can trigger flares. Start with lower temperatures and shorter sessions.
Energy & Vitality
CORTISOL · MITOCHONDRIA · DEEP REST
Real energy — the kind that gets you through a full day without crashing at 3pm, that makes you want to be active rather than forcing yourself — doesn't come from coffee. It comes from a nervous system that's recovered, mitochondria that are functioning well, and a cortisol curve that isn't running the show.
Infrared addresses all three. By activating the parasympathetic nervous system and reducing chronic cortisol elevation — studies show drops of 25–29% following sauna sessions — infrared creates the biological conditions for genuine energy restoration. Not the wired, adrenalised kind. The quiet, reliable kind.
At the cellular level, infrared heat stimulates mitochondria — the organelles responsible for producing ATP, your body's energy currency. Research has shown that heat therapy increases mitochondrial protein activity by approximately 35%, comparable to the effect of regular exercise training. Combined with actual exercise, the two are additive — producing a 62% increase in mitochondrial activity. This is why regular infrared users often describe a sustained lift in energy levels over weeks, rather than a single-session high.
And then there's sleep — the foundation of everything. As covered in our earlier post on stress and the nervous system, the post-session core temperature drop that follows an infrared session is one of the most effective non-pharmaceutical sleep triggers available. Better sleep is, quite simply, the single greatest energy intervention most people are ignoring.
35% increase in mitochondrial activity from regular heat therapy — comparable to exercise
25–29% reduction in cortisol levels documented following infrared sauna sessions
62% mitochondrial boost when heat therapy is combined with regular exercise training
THE HONEST FRIEND VERSION
If your energy is low, the first question is always: how is your sleep, and how high is your baseline stress? Infrared addresses both — directly and measurably. It's not a quick fix, but it's one of the few interventions that works on the root cause rather than papering over it with stimulants.
Body & Metabolism
HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS · FAT METABOLISM · STRENGTH
Let's talk about the body honestly — because this is the area where the most overclaiming happens in the infrared world, and you deserve a straight answer.
Infrared is not a weight loss machine. A 40-minute session won't undo a sedentary week. But what it does do for body composition is genuinely interesting — and if you're already active, the effects compound meaningfully.
When your muscles are heated, they produce heat shock proteins (HSPs) — the same proteins produced during exercise, and increasingly understood to be responsible for many of exercise's benefits. A study exposing subjects to passive heating for one hour daily for 11 days — with no training — found muscle strength increased by 17%. Not from exercise. From heat alone. A 2025 study on female athletes found that regular post-exercise infrared sessions led to measurable positive changes in body composition over six weeks compared to training alone.
On the metabolism side, the cardiovascular response to a 40-minute infrared session raises heart rate by at least 30%, increasing metabolic rate and caloric expenditure during and for several hours after the session. One study found that participants using infrared three times per week for 45 minutes lost an average of 4% body fat over four months — without changing their diet or exercise routine.
The cortisol-visceral fat connection is also directly relevant here. Chronically elevated cortisol promotes fat storage specifically around the abdomen — the type that's most metabolically resistant. Reducing cortisol through regular infrared sessions removes one of the most stubborn barriers to body composition change for adults over 35.
17% increase in muscle strength from passive heat exposure alone, with no exercise training
4% average body fat reduction over 4 months using infrared 3× per week without diet changes
+30% heart rate increase during a session — producing a passive cardiovascular and metabolic effect
HONEST EVIDENCE SUMMARY — BODY
Proven - Elevated heart rate and metabolic rate during sessions. Heat shock protein production supporting muscle health and recovery.
Likely - Meaningful body composition improvements over months of consistent use, especially when combined with exercise and cortisol reduction.
Context - Infrared works best as a complement to an active lifestyle — not a replacement for movement. Combined, the effects are significantly greater than either alone.
YOUR SUMMER PROTOCOL AT HEALUX
A Simple Plan for All Three
You don't need to come in every day. Consistency over time matters far more than frequency in any single week. Here's what we'd suggest for the summer ahead.
FREQUENCY
2–3 sessions per week for active results. Once weekly maintains and builds gradually.
DURATION
40 minutes. The clinically validated duration for full skin, hormonal, and metabolic response.
BEST TIMING FOR SKIN
Morning or early afternoon — let the circulation boost work through your day.
BEST TIMING FOR ENERGY & SLEEP
Evening, 60–90 minutes before bed — the temperature drop will set you up for deep, restorative sleep.
BEST TIMING FOR BODY
Post-exercise — infrared after training amplifies the metabolic and recovery response significantly.
PROGRAMME TO USE
The mPulse Anti-Ageing programme combines near infrared, red light, and far infrared specifically for skin and cellular renewal.
A FINAL THOUGHT
Summer Is a Season. Feeling Well Is a Practice.
The most meaningful thing about infrared therapy isn't any single session — it's what happens when it becomes a consistent part of how you take care of yourself. The skin improves gradually. The energy stabilises. The body starts to respond. And somewhere along the way, you stop feeling like you're working against yourself.
We built Healux for exactly this: a place in Brussels where the science is real, the experience is genuinely restorative, and the only thing you have to do is show up and let it work.
Summer is almost here. You have time to feel exactly the way you want to feel for it.
Start Your Summer
The Right Way
Book your first session at Healux and give your skin, energy, and body the head start they deserve this summer.
