5 questions to ask before buying any red light therapy package

What device will I actually be lying in — make and model?

It's the simplest question, and it filters the fastest. A clinic proud of its machine names it. Make, model, manufacturer — offered freely, usually before you ask.

If the answer is "a medical-grade bed" with no name attached, keep asking. "Medical-grade" is a marketing phrase, not a specification. So is "the latest technology." A named device can be researched. A vague one can't.

Look at the photos in the ad, too. If every image is polished manufacturer stock — or generic footage that could be any clinic, anywhere — ask for a photo of the actual room, taken by the actual clinic. A provider who can't produce one is telling you something.

Our answer: the ARRC LED Elysium™, the flagship of ARRC's whole-body photobiomodulation line. It's named on every page of this site, and you can walk into our clinic at 15388 24 Ave in South Surrey and look at it before you spend a dollar. Full details are on the Elysium page.

How much of my body does it cover, and at what output?

A face mask, a handheld panel and a whole-body bed all get sold as "red light therapy." They are different tools. A mask reaches your face. A panel reaches whatever you point it at, from one side. A bed surrounds you.

So ask two things together: what part of my body does the light actually reach, and for how long? A "30-minute session" means little if only one side of you faces a small panel. And a discounted package of spot sessions is not the same product as whole-body coverage — even at the same price.

Output is harder to see, which is why it's worth asking about. Two devices can glow the same colour while delivering very different energy to the body. A serious provider can tell you what their device delivers and where that figure comes from.

Our answer: the Elysium is a whole-body bed. Light surrounds you head to toe for a full 20-minute session — no repositioning, no zone-by-zone add-ons, nothing sold back to you mid-session.

Which wavelengths — and how are they verified?

Red light and near-infrared light are not interchangeable. Visible red works nearer the surface, where skin lives. Near-infrared travels deeper, toward muscle and other tissue. A device built for one job can't quietly do the other.

So ask which wavelengths the device emits — then ask the harder question: how do you know? The honest answer involves documentation from the manufacturer, not a shrug and the word "infrared." If nobody at the clinic can point to a spec sheet, nobody at the clinic knows what the machine actually does. You're being asked to buy on vibes.

Our answer: the Elysium delivers six clinical wavelengths — visible red, deep red and near-infrared — documented by ARRC, the manufacturer. Ask at your visit and we'll walk you through the documentation, page by page.

Who assesses me medically before I start?

Red light therapy is non-invasive and generally well tolerated — which is exactly why it's easy to sell carelessly. Well tolerated is not the same as right for everyone. Pregnancy, certain medications that increase light sensitivity, and a number of health conditions all call for professional judgment before a first session.

So ask who makes that judgment. Is a physician involved in the program at all — setting the screening standards, reviewing protocols, available when a case isn't straightforward? Or does "assessment" mean a waiver on a tablet in the waiting area? A signature protects the business. Screening protects you.

Our answer: this program runs under Dr. Andras Iso, MD, at South Surrey Glow Hormone & Aesthetics. Every first visit begins with a medical intake and suitability screening, and our team — a registered medical aesthetician, a certified laser technician and a compounding pharmacist — works under his direction. If light therapy isn't a fit for you, we'll tell you before you've paid for a package, not after.

Are the reviews real, local and about this location?

Reviews are easy to borrow. A recurring pattern with franchise-style ad campaigns: the ad glows with five-star praise, but the praise belongs to a different city, a different location, or a brand with no fixed address at all.

Check three things before you trust a star rating. Do the reviewers have local history — other Surrey and White Rock businesses in their profiles? Is there an actual Google Business Profile for the address in the ad, with the machine and the room visible in its photos? And do the reviews describe this location and this staff — or could they have been written about anywhere?

Our answer: we hold 4.9 stars from 96 Google reviews, attached to our real address — 15388 24 Ave, Suite 112, Surrey, BC V4A 2H9. Read them yourself. Check the reviewers. Look at the photos. That's what public means.