Celebrities & Athletes

Public figures who have discussed using red light therapy include Bryan Johnson, Dr Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan, Dana White, Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Madonna, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson and Jennifer Lopez. In professional sport, LeBron James has described using it for muscle and joint pain, while the San Francisco 49ers built a dedicated light therapy recovery room at Levi’s Stadium in 2019.

LeBron James has described using red light therapy for muscle and joint pain as part of a broader recovery program - widely reported to cost around US$1.5 million a year - that also includes cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen and compression. At team level, the San Francisco 49ers became the first professional franchise to build a dedicated light therapy recovery room, opening it beside the locker room at Levi’s Stadium in 2019.

The answer, in plain language.

Bryan Johnson’s published Blueprint protocol has included a 655nm laser cap, worn for six minutes each day alongside a peptide serum, as well as whole-body red and near-infrared panel sessions approximately three times a week. By device type, the closest Hero options are HeroHat Laser™ for the scalp and a large-format panel such as Hero960 Elite™ for whole-body sessions.

Dr Andrew Huberman has discussed the potential uses of red and near-infrared light extensively, but his guidance is more nuanced than a blanket recommendation. Huberman Lab has published a dedicated episode on using sunlight, blue light and red light to optimise health, as well as a discussion with UCL researcher Dr Glen Jeffery on red light and metabolism. Huberman has also described experimenting with red and near-infrared panels. For evening lighting, his emphasis is on reducing overall brightness, with dim red-spectrum light generally being less disruptive to circadian timing than bright, blue-rich light.

Athletes primarily use red light therapy to support recovery from training, muscle soreness and inflammation. Photobiomodulation research suggests that red and near-infrared wavelengths may influence mitochondrial activity, cellular energy production and inflammatory signalling.³ Because sessions are non-invasive, require no downtime and can be repeated regularly, the therapy fits easily alongside established recovery practices such as compression and cold exposure.

At the clinical end of the market, photobiomodulation systems can cost more than USD $20,000. The Swiss Bio Inov ATP38 device reportedly photographed in Madonna’s home, for example, is priced at around USD $23,000. Our devices use equivalent combinations of commonly studied red and near-infrared wavelength and cost considerably less: Red Light Hero panels start at under USD $1000, while the full-body HeroSnug™ is under USD $2000.

Most consumer red light therapy devices - whether owned by a celebrity or anyone else - use 660nm red and 850nm near-infrared light. These are among the most widely used and studied wavelengths in photobiomodulation but are also cheaper to manufacture.³ More advanced devices may include additional wavelengths across the broader 590–1072nm range. HeroPanels Elite™ combines ten wavelengths to cover more of that researched spectrum than a conventional two or five-wavelength panel.

No. Photobiomodulation has been studied for decades and was used in clinical and sports settings long before it became part of celebrity skincare routines. Celebrity adoption has made the technology more visible, but a famous user is not evidence that a device works. Wavelength, irradiance, coverage and dose matter far more than the name associated with it.

Read more: The research

Not necessarily - the same device cannot guarantee the same result for every person. However, many of the public figures on this page use consumer or prosumer equipment, including home panels and LED masks. Devices with comparable wavelengths and irradiance are therefore available for home use. Outcomes depend on the specifications, dose, consistency, treatment goal and individual response, not celebrity association or branding. Our Dosage Estimator can help you choose an appropriate starting distance and session length.

The clearest documented examples include Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who says he wears blue blockers for three hours before bed, and record producer Rick Rubin, who wears red-tinted lenses in the evening. Neurosurgeon Dr Jack Kruse has centred much of his public work on artificial blue light and circadian disruption. Simon Cowell wears orange- and red-tinted lenses to filter intense studio lighting, which he says can trigger migraines.

Erling Haaland says he wears blue light blocking glasses during the three hours before bed as part of a sleep routine he considers central to his performance. His broader approach involves reducing light and other signals in the bedroom to help his body prepare for sleep. Because blue-rich light in the evening can suppress melatonin and delay circadian timing, limiting exposure before bed may help support normal sleep onset.

Simon Cowell wears orange- and red-tinted glasses to reduce his exposure to the intense studio lighting he works beneath, which he says can trigger migraines. He has said that the glasses work for him. Their coloured lenses filter shorter wavelengths of visible light, including blue light.

It depends on what you expect them to do. Research has found limited or inconsistent benefits for digital eye strain and visual performance. The circadian rationale is clearer: evening light exposure can suppress melatonin, and filtering short-wavelength light may reduce that effect. Whether glasses meaningfully improve sleep depends on their filtration, when they are worn and the overall brightness of the environment. Their most defensible use is after dark as part of a broader routine that also dims screens and overhead lighting. HeroFilter™ blocks 100% of blue light rather than filtering only a partial percentage.

No. Red Light Hero has no affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement relationship with any person, team or organisation named on this page. They are included solely because they have publicly discussed or documented their use of red light therapy or related light-management technologies.⁴