What you need to know about the sunlight therapy room at Rudding Park

What is it?

The sunlight therapy room allows guests using the spa to benefit from real sunlight simulators that recreate the same spectrum of light as the sun. However, it also removes the harmful UVA and UVB rays of natural sunlight. In addition to being enjoyable, however, it also has a number of lovely health benefits as well.

What happens?

Large enough to take small groups, and elegantly designed, the room is best used as part of the wider spa experience. It is set to a 20 minute cycle. For 10 minutes the ‘sun’ rises to its peak (created with lighting effects and visuals on a screen). Then it spends 10 minutes going to sunset.

To add to the sensory experience, there’s an underfloor heating system as well as heated beds. As the sun sets, this also cools the room, so the temperature rises and falls with the light cycle.

What are the benefits of sunlight therapy?

Most of the benefits are for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is particularly common in the UK due to the weather being less sunny than other countries on average. It is also good for promoting sounder sleep. It helps with general relaxation and rehabilitation. It is very good for skin conditions like eczema, vitamin D deficiencies and aching joints.

Pregnant women are safe to use it, which is great as is not recommended to use other experiences like saunas and steam rooms. For many guests at Rudding Park it forms a part of a wellness routine. In fact, unlike many experiences, it has no contraindications, which is what makes it so gentle and accessible.