Total Body Enhancement at Planet Fitness is a booth that combines red light therapy with a vibration platform. It’s available to Black Card members at no extra cost, and a typical session lasts 12 minutes. Using it is straightforward, but getting the most out of each session depends on what you wear, which settings you choose, and how you position yourself inside the booth.
What the Machine Actually Does
The booth is made by Beauty Angel and has two components working at the same time. Red LED panels line the interior walls, emitting light at roughly 630 to 640 nanometers. At the base, a vibration platform oscillates beneath your feet. You can use both features together or adjust them independently.
The red light works by being absorbed into your skin cells, where it interacts with an enzyme in your mitochondria that drives energy production. This triggers a chain reaction: your cells produce more ATP (their main fuel source), release nitric oxide, and ramp up processes involved in cell repair and growth. Over repeated sessions, this can stimulate collagen production, improve skin texture, and support tissue recovery after exercise. In clinical trials using red and near-infrared light, participants saw measurable increases in collagen density, and roughly 70 to 75 percent of treated subjects showed visible improvement in wrinkles as rated by expert assessors.
The vibration platform sends mechanical oscillations through your body, which reflexively activates your muscles. Low-frequency vibration (around 30 to 40 Hz) and high-frequency vibration (100 to 150 Hz) work somewhat differently. Higher frequencies trigger a spinal reflex that causes muscles to contract more rapidly. The practical effect is mild muscle engagement without active exercise, similar to standing on an unstable surface. This can complement a workout by promoting blood flow and gentle muscle activation during recovery.
Step-by-Step: Using the Booth
Walk up to the Total Body Enhancement booth in your gym’s amenities area. On most machines, there’s a small control panel either inside or just outside the door. Here’s what to do:
- Step onto the platform. Stand in the center with your feet shoulder-width apart on the vibration plate. Hold the handles inside the booth if you need balance support.
- Select your vibration intensity. Most machines offer three or four levels. Start at the lowest setting your first time. The vibration can feel surprisingly strong, and jumping to a high level without preparation can make you feel unsteady.
- Close the door and press start. The red light panels will turn on automatically. The session runs for 12 minutes and shuts off on its own.
- Face different directions. The lights surround you, but rotating every few minutes helps ensure even exposure, especially to your sides and back.
You can shift your stance, do light stretches, or simply stand still during the session. Some people do gentle squats or calf raises on the platform to combine the vibration with light movement, but this isn’t necessary.
What to Wear (and Why It Matters)
Red light can only benefit skin it actually reaches. Clothing blocks the wavelengths, so the less you wear, the more effective the session. Most people strip down to their underwear or a swimsuit. The booth door closes fully and the interior isn’t visible from the gym floor, so you have privacy.
Promotional images from the machine’s manufacturer show users in minimal clothing for this reason. If you’re not comfortable going down to underwear, wearing a sports bra and shorts still exposes more skin than a full workout outfit. Just know that any covered area won’t receive the light therapy benefits.
Remove jewelry or watches that might reflect light or get in the way of skin exposure on your wrists and neck.
Protecting Your Eyes
The red LEDs don’t emit ultraviolet radiation, so you won’t get a sunburn. But the panels are bright, and staring directly into them can cause discomfort and temporary visual fatigue. Some Planet Fitness locations keep protective goggles near the booth. If yours does, use them. If not, simply keeping your eyes closed throughout the session is sufficient, since the light is diffused across the booth’s interior rather than focused in a beam.
Occasional exposure without eye protection isn’t cause for concern, but making a habit of keeping your eyes open in front of bright LED panels can strain your vision over time, especially during longer or more frequent sessions. If you have cataracts, macular degeneration, or any history of retinal problems, check with your eye doctor before using the booth regularly.
How Often to Use It
Most people use Total Body Enhancement three to five times per week. You can step in before a workout as a warm-up (the vibration gets blood flowing and loosens up muscles) or after a workout to support recovery. Some members use it on rest days purely for the skin benefits.
The clinical studies showing skin improvements used consistent sessions over several weeks. Collagen density increases and wrinkle improvements were measured at the 30-session mark. So one or two visits won’t produce visible changes. Treat it like any other fitness habit: the effects build with regular use over time.
There’s no evidence that using it daily causes harm, but there’s also no clear benefit to going twice in one day. One 12-minute session per visit is the standard protocol built into the machine.
Who Should Skip It
The vibration platform component makes the booth off-limits for certain people. You should not use it if you are pregnant, have epilepsy, or have an implanted electronic device such as a pacemaker or defibrillator. People with serious cardiac conditions, recent heart attacks, or uncontrolled high blood pressure should also avoid it.
Other conditions that warrant caution include active blood clots, hernias in the abdomen or groin area, joint replacements or internal metal hardware, and recent surgery. If you’re taking medications that make your skin more sensitive to light (some antibiotics and acne treatments do this), the red light panels could potentially cause irritation.
Realistic Expectations
Total Body Enhancement is a low-intensity recovery and skin care tool, not a substitute for exercise. The vibration platform burns minimal calories on its own, and the red light therapy won’t transform your skin overnight. What the research does support is that consistent red light exposure at these wavelengths promotes measurable collagen production and modest improvements in skin roughness and fine lines over weeks of regular use. The vibration component offers gentle muscle activation and improved circulation, which many users find helpful as a warm-up or cool-down.
Think of it as a 12-minute add-on to your gym routine rather than the centerpiece. It’s already included in your Black Card membership, so the barrier to trying it is low. Start with the lowest vibration setting, wear as little as you’re comfortable with, close your eyes, and let the timer run.