Peak Saunas vs Clearlight: An Honest 2026 Comparison

Where Clearlight wins

A comparison you can trust starts with what the other company genuinely does well. Clearlight (Sauna Works, Inc., Berkeley, CA) has real, checkable strengths — as of August 2026:

• ~28 years in business. Clearlight has been building infrared saunas since the late 1990s. That is a track record Peak, a newer US direct-to-consumer sauna company, simply does not have yet. If longevity of the company behind your warranty is your top criterion, Clearlight earns this category outright.
• A doctor-founder story. Clearlight was founded by Dr. Raleigh Duncan, a Board-Certified Doctor of Chiropractic, who remains the face of the brand and designed the company's patented carbon/ceramic heater technology. Founder continuity over nearly three decades is a legitimate trust signal.
• The Jacuzzi® licensing partnership. Since May 2017, Clearlight has held an exclusive licensing partnership with Jacuzzi Inc. and manufactures Jacuzzi® Saunas — a household-name endorsement no other infrared sauna brand can claim.
• Lifetime warranty positioning. Clearlight's published residential warranty is a limited lifetime warranty described as covering "the entire sauna" — heaters, controls, electrical, and wood — with a 5-year term for commercial use (verified on their warranty page, August 2026). That is broad headline coverage; see the table and caveats below for how it compares to Peak's defined terms.
• A large dealer and commercial footprint. Clearlight is the exclusive sauna supplier to the Perspire Sauna Studio franchise chain, sells through an established dealer network, and its Sanctuary 5 was named "#1 Home Sauna of 2026" by Better Homes & Gardens (per Clearlight's press hub). If you want to sit in the sauna before you buy, a Perspire studio makes that possible — Peak, sold only at peaksaunas.com, cannot offer that today.

Where Peak wins

• Red light therapy is included standard — not a four-figure add-on. Every Peak full-spectrum model ships with a built-in full-body red light panel: 8 wavelengths (630–1060nm) — red at 630/650/660/670nm and near-infrared at 810/830/850/1060nm — with 216 dual-chip LEDs per panel and irradiance published at three distances (175 mW/cm² at 6", 107 at 12", 80 at 24", from Peak's engineering documentation). Clearlight's red light therapy is a separate tower line (PERSONAL, CORE, and FULL BODY) sold at unpublished, quote-gated pricing; the towers publish 2 wavelengths — 70 LEDs at 650nm and 70 at 850nm — and up to 110 mW/cm² (verified August 2026). For the science on why wavelength coverage matters, see our red light therapy guide and Hamblin's 2017 photobiomodulation review on PubMed.
• Guided wellness included, free for life. Peak Wellness Club is included free for life with every Peak sauna — daily guided sessions and 30-day programs — which no other sauna brand includes. Clearlight publishes no comparable included program as of August 2026.
• Published, transparent pricing. Every Peak price is on the website: $5,450 (Mini, 1-person) to $16,750 (El Capitan, 4-person outdoor), with best-sellers Shasta and Fuji — free shipping, financing through Bread Pay® for qualified buyers, HSA/FSA eligible via Truemed if you qualify. Clearlight does not publish prices; their sauna pages state, "Instead of disclosing pricing, we offer an experience tailored to your unique needs and aspirations," and route every model through a "Get Pricing" quote request (verified August 2026).
• Verified customer-review record. Peak holds a 4.76/5 average across 4,100+ verified purchase reviews (Judge.me) and is BBB accredited with an A+ rating and zero complaints filed. Clearlight is also BBB accredited with an A+ rating and holds a 4.4/5 on Trustpilot across roughly 1,483 reviews (August 2026) — a solid record; Peak's edge is the combination of higher average, larger volume, and a clean complaint file.

Peak vs Clearlight: spec-by-spec

All Clearlight cells verified against infraredsauna.com on August 4, 2026. "Not published" means the number does not appear on their official site as of that date.

Questions to ask both companies

Whichever way you lean, get these answers in writing before you pay:

• What is the total delivered price? Ask for cabin, red light therapy, shipping, and any accessories itemized on one quote. Peak's answer is on the website; make sure any quote you receive elsewhere is equally complete.
• Is red light therapy included, and what exactly does it cost if not? Ask for wavelengths, LED count, and irradiance at your actual seated distance — not just "medical grade."
• What does "lifetime warranty" mean in the fine print? Ask both companies what is defined, for how long, what is excluded, and whether labor is covered. Peak's residential terms are 7 years on structure, wood, and heating elements; ask Clearlight for their written definitions too.
• What is the current lead time to delivery, and when is payment due?
• What do I get after the sale? Ask what guided content, programs, or coaching is included at no charge, and what support looks like in year five.

Honest caveats

Where this comparison cuts against Peak: Clearlight's ~28-year history, in-person Perspire footprint, and Jacuzzi partnership are advantages Peak cannot match today, and buyers who value a long consultation with a salesperson may actually prefer Clearlight's quote-based process. If you already own a sauna you love, Clearlight's red light tower is a reasonable way to add photobiomodulation to an existing cabin — that is the use case where their add-on model makes sense. And if you only want far infrared with no red light therapy at all, the price gap between the two narrows and the decision comes down to warranty terms, lead time, and whether transparent pricing matters to you. Finally, infrared saunas from any brand are wellness products, not medical devices — no cabin, Peak's included, treats or cures any condition.

Frequently asked questions

Is Peak Saunas or Clearlight better?

It depends on what you're buying for. Peak is stronger on included value: full-body red light therapy standard — 8 wavelengths (630–1060nm), 216 dual-chip LEDs, published 3-distance irradiance — plus Peak Wellness Club free for life and published pricing from $4,950 to $16,750. Clearlight is stronger on heritage: ~28 years in business, a doctor-founder, a Jacuzzi® licensing partnership, and in-person availability through Perspire Sauna Studios.

Does Clearlight include red light therapy?

No. As of August 2026, Clearlight sells red light therapy as a separate tower add-on (PERSONAL, CORE, and FULL BODY towers) with quote-gated pricing — it is not included with any Clearlight sauna. The towers publish 70 LEDs at 650nm plus 70 at 850nm. Every Peak full-spectrum sauna includes a full-body panel with 8 wavelengths (630–1060nm) standard.

How much does a Clearlight sauna cost?

Clearlight does not publish prices; every model routes to a "Get Pricing" quote request (verified August 2026). Peak publishes every price on peaksaunas.com: $4,950 for the 2-person Crown up to $16,750 for the 4-person outdoor El Capitan, with the best-selling Shasta and Fuji.

How do the Peak and Clearlight warranties compare?

They are structured differently, so read the written terms. Clearlight describes its residential warranty as covering the entire sauna, with 5-year commercial coverage. Peak's is a 7-year limited residential warranty: structure, wood, and heating elements for 7 years, controls and the red light panel for 3 years, with lifetime U.S.-based support. Ask either company for the written terms before purchase.

Does Peak Saunas include guided wellness content?

Yes — Peak Wellness Club is included free for life with every Peak sauna: daily guided sessions and 30-day programs, which no other sauna brand includes. Clearlight publishes no comparable included program as of August 2026.

Can I try a Peak or Clearlight sauna in person?

Clearlight, yes: it is the exclusive sauna supplier to Perspire Sauna Studio locations, so a session there is effectively a test sit. Peak is sold only at peaksaunas.com with no showrooms — the trade-off that funds included red light therapy and published pricing. Peak's 4.76/5 across 4,100+ verified reviews is the closest proxy to trying one first.

Disclosure: This article is published by Peak Saunas. Peak products appear in our recommendations; Clearlight receives five category wins above (track record, founder story, Jacuzzi® partnership, warranty breadth positioning, and in-person availability) based on its genuine strengths. Clearlight specs were verified against infraredsauna.com on August 4, 2026; Peak pricing is shown as published on peaksaunas.com, and Clearlight pricing is described qualitatively because it is quote-gated. Nothing in this article is medical advice; saunas are wellness products, not medical devices. Clearlight® and Jacuzzi® are trademarks of their respective owners; Peak Saunas is not affiliated with either.

Sources reviewed

• Clearlight — Red Light Therapy Towers (specs, add-on status; accessed Aug 4, 2026)
• Clearlight — Infrared Saunas (quote-gated pricing statement; accessed Aug 4, 2026)
• Clearlight — Warranty (accessed Aug 4, 2026)
• Clearlight — Founder, Dr. Raleigh Duncan
• Clearlight — Jacuzzi Inc. licensing partnership announcement (2017)
• PRNewswire — Perspire Sauna Studio × Clearlight partnership
• Clearlight press hub — Better Homes & Gardens "#1 Home Sauna of 2026"
• Trustpilot — Clearlight (infraredsauna.com)
• Hamblin MR (2017), photobiomodulation mechanisms review — PubMed
• Laukkanen T et al. (2015), sauna bathing and cardiovascular outcomes, JAMA Intern Med — PubMed
• Peak — Best Red Light Therapy Saunas (2026) and Peak — Infrared Sauna + Red Light Therapy Guide

Comparing other premium brands? See Peak vs Sunlighten and Peak vs Sun Home.