HappyLight Luxe Review
Verilux Light therapy
We have reviewed the Verilux Happylight Luxe for your mental health insight. This lamp can be a positive tool in helping you combat the dark winter months and the seasonal affective disorder that can occur. The 10,000 lux this light emits will help with the dark days and help you feel more energized.
Here is Verilux HappyLight Luxe Review: Your In-Depth Guide.
We’re always looking for ways to feel better, especially during winter when the days are shorter and darker, and our moods feel darker, too. Over the past few weeks, we’ve had the chance to try out the Verilux HappyLight Luxe, and it’s been a mood game-changer!
Whether you feel particularly impacted by seasonal affective disorder or SAD or generally feel like you’re always dragging – trying to get through the day without feeling exhausted or low, you may be in need of some light therapy.
In this Verilux Happy Light Luxe review, we’re sharing thoughts on this unique light therapy lamp. Whether you’re considering this specific lamp or exploring light therapy in general to fight fatigue or restore your energy and focus, we hope this helps you determine whether this lamp could be the right one for you!
What is the Verilux HappyLight Luxe?
The Verilux HappyLight Luxe is a compact, full-spectrum LED light therapy lamp. This light is portable and ultra-convenient, especially when considering the amount of light it emits to help everything from your sleep, energy levels, focus, and overall mood.
How to use Verilux HappyLight Luxe
Whether you hang it on your wall or sit it at your desk, one of the best aspects of the Verilux HappyLight Luxe is it allows you to personalize your experience in more ways than one. Between the different color hues, brightness levels, and timer settings, it only takes a few simple presses of these button options to customize your ideal light therapy session.
Unlike other therapy lamps that seem to work best through an app, the Verilux can only be operated manually – apart from its timer options. That said, once you make some quick selections (if you choose to), there’s nothing else you need to do!
HappyLight Luxe Pros vs. Cons
Pros:
- The light is portable and lightweight
- Very easy to use
- Sleek and flat design that doesn’t take up much surface area
- It helps you feel more alert and productive
Cons:
- It needs to be plugged in via power cord for use (no charging functionality)
- Very bright, even on the lowest setting
How Much Does the HappyLight Luxe Cost?
The HappyLight Luxe costs:
- $69.99 USD
- $79.99 CAD
Verilux HappyLight Luxe Review
Since receiving my Verilux HappyLight Luxe, I haven’t gone a day without it. I enjoy using it when I first wake up especially. Unless you want to toggle with the settings briefly, all you need to do is hit the power button. This makes the Verilux lamp ideal for people like me who struggle to function in the mornings before coffee or exercise. But more importantly, I genuinely feel that it helps start my day off on a happier note.
I am also now in the habit of turning on my HappyLight Luxe when I feel upset or am having a particularly rough or emotional day. Adding these quick 5–10-minute sessions has done wonders for helping me recoup and refocus.
Furthermore, I appreciate how quickly you can learn to operate the HappyLight Luxe. For example, with most compact devices I’ve had, whether a smartwatch or a set of Bluetooth headphones, they come with one or two buttons that control several functions. You’re then left attempting to memorize how many times you have to tap a button just to skip a song or pause a workout.
And while that’s completely understandable for smaller devices, my point is that this light is so compact and portable, without unnecessary confusion. In fact, that timer option is the only one you have to learn unless you want to power the light off manually – but it’s not complicated.
How to assemble the Verilux HappyLight Luxe
Another convenient thing about the Verilux HappyLight is how quickly it comes together. Here are the steps you take to assemble it:
Remove stand
The stand for the Verilux HappyLight comes conveniently attached to it. To remove the stand from the back of the lamp (where you’ll see the keyhole for optional wall mounting), slide it upward.
Attach stand
The lamp has two slots at its base that align with two tabs on the stand. Insert the tabs into these slots and press them together.
Plug it in
Choose a flat-level surface where you want to have your lamp. I chose my work desk because I had some space on the end corner, which worked perfectly as you don’t want it too close to your eyes or face.
Insert the power adapter plug into the socket on the back of the lamp (under the keyhole). Make sure you have a standard VAC electrical outlet to plug it into.
Now you’re ready to turn on the lamp by pressing the power button located at the top right of the lamp!
How bright is the Verilux HappyLight Luxe?
I find the Verilux HappyLight Luxe to be almost too bright for me. It can depend on the hue I’ve chosen, but I don’t usually go past the first brightness level for any one them. That said, I’m also an outlier in this opinion due to a slight sensitivity I have to light from having both dry and light-colored eyes.
I don’t perceive the brightness of this Verilux light as a drawback – it does what it is supposed to do. This only means it is likely even more effective for people who will benefit from different hues and brightness levels of the white light the HappyLight provides.
All that said, I have zero issues or discomfort using this light as long as it’s an appropriate distance away, and it’s still been highly effective for me.
How big is the Verilux HappyLight Luxe?
The Verilux HappyLigh Luxe is comparable to most iPads (not minis) but about 2 inches taller. It’s a great size and design. Even with the extra space it takes up depth-wise with the stand (if you don’t hang it), it’s still convenient to place on any surface. I’ve found that I can slide the thin stand underneath books on the edge of my desk, so it’s actually not taking up any new space.
How many settings does the Verilux HappyLight Luxe have?
The Verilux HappyLight Luxe has three controls: the HappyHue color selector, brightness, and timer.
The color selector allows you to choose between three different hues of white light. One is a white/daylight, one is a warm white, and the other is a cooler medium white. I prefer the cooler, blue hue if I use my HappyLight in the evening.
The brightness control lets you choose from four different brightness levels. So if you do find the brightest setting(s) uncomfortable, you can start with or stick with the lowest one. Although, you’ll want to make sure your light therapy sessions align with the brightness. That is, you can get your daily dose of light more quickly with a brighter session.
The timer control lets you customize your light therapy experience after selecting your hue and brightness. You can do a one-hour quick set or set the session length in 5-minute increments using the timer. This means you can set your Verilux therapy session for anywhere between 5 to 60 minutes.
How long should you use the Verilux HappyLight Luxe in one sitting?
I could easily use my Verilux HappyLight all day if it were recommended. However, the manufacturer guidelines suggest up to one hour each day is safe and effective. Not only that, but they base their recommendations on research from the National Institute of Health, which attests that white light between 2,500 – 10,000 lux helps minimize the symptoms of seasonal depression.
Because Verilux recommends between 20 minutes and an hour of use daily, I prefer to break my therapy light sessions into several smaller sessions. Twenty minutes in the morning, afternoon, and night has been a helpful structure for me and a way to stay consistent.
That said, it’s important to use your lamp regularly at about the same time each day. Thankfully, the Verilux HappyLight makes it easy to use in the way that works best for you.
How far away should you place your Verilux HappyLight?
When you first set up your Verilux HappyLight, it is recommended that you do a pretest, positioning the lamp about 18 inches from your face for about 10 minutes. As long as you don’t experience any discomfort, you can gradually begin to decrease your distance from the lamp (along with increasing the brightness and time if you choose to).
All in all, you don’t want your lamp ever to come closer than within 16 inches of your face – and no farther than 24 inches of it. That said, your lamp can be as close as 6 inches to you (meaning your hand or arm), with it still being far enough away for your eyes and face.
Finally, to maximize the benefits you receive from this lamp, you want to position the lamp slightly off-center. For example, to the left or right of your computer or work area, but slightly angled toward you. And you never want to look directly into the light, but your eyes should be open.
Frequently Asked Questions
We mentioned lux briefly, which is a measurement of light intensity. Each of the four brightness levels provides 2,500 more lux – starting at 2,500 then up to 10,000 lux. 10,000 lux is the standard recommended light intensity for light therapy benefits such as improved mood, energy, and concentrations.
The Verilux HappyLight Luxe has a sleek and compact tablet design. It’s small enough to fit in a backpack or briefcase – even a large purse.
The great thing about the size of this lamp is that you never have to go without it if you don’t want to! The stand can easily be detached and re-affixed to the back to make it even narrower for travel.
You just want to make sure you don’t forget the power cable, especially if chargers left plugged into the wall are the one thing you’re notorious for forgetting when you travel. There is no charging or Bluetooth functionality here, so you always need to have the power cord!
The Verilux HappyLight has four levels of brightness that assist in gradually increasing light intensity. This light emits full-spectrum, UV-free light with clinically proven 10,000 lux intensity.
This lamp allows users to choose between three color temperature options. Depending on the time of day, you may find that different temperature hues feel either more comfortable or more helpful.
There are many great timer options on this light for controlling time. Each bar of light represents 5 minutes, so you can see how much time you set and how much you have left as it counts down.
- Dimensions: 11.7h X 7.5w X 0.5d
- Weight: 2 pounds
- Wall mountable: This lamp is wall mountable. All you need to make sure is that it can reach an outlet for power once you find the right space.
- Detachable stand: The HappyLight comes with a detachable stand, which you can use if you do not opt for the wall mount option.
