Anyone Own A Salt Crystal Lamp?

David Trammel's picture

I was wondering if any fellow Green Wizards own a Salt Crystal lamp?

It is a large chunk of salt, most typically from the Himalayan mountains but I've spotted some from Polish salt mines cashing in on the popularity, which is rough shaped and has a cavity inside for a low wattage light bulb. The heat of the bulb is supposed to warm the salt and cause a release of negative ions into the surrounding air. A lot of hype surrounds them.

I bought my first one because it looked so absolutely gorgeous. Later when I happen to stop by the store that I bought it from, a kind of Good Earth, eco friendly goods store, it was going out of business (the Mall it was in was closing), I bought 3 more as gifts and such.

Not sure of the hyped effects but as a way to cut back on my energy usage, having a 20 watt lamp (inside a beautiful container) is alot better than a 100 watt lamp on. While most are electric, I do have one that lights via a tea candle in its base. Not sure if that works, given the restricted air flow to the flame, since I haven't tried it but I could so see one of these at a Green Wizard Tower in centuries from now, welcoming visiting travelers and journeying green wizards.

The soft warm light from it really puts a medieval glow to a room. Almost like a fireplace without the heavy wood and hauling out the ash, lol.

Anyone else have one?

Alacrates's picture

I do have a salt crystal lamp, my girlfriend gave it to me a few years back.

I liked the idea that it was affecting the ions in the air, but I saw a lot of push-back against that online, so I assumed it probably wasn't true. (I had read something about negative ions and the air within modern buildings a few years before... that author mentioned that a bowl of rose water left out would help with this, so I thought there might be something to this.) I personally haven't given up on the ionizaton of the air argument yet!

I found I just didn't leave the lamp plugged in very often, it wasn't enough light to do much by, though it would probably make a good night-light....

ClareBroommaker's picture

This salt is a mined product. I tend to be in favor of leaving earth minerals where they lie within the earth, unless we really need it. The number of salt lamps I see showing up in thrift stores suggests to me that they are or were something of a fad. I do appreciate the coolness factor, though. ;)

David Trammel's picture

Clare I can agree with you about most minerals having their best place in the ground, and I suspect they were quite a fad too but they are such cool low energy accessories to a home, casting a warm soft light. They are neat too once they warm up. You can sit there and slowly run your hands over them. You can even justify it as Green Wizard mental practice, trying to recreate the salt crystal in your mind like the flouride crystal I used in the Mind Palace tutorial.

The "Mind Palace" - A First Step in Your GW Mental Skills

Personally I consider them emergency salt reserves. If the worst happens, I'll get out my hammer and start breaking it up into eatable sized chunks.

(Now someone's gonna tell me that's unsafe...:( )

Alacrates's picture

Hehe, an auxiliary salt supply, I hadn't thought of that!