A friend gave me a Nepalese salt lamp as a gift last year. I had never seen one before, but immediately loved its natural, asymmetrical rock-like form and especially the beautifully warm and rosy light it radiated once I plugged it in. My parrot took one look at it and walked up to lick it — as I did, following his lead! Yes, it is pure salt…but it more closely resembles a nice big piece of rose quartz.

Not only are salt lamps lovely ambient accent lighting options for your home — they also provide health benefits for both mind and body, as I learned through a little research. When warmed by a light bulb, the pure salt cleanses your air and exudes negative ions with nearly the same powerful benefits of a mechanical ionizer, but without the noise or harmful ozone — and counteracts the fatiguing effects of the fluorescent lights and computers of many workplaces. Negative ions are naturally generated by moving water, the ocean, and mountain air, whereas indoor air — particularly when re-circulated, or in the vicinity of electronics — is exceedingly low in ions.

Salt lamps are made in Nepal and other Himalayan areas as well as in Russia and Central Europe, where salt is mined. Salt crystals range in hue from pale pink to deep salmon, and come in various sizes. The larger the crystal, the more ionizing power it packs.

Some sources to buy these lovely, therapeutic lamps include:

Best Sale Lamp
Salt of the Earth
Natural Sale Lamps
Himalayan Salt Shop