Himalayan salt lamps offer a unique and stylish way to bring healing and positive energy into any space. Made from pinkish-orange-hued salt crystals mined from the Himalayan Mountains, salt lamps are said to be beneficial for both physical and mental well-being. This is because many believe that they produce negative ions that neutralize electromagnetic radiation produced by electronic devices such as computers, TVs, and phones.
When choosing a Himalayan salt lamp, size is an important factor to consider. Smaller-sized lamps are ideal for use on bedside tables, countertops, or office desks while larger-sized lamps are good for entryways, hallways, or large open areas. Medium-sized lamps are perfect for living rooms and bedrooms.
In this article, we’ll look at the various sizes of Himalayan salt lamps and how to select the perfect one to optimize your work and living space.
How Big are Himalayan Salt Lamps?
When Himalayan salt lamps first started being available, they tended to be about the size (and shape!) as an American football. This size allowed enough room within the salt block to carve out a cavity to place the bulb and the simple lighting socket that came with the lamp.
Bulbs tended to range from night light sized to fatter/taller candelabra bulbs. For the most part, the wiring and bulbs were incandescent 120v setups. The smallest of the incandescent bulbs really determined the size of the lamp that was necessary to house it. If you’ve got one of those types of salt lamps and you are looking to replace the bulb, be sure to see our article Salt Lamps 101: How To Choose The Right Bulb For Your Lamp.
Over time, as LED bulbs became more readily available, salt lamp manufacturers were able to create much smaller lamps because the size of the bulb was less of a limiting factor. Once that happen, we started to get smaller/cuter shaped lamps. More about that later!
Himalayan salt lamps come in a variety of sizes, allowing you to bring positive energy into any space. When choosing the size of your salt lamp, it is important to consider where it will be placed and what purpose it will serve.
Small
Small salt lamps are ideal for use on bedside tables, countertops, or office desks. These smaller lamps provide a subtle glow that can help counteract negative energy on a personal level and improve sleep quality.
Medium
Medium Himalayan salt lamps are perfect for living rooms, bedrooms, or other medium-sized spaces. These medium sized lamps are similar to the original salt lamps that I describe above. They offer a low level, ambient light that can create a relaxing atmosphere in an entire room. They can blend with your design style to make a statement about your lifestyle.
Large
Once Salt Lamps became ‘a craze’, manufacturers started trying to supply more choices for the market, resulting in some rather large lamps. These tend to be a little harder to find, but they can really make a statement. They are large enough that the cavity can be cut to support a standard sized incandescent bulb. Watch out though, as these lamps can be very heavy.
The largest one that I was able to find available weighs as much as 280 pounds! Notice the soda can sitting near the base to get an idea of how very large this lamp is! I think the best thing you could do is to leave this one sitting on the floor! You’d have to get a friend or two to help change the bulb.
How Much Does a Himalayan Salt Lamp Weigh?
Solid Salt is heavy. Since salt lamps are blocks of salt with a small hole cut out the center, and that typically sits on a wooden base, even a medium desk-sized lamp can weigh between 5 and 10 pounds, depending on its size.
Now that there are more choices of very small lamps that contain LED bulbs, the lightest weight lamps are about 2-3 pounds.
As mentioned above, the largest lamp I could find was 280 pounds and while the manufacturer did not give exact dimensions, it looked to be about 30 to 36 inches tall and about 20 inches or more in diameter. That is a lot of salt!
I just had to share this Himalayan Salt Lamp with you! It is enormous! I love that they show a soda can near the base of the lamp so that you can tell how large it is. The manufacturer says that salt lamps of this size weigh between 250 and 280 pounds. Wow!
Other Lamp Variations
Salt lamp sellers want to give us lots of choices, so if the traditional pink/orange big block of natural salt look is not your thing, there are other varieties available.
Shaped Himalayan Salt Lamps
As I mentioned, the manufacturers of salt lamps have come up with ideas to please their customers, especially since smaller lamps are possible to make with LED light sources.
Some of the fun shapes I’ve seen include Hearts and Moons, perfectly round spheres, teardrops and flower bud shapes. Sometimes you can find other geometric shapes like cubes or pyramids.
Not All Himalayan Salt Lamps Are Pink
Himalayan salt comes in a variety of colors. Most salt lamps are pink to somewhat orange in hue, but sometimes you see a rare white salt block.
This Salt Lamp is made from a block of White Himalayan salt – something that you don’t see very often – but it was really salt and weighed about 7 pounds.
Pure white salt lamps have a pleasant glow, but you will not see the characteristic pink/orange color that is associated with Salt Lamps. They are really fun when used with a Color Changing LED bulb – as we discuss in the Salt Lamp bulb replacement article.
Salt Crystal Holder Lamps
Metal grilled holders with a bulb in the center come filled with large Himalayan salt crystals. These tend to be much cheaper, and are lighter weight than a solid salt block, but they can still fill a spot in your decor.
This metal holder had a light source encased in the center and the area around it was filled with chunks of Himalayan salt. It weighed about a pound.
Salt Lamp Bulbs Containing Salt!
One of the newest Himalayan Salt Lamp options is a LED bulb with a screw-in base that fits a standard lamp socket. The pink salt crystals are inside the bulb!
This bulb contains Himalayan pink salt surrounding a LED lamp in the middle of the bulb. The base of the bulb is a standard E26 (or Medium base) fits in most standard lamp sockets).
Because this bulb has a LED lamp in the center, and the outer cavity of the bulb is filled with salt crystals, the outside of the bulb does not get hot. I can easily wrap my hand around it without discomfort.
These lamp bulbs are perfect for someone that does not have a lot of space, or worries about a standard lamp being too heavy. You get the lovely pink glow and can just screw the bulb into a lamp or light socket that you already have. They make a pleasant light light, or a low-level room light for activities like watching TV, streaming or gaming. The top of the bulb contains small vent holes so that any ionization produced by the salt can escape from the bulb casing (but the salt can’t get out).
Himalayan pink salt INSIDE a light bulb! The light source is a 7 watt LED lamp and the bulb itself has a E26 base that screws into most standard lamps or light sockets. You get two bulbs in this package and the LED bulbs are dimmable.
What Are Some Design Ideas For Different Sized Salt Lamps
From tiny to grand, Himalayan salt lamps come in an array of sizes and shapes that will suit any look. Whether it be a small one tucked away on your nightstand or countertop, or the centerpiece of your room adorned with a larger version … you can have the perfect accent for whatever atmosphere you are looking to create.
Pairing salt lamps with other natural items can be a stylish choice. Try them with a group of succulent plants or with a collection of gemstone crystals. A very large salt lamp sitting on the floor could anchor an indoor plant collection or a meditative quiet spot in your home.
From its soothing glow to its beautiful shape and style, a Himalayan salt lamp is sure to bring both aesthetic appeal and healing energy into your home. No matter what size or design of this special lamp you choose, it’s certain that you will be delighted with the results!
How Many Salt Lamps for a Room?
Salt lamps aren’t meant to brighten a room with copious amounts of light, rather they are intended as an aesthetic touch providing a calming and relaxing atmosphere. Some people like to group a couple different sizes or shapes of lamps together to enhance mood or design, but in many cases one salt lamp in a room is sufficient.
For ideas about Salt Lamp placement and arrangement, see Beyond The Bulb: 10 Creative Ways To Use Salt Lamps – it contains some interesting uses you may not have considered.
Salt Lamp Lighting Types
When salt lamps originally appeared on the scene, virtually all of them were supplied with small incandescent light sources. The lamp sockets were small and inexpensive and used the smallest bulbs available on the market, typically those with a small ‘candelabra’ base.
Now that ultra-small and very bright for the size LEDs are available, salt lamp makers have come up with some interesting options. The lamps are now available in fairly small sizes, perfect for a night light or a small accent light. The lights consume very little electricity and some even come with color-changing LEDs with small controls that make it easy to change the light color. Some of the controls have color patterns programmed in. What fun!
Color changing LED light control box and Moon shaped Himalayan Salt Lamp combination.
Of course, you are viewing the different LED colors through the pinkish/orangish salt block, so the resulting colors can be interesting.
Final Thoughts
Himalayan salt lamps are a great way to bring positive energy into any home or office space. Not only can they produce negative ions that can counteract the electromagnetic radiation produced by electronic devices, but they can also be used in creative ways to craft the perfect look for a room design.
Himalayan salt lamps come in various shapes such as teardrops, pyramids, and bowls which can be used to create an eye-catching centerpiece or brighten up dark corners. With these tips in mind, it’s easy to see why so many people are choosing Himalayan salt lamps over other decor items when looking for ways to bring healing and positive energy into their homes. To learn more about the potential benefits of Himalayan Salt Lamps, you may also like this article: Shining A Light On Himalayan Salt Lamp Benefits.
