Advice From The Aisles: Himalayan Salt Sensation

By Kirsten Malzac, Wellness Department

The holidays may be well over, but the demand for Himalayan Salt products lives on in the Wellness Department at City Market. Himalayan Salt is pure halite, a crystal salt uncovered nearly 260 million years ago as the Primordial Sea evaporated leaving behind a 12,000ft deep and 150 mile wide deposit in the Himalayan Mountains in Pakistan. It is now mined in the Khewra Salt Mines giving us the pink salt crystals we see on the shelves today.

We’ve discovered several ways Himalayan Salt is creatively utilized. First, we saw the simple salt tea light holder, which is a sweet addition to any coffee table or meditation alter. Then, the natural salt lamp; each a unique chunk of Himalayan salt atop a light socket and bulb. Since then, we’ve expanded to the Himalayan salt mortar and pestle you’ll find in the bulk spices section, and decided upon our favorites. Mine is the spherical salt lamp, which lights up like a planet on the evening horizon. Our Wellness Department Manager can’t get enough of the Evolution Salt Inhaler, which is touted as supportive of the respiratory system.

There are several things you could say about the benefits of welcoming a Himalayan salt lamp into your home, or using the salty mortar and pestle to make your pesto in…The company that we carry, Evolution Salt’s website says it best “The beneficial effects of salt lamps have been known for decades. Salt lamps emit negative ions, which work like natural ionizers keeping the air clean. When they warm up, they attract humidity and the surface of the salt crystal becomes moist. This causes a field of ions to build up. These negative ions then attach themselves to dust, pollen, mold, fungus and odors.”   Our middle school science text books tell us that, “an ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving the atom a net positive or negative electrical charge.” Positive ions are, thus, neutralized, by negative ions creating an energetically balanced environment. You might recognize this feeling if you’ve ever stepped outside just after a rain storm.

If you haven’t already dismissed the idea as mumbo-jumbo or hoo-hah, then you might try a Himalayan Salt Lamp to discover a similar feel in your own home. You can find them on our new Wellness gift display, which has been skillfully built by our City Market’s Facilities Department.