I Tried the Zencube, the ‘World’s First’ Smart Himalayan Salt Lamp

For a little over a year, I've kept a $15 Himalayan salt lamp on my nightstand.

I love the lamp's aesthetic and the soft, orangey glow of the light it gives off. It's a soothing night light that isn't too bright to bother my eyes before I sleep, but gives off enough light to read in bed. Himalayan salt apparently comes with a long list of health benefits as well—though I find them pretty difficult to verify.

So when I discovered that there was a smart salt lamp on the market called the Zencube, it definitely piqued my interest. I reached out to the company, who graciously sent me one of their cubes (plus a bunch of great-smelling essential oils) for review.

The Product

Zencube claims to be the world's first smart Himalayan salt lamp. It consists of a fancy LED bulb housed inside a cube of Himalayan salt, which then lives within a chic white or black plastic case.

The bulb inside is controlled by a smartphone app, which allows users to adjust the Zencube's brightness and make it Zencube glow in every color of the rainbow. The company also claims that as the bulb gives off light, it heats the salt, causing it to send out negative ions. These are said to counteract the nasty positive ions we encounter in everyday life by interacting with everything from electronic devices to air pollution.

According to Zencube's website, the negative ions put out by the device can work wonders for the body. They can result in a healthier immune system and decreased blood pressure, while also aiding respiratory and cardiovascular health. Together, these effects are said to help you sleep better, too.

There's also a little tray on top of the Zencube. Users can pour some essential oils into the tray for a deodorizing effect, on top of all of those other benefits.

 

The Experience

Since I was already used to a more traditional Himalayan salt lamp at home, I wanted to see how much better the Zencube could really be. At first, I set it up in the office, and I was quite surprised by how heavy it was, as my other salt lamp is very light in comparison. The hunk of Himalayan salt in the Zencube is smooth and cubic, while my lamp at home is jagged. It may be may be more solid and of higher quality, resulting in that weight.

When I plugged in the Zencube and flipped the switch on, it immediately lit up with a vibrant red light before cycling through bright green and blue lights as well. I realized at this point that it would be a good idea to download the Zencube RGB app on my phone.

(Zencube RGB via Xia Yongqiang)

It quickly became clear that the app is critical for fully enjoying the Zencube. The main page in the app features a color wheel as well as a brightness adjuster so you can find the colors and vibrancy that suit your needs. Though the salt itself has a pink glow, the light still manages to reflect the desired colors beautifully. I quickly found out that I enjoyed a teal shade best, and made that my go-to setting.

The second tab on the app consists of "profiles." There are four default color settings programmed into the phone, but you can also create your own based on what you like best, so you don't have to manually set them each time. I discovered that the color-changing setting that comes on when I turn on the Zencube is the "Sport" setting, while there are also set modes for "Sleeping," "Reading" and "Romantic." The reading option is particularly handy because it's a bright white light, which you can't really obtain with the color wheel.

The third tab is dedicated to music. If you have any songs saved to your phone's music player, you can play your songs and have the Zencube shift colors and brightnesses to the tune of your favorite beats. The last tab simply allows you to connect to the lamp, shake your phone to shift colors and set a timer to turn off your lamp.

But as many features as the app has, it's not always the most convenient option. When I'm tired, sometimes I'd prefer to flip the manual switch on the power cord to turn it off. However, doing this on the Zencube resets the light, and when you flip it back on, it defaults to the color-changing sport mode. Since I want a certain shade and brightness when I turn it on, I have to get my phone, enter the app and press the power button to turn it on and off whenever I'd like to use it. It's a small gripe, but I find it worth noting.

When it came to using the cube's essential oils tray, I found that I had to use quite a bit to get a strong effect. It's not a diffuser, and because it's an LED light it doesn't really get hot enough to heat the oils in any way. However, up close, the oils did smell great. I was sent soothing lavender, mood-boosting ylang ylang, concentration-increasing peppermint, energizing lemon and congestion-breaking eucalyptus oils, and they all seemed to do their jobs—even if it was all in my head. However, I found that a spritz of a more powerful fragrance also did a great job at deodorizing with the Zencube.

As for the health effects of the Zencube, there's no real way for me to truly evaluate them. I used the Zencube both in the office and at home, and I felt that it lent positive vibes to both spaces, whether it was the color of the light, the negative ionization, or both. I usually feel good when it's on, even if I can't prove it's because it's canceling out positive ions. I think that the more you believe in something, the more good it can do for you, so I enjoyed having it around regardless.

 

Bottom Line

If you're passionate about maintaining health by surrounding yourself with negative ions, Zencube might be the most stylish way to achieve your goal. At $299.99, it's a little bit pricey, but depending on your needs, it can be totally worth it.

Zencube looks amazing, and the app lets you customize your experience without overwhelming you with too many options. The color and lighting adjustments are everything you might want from a smart Himalayan salt lamp, and it serves as a much better reading light than traditional ones. There's also the added benefit of incredible scents. However, if you'd prefer not to have to resort to the app all the time, you might be frustrated with the experience.

 

Need more info on salt lamps? Click HERE for one writer's personal experience with a traditional Himalayan salt lamp.