In this episode, Jessie Henderson from Salt Chamber, Inc. explains what to evaluate when choosing a supplier for wholesale salt tiles beyond the price per brick. She covers dimensional consistency, color variation, protective packaging, delivery planning, replacement policies, and the value of installation guidance and ongoing support.
John Maher: Welcome to the Salt Chamber Podcast. I'm John Maher, and today I'm joined by Jessie Henderson, Senior Salt Therapy Consultant at Salt Chamber Inc. Salt Chamber specializes in designing and building salt therapy spaces and providing halotherapy equipment, Himalayan salt decor, training and ongoing support for spas, resorts, wellness centers, and more. Welcome to the podcast, Jesse.
Jessie Henderson: Thank you so much. Excited to be here.
John: Thanks. Jesse, beyond simply comparing the price per tile, what should buyers evaluate when they're choosing a supplier for wholesale salt tiles?
Jessie: Yeah, absolutely. We come across this question a lot because there are a lot of suppliers out there, as people know. You can come by Himalayan salt multiple ways, but the price per brick is only one piece of the puzzle. The quality varies a lot between different suppliers, wholesale or otherwise. The dimensional consistency you're not really going to know until you get those bricks in, but you want to make sure they're not all janky and cut weird. You want to make sure they don't come to you all cracked. So there's a lot of things to consider when going with a supplier, asking things about insurance, shipping, quality of bricks, where they came from, not just the price of a unit.
John: So you mentioned the consistency. How does the consistency in edge quality and thickness and surface texture, and even the color range, affect both the installation process and the final appearance of a salt wall?
Jessie: Again, all of those take effect. So, think about when you're getting bricks in, if all of them were not cut precisely, your contractor is going to have hours of extra work trying to shave these down and make sure they're exactly fitting. If you don't and you just put these together, you're going to see bright lights through the wall. If you have a back lit brick wall, it's just going to shine right through those holes and then you'll end up having to fill those holes or recut the bricks again. So again, a lot more time and money and maintenance and the contractor work. So the dimensions and coloring, coloration is a big deal. If you get a supplier that just grabbed a bunch of stuff and threw it in a box and you get all dark bricks, but then maybe you have one box of lighter bricks, your wall's going to be inconsistent.
Jessie: We want that smooth, congruent look and feel throughout. So you need a variety of hues in both pink and white and peach and light pink. And there are suppliers like us that will really work with you to make sure we know what you're trying to go for, the look and feel, and we lay things out and talk through handholding what you want this project to end up being. So we make sure you're getting what you paid for basically.
John: What are some of the things that buyers should ask about in terms of packaging, freight breakage allowances, storage requirements, lead times, and replacement materials before they go and place a large order for Himalayan salt tiles?
Jessie: Yeah, that's a very important factor. As I said, not all suppliers are equal and some will just throw things in a box and ship them to you. And as we all know, shipping companies are not the most reliable these days or the drivers. They might be throwing things around, even ones that are marked fragile. So keeping in mind salt is fragile. It is great to palletize it. It is great to have it supported and really tightly packaged. And even in Saran wrap, sealed, because weather happens and God forbid these bricks are left out in the rain for a few hours. I mean, salt cannot get wet. So you have to think about asking things like, "How is this palletized? How is it shipped? Is it going to my door? Is it being brought inside? Do I have a delivery date where I know I need to be there to unload these?"
And then likewise, you said, if something comes all broken, are they going to replace them? Do you have shipping insurance? So there's import taxes and different fees associated. So make sure you get the whole picture when working with suppliers because you really don't want to end up with more cost in replacement, no customer service or help or guidance, and then things that might get damaged when they're being delivered.
John: And then just getting the tiles themselves is one thing, but how important is it to choose a supplier that can also provide layout guidance and lighting recommendations, adhesive installation instructions, drawings and troubleshooting support?
Jessie: In most cases it's very important. It might be the most important part. We pride ourselves on that. I'm kind of like your wedding planner that takes you through absolutely everything salt oriented until the end, until you're open and operational, because we don't want to just sell you the products and say, "good luck!" And there are a lot of adhesives that might not work. There are a lot of environments this might not work in, if you have a super humid environment. And then substrates, the wall, is it supportive of this? Are you on a second floor, first floor? We talk through all of the elements that you would need to plan the layout, help with the lighting behind the wall, high quality lighting that's not going to burn out, the best adhesive that's going to work the best with salt, as it is a natural mineral of the earth, and then potential renderings, troubleshooting throughout the project.
Something always goes wrong in construction, right? It's great to have someone there to answer questions for you or quickly get you back on track, or God forbid, two of your boxes you open up and they're all broken. We'll get those replaced for you right away. So it's important to have that customer support throughout the process.
John: What are some of the warning signs that you think of when you're getting a low priced salt tile quote that might end up leading to something becoming more expensive in the end, with additional labor, because of breakage or excessive sorting or cutting or things like that?
Jessie: Yeah, I mean you said it. If the price seems too cheap, if a quote seems too cheap, it probably is, and it's going to cost you more in the long run. Things again may come broken and you might have to pay a lot more to get more in and it might take a long time, so you're going to lose time and you're going to lose your money. If they're all cut wrong, if they're chipped or broken on the corners, your contractor then has to struggle to work to fix those. If they are of low quality, they might not be able to cut them with a precision or wet saw. And as they're cutting, the bricks might break themselves. So there's a lot to think about in your supplier. Make sure they're very reputable. They've been doing this for a long time. They have trusted sources and things like guaranteed insurance on your shipping, customer support and guidance throughout the whole planning process and build out process as well.
John: All right, well, that's really great information, Jessie. Thanks again for speaking with me today.
Jessie: Of course. Happy to help.
John: And for more information about Salt Chamber, you can visit the website at saltchamberinc.com or call 561-556-3322.
Leo Tonkin, with a decade of deep expertise in salt therapy, initiated SALT Chamber, a leading entity in the domain of salt therapy products and decor. As the inaugural Chairman of the Salt Therapy Association and Chair of the Respiratory Wellness Initiative from the Global Wellness Institute, he has played a pivotal role in broadening the accessibility and recognition of salt therapy globally. His commitment to developing advanced technology and educating the public on the benefits of salt therapy has solidified his position as a key figure in the industry, enhancing its credibility and trustworthiness.
