Best lava lamps

Start with the Lava Lite Classic. It's the real thing — the original brand, corded, 11.5 inches, and the classic white-wax/blue-liquid look most people picture when they say "lava lamp." Small enough for a desk or nightstand, and the safest bet if you want the genuine article rather than a lookalike.

If you want a bigger statement: the 14.5-inch Lava Lamp Plated Crimson and the Yellow & Purple 14.5" both give you the taller, 20 oz silhouette — pick crimson for a moodier room, yellow/purple for a retro pop of colour.

For a kid's room or a gift: the Urban Shop 16" Blue Motion Volcano Lamp is the crowd-pleaser — thousands of ratings, big and bright, and the cheapest way into a proper motion lamp.

For something softer and more modern: the Fisura LED lamp is compact and metal-bodied, and the Urban Shop Jellyfish Motion Lamp swaps the wax blobs for drifting jellyfish shapes.

If you want colour control: the DAYBETTER 13" has a remote and 17 colour modes, so it doubles as ambient lighting.

One tip: lava lamps need a warm bulb and a few hours to get going, so give any of these a full evening before judging the flow.