Our fire bowls will not get too hot to touch on the outside. Only the portion of lip close to the fire may become too hot to touch.If your fire bowl stands outside in the sun on a hot summer day, it will get hot... just like concrete floor. Always Use Common Sense: do NOT allow children touch the media (such as lava, glass, fire stones, etc.), or the lip close to the fire, and never leave your fire bowl unattended by an adult while it is on.