What do the ultra-rich do to beat the heat in the West? Build snow rooms

How do you say you are rich without saying you are rich? You can boast of having a million-dollar mansion. Or you could flaunt your jewels and baubles.

But how do you say you are a billionaire without saying that you are one? By building a snow room in your house, of course!

You have read that right: snow rooms — indoor spaces designed to simulate winter — have become the latest symbol of being a billionaire. And the timing is just right — amid the rising temperatures in the US as well as across Europe.

What is a snow room?

A snow room, the latest luxury symbol, is pretty much the converse of a sauna. It’s a space of ice and snow. In some, snowflakes descend gently from the ceiling, creating the feeling of being inside a snow globe.

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Companies such as Italy’s TechnoAlpin, which produces snow for ski resorts, and the American Spa Butler are the brains behind this new feature, which is being built inside not just homes but also superyachts.

Speaking about their effort, Sara Brenninger, the TechnoAlpin marketing director, told the New York Times that they had to “learn how a snow cannon could be used in different ways”.

And it turned out that they had to learn a lot to transform a home into a mini-Arctic. “We had to learn not only how to create snow indoors, but how to cool down the ambience, how the snow stays there,” Brenninger said.

A visual of a snow room designed by Italy's TechnoAlpin. Image Courtesy: TechnoAlpin

Today, snow rooms are slowly becoming more common in homes across the US and Europe. Scores have already been constructed or are being constructed in the US, said Tyler Slater, a co-founder of the Spa Butler in Plano, Texas.

And these snow rooms are of types and types: you can get whatever you want in the snow room — you can get it in rock, luxury marble, or even wood. “Basically, we can produce any fantasy you want. Think of it as Disneyland with snow,” said Slater to the New York Times.

Even the 440-foot super yacht Serene, owned by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has its own snow room. According to one report, the Saudi prince keeps it cool at -11 degrees Celsius and has it programmed to produce snow showers at certain intervals.

And these snow rooms come for a cool price of about $130,000 (Rs 1.25 crore). And any customisation can push the price up even further. But that’s not the only cost of a snow room; there’s also the environmental cost of building and having such a feature in one’s home. According to TechnoAlpin, its snow rooms use about 200 litres of water a week.

Why have snow rooms become so popular recently?

While snow rooms have been around for more than 10 years, they have become more popular in recent times.

There are a number of reasons for that. Firstly, the increasingly intense heatwaves appear to be influencing the luxury home sector. This year, Europe has struggled with excessive heat in June. Countries such as Belgium, Britain, France, and Spain saw temperatures rise to record levels, causing much discomfort. In fact, new data shows that countries in Europe reported over 10,000 excess deaths during the extreme heatwaves that baked the west of the continent towards the end of June.

Even the US experienced scorching heat amid the Fourth of July celebrations, with scientists blaming a heat dome for the rise in temperatures.

As a result, many ultra-rich individuals are opting to build snow rooms inside their homes to counter the heat.

The rise of the wealthy is yet another reason why snow rooms have become so famous across the globe. As of June 30, the number of billionaires has increased by 13 per cent to a record 3,302 people. Similarly, the millionaire club has expanded, with more than 57.5 million last year.

Additionally, Swiss Bank UBS found that the wealth of billionaires has grown by 25 per cent, compared to a 10.8 per cent rise in average personal wealth around the world.

As the wealthy become wealthier, they are finding new ways to spend their money, and that’s where snow rooms fit in. Many note that the ultra-rich are no longer satisfied with simply boasting of facilities such as a swimming pool or a state-of-the-art indoor theatre system. They want to go beyond the regular luxury amenities, and that’s why snow rooms are the new big thing in the home interior sector.

Snow rooms are an extension of cold therapy, which has become quite popular these days. AI generated/ChatGPT

Are snow rooms good for the body?

The people behind these snow rooms also state that there’s a health benefit to them. They note that unlike cryotherapy machines, which serve as an intense alternative, snow rooms provide a gentler, safer environment that appeals to a wide range of clients.

Cold therapy has been a standard in the wellness space for centuries, celebrated for its anti-inflammatory and rejuvenating benefits. In such circumstances, snow room offers a more gentle and luxurious approach to cold therapy. By maintaining a controlled temperature between 7°C and 10°C, snow rooms provide an invigorating yet comfortable environment that can be enjoyed by a broader range of clients.

However, science provided substantial proof about the positive effects of cold exposure on the body. Studies have failed to provide convincing evidence of significant health benefits, and the effects of cold on the immune system remain poorly understood.

But it seems that isn’t stopping the billionaires from installing these snow rooms in their houses and enjoying the snow even amid the blistering heat.

With inputs from agencies