Forget saunas — six-figure snow rooms are the cool new trend for the world's wealthiest wellness-minded

The quest for ultimate wellbeing isn’t just for the ultra-rich, but having access to millions certainly helps if you want to turn your abode into a complete lifestyle environment, which can include amenities like the snow rooms that a select few on the cutting edge are installing for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

What exactly is a snow room, who has one, and what does it cost?

As the New York Times reports, these bougie facilities are just as indulgent as you’d expect: frost-covered surfaces, faux logs and other nature-themed decor, cool-toned lighting and even actively falling snow.

As Spa Planet, one company that provides such niche renovations, writes, “a snow room represents the pinnacle of luxury wellness technology, offering the perfect environment for cooling down after intense heat (…) This innovative space allows guests to experience the invigorating sensation of fresh, powder-soft snow, creating an unparalleled contrast therapy experience.”

That technology is akin to that employed to produce snow for ski hills, but on a much smaller scale, of course, using approximately 200 litres of water per week to create the white stuff, depending on the size of your room.

Viral TikTok clips show customers trying out a snow room at the Total Fusion gym in Newstead, New Zealand, which one woman touted as “a great alternative” for those who dislike ice baths but still want the benefits of cold therapy. Pier Sixty-Six, a resort in Fort Lauderdale, famously debuted its 13,000-square-foot Zenova Spa, complete with its own snow room for cold training, last year.

A commercial concept turned status symbol for the wealthy

It seems that the work of Spa Planet is mostly geared toward these types of businesses, at least for now. But billionaires such as Mukesh Ambani and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia are among those known to have constructed such rooms in their private homes — or, in the latter’s case, his yacht — to the tune of at least $130,000, but often more.

It’s an elite clientele that some competitors are now tailoring their advertising toward, inviting consumers to “design [their] own luxury spa snow room” for a “unique and rejuvenating experience that elevates health and relaxation,” as the website of another snow room provider, The Spa Butler, reads (they’re the ones that offer falling snow).

The brand showcases the multitude of themes that are possible, ranging from “alpine retreat” and “nordic forest” to “minimalist snowscape” and “luxury marble and stone,” all with advanced digital controls and the option to enhance the experience with sound systems, red-light therapy, aromatherapy, salt therapy and more.

For those of us who can’t afford to install a climate-controlled sanctuary on a whim, it’s not unlikely that the trend will continue to expand to more fitness and wellness complexes, perhaps even one near you. And if not, we can always look forward to technology such as the human refrigerator or, you know, wintertime.