Big house, billions in the bank? For just £100,000, you could make it snow indoors

Name: Snow rooms.

Age: About 10 years old.

Appearance: A magical snowy wonderland, but indoors.

Why would you want it to snow indoors? Because you’re a billionaire.

If I were a billionaire I’d say to my people: “First things first – let’s find a way to stop this snow coming in.” If you were a billionaire, you’d probably live somewhere hot, so you would have to pay to make it snow indoors.

You mean they do it just because they can afford to do it? Pretty much. “These frosty cold rooms have become a choice amenity for those atop economic Everest,” says the New York Times.

And how do you make it snow in your house? The technology is similar to the snow-making machines used by ski resorts. The snow room was, in a sense, a product concept awaiting a sufficiently bloated sense of entitlement.

What do you do in your snow room? You sit in it – preferably in a bathrobe so you can head to your sauna afterwards – and let it snow on you.

But I wouldn’t do that in a real snowstorm – I’d wear long underwear and sturdy boots. Trust me, you’re not going to get very far trying to make sense of it all.

Are there any heath benefits to sitting in a snow room? It’s what’s called a biophilic design element, which “creates a beneficial ambience for body and mind”, according to one manufacturer.

So no. Not really. There are putative benefits to contrast therapy – switching between hot and cold – but none associated with snow specifically.

I really can’t think of a more stunning example of grotesque profligacy than making it snow in your house. In that case I should inform you that it’s also possible to make it snow on your boat. The 440-foot super yacht Serene, owned by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has its own snow room.

How much would a snow room cost me? They’re surprisingly reasonable, starting at about $130,000 (roughly £100,000). Custom features – marble, fake rocks, fake trees – can increase the price.

They must be expensive to run, not to mention an environmental nightmare. Manufacturer TechnoAlpin says its snow rooms use about 200 litres of water a week, and up to 80% of the electrical energy required can be recovered and harnessed to heat a swimming pool.

I mean, if I’m heating my swimming pool anyway … Of course you are.

… then it seems crazy not to heat it with residual energy from my snow room. It would be like throwing money away! Now you’re thinking like a billionaire.

Do say: “I find it very therapeutic, and the huskies love it in here.”

Don’t say: “Remember when it used to snow outside?”