Last Updated on November 20, 2025
Are you familiar with the term “silent luxury”? This term has been floating around the ultra-luxury real estate sphere recently and refers to the point where luxury meets longevity.
As the ultrarich look for additional ways to extend their lifespans, they are turning to a number of wellness features for the home that are designed to help them do just that. These “silent luxuries” include everything from natural light to pollutant filters and meditation pods. According to global real estate investment expo Rise, “They’re investing in a lifestyle where every brick, beam, and breeze is calibrated to their wellbeing.”
If you’re interested in incorporating some of these features into your luxury home, we can help. Here are eight wellness features luxury home buyers are searching for right now.
Cold plunge pools
In addition to private saltwater pools, cold plunge pools are all the rage. Celebrities like Liev Schreiber say cold therapy goes beyond health to satisfy deeper wellness goals. “The plunge helps me reset, reduce stress, and keep my body and mind clear,” he has said. With advanced filtration and integrated ozone, some tanks can be used daily with minimal maintenance.
Home spas
With the surge of female Millennial buyers entering the ultra-luxury market has come a shift in the structure and features of home gyms. Beyond a fully functional workout space, today’s luxury clientele are looking for ways to improve both wellness and rejuvenation. Features in demand right now include infrared saunas and steam rooms, hair salons, private mani-pedi stations, and massage rooms.
Air and water filtration systems
Many of these silent luxury home features trace their popularity back to the beginning of the Covid pandemic. Perhaps the most obvious of these are home air and water filtration systems. With long-term health and wellness in mind, it makes sense that buyers are looking for homes where the quality of air and water is a priority.
Biometric controls
There are dozens of smart devices designed to make your home at once more accessible and more secure. When paired with wellness goals, these smart home features are becoming indispensable. Trending smart home features include lighting systems, cameras, home security, and smart appliances. However, the ultra-luxury market is also investing in smart mechanical systems, such as water heaters, HVAC, and radiant heat floors and sidewalks.
Main-level living
Younger luxury buyers are pushing back from the long-term trend of bigger and bigger homes. Instead of palatial estates, they are more often looking for places where they can build a daily routine. Main-level primary suites are in high demand right now, and many buyers are looking for properties where all living can be on the main level, if desired. This includes the laundry room, garage, etc.
Pickleball courts
Why sit through urban traffic just to wait for a court time? Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country, and more often, buyers are looking for courts close to home. Many luxury buyers are satisfied with community clubs that include access to pickleball courts. But ultra-luxury buyers prefer to play right in their own back yard.
Biophilic design
A luxury back yard is on the top of many homeowners’ wish lists these days. Indoor living spaces that can easily flow into outdoor entertaining areas are in high demand. Whereas in the past real estate agents preached “location, location, location”, these days their selling point is “views, views, views”. Even more desired are homes with “biophilic design,” wherein nature is incorporated into the home’s aesthetic—often through floor-to-ceiling glass walls overlooking natural or cultivated gardens and water features.
Zen gardens
True to their purpose, Zen gardens are perhaps the quietest of the silent luxury home features in demand right now. But they still regularly appear on buyer want lists. Luxury buyers looking for serenity at home are often on the hunt for properties with deliberate features like Zen gardens.
Howard Hanna Allen Tate Real Estate is the #1 real estate company in the Carolinas, with more than 80 offices and 1,800 agents serving communities across North and South Carolina and Georgia. As part of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, the largest family-owned and operated real estate company in the United States, Howard Hanna Allen Tate offers a full suite of real estate services, including mortgage, insurance, title, and relocation.
For more information, visit howardhannatate.com.
