\n\tThat desire has transformed the modern panic room or shelter into something far more extravagant and deeply personal. \u201cWhat were once rudimentary shelters have become bespoke sanctuaries,\u201d Corbi says. \u201cToday\u2019s clients want features that mirror their lifestyles\u2014often with highly individual touches.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tToday\u2019s secret bunkers and panic rooms can be tailored to reflect each client\u2019s taste and lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Naomi Corbi, SAFE<\/p>\n
\n\tOne SAFE client, a professional golfer, installed an immersive simulator replicating the world\u2019s top 50 courses alongside a regulation-grade putting green. Another\u2014a major art collector\u2014commissioned a climate-controlled gallery inside their bunker, protected to NBCET (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Electromagnetic, Technological) standards. Others have requested private theaters, hydroponic gardens, fabrication workshops, holding cells, and even in-shelter crematoriums. As Corbi puts it, \u201cThe scale and complexity of these environments have expanded dramatically, evolving far beyond survivalist shelters into fully integrated, high-comfort retreats.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBill Rigdon, founder and CEO of\u00a0Panic Room Builders<\/a>, has seen that evolution firsthand. His firm began with faith-based shelters for Mormons decades ago and now specializes in full-fledged underground compounds that are often hidden in plain sight. \u201cYou go to your bedroom panic room, take an elevator down into a tunnel, and that leads to the bunker,\u201d he explains. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s getting that complicated right now.\u201d Some even include private gun ranges and drone-defense hatches.<\/p>\n \n\tIn certain markets, the presence of a panic room has become a strategic selling point. \u201cThe funny thing is, in L.A., when they can\u2019t sell a house, they\u2019ll call me and say, \u2018Can you put a panic room in?\u2019\u201d Rigdon says. While much of this demand is kept quiet, a growing list of high-profile names are rumored to be building bunkers or secure estates. Microsoft\u2019s Bill Gates<\/a>\u00a0is said to have<\/a>\u00a0bunkers beneath multiple homes, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly building a\u00a0$300 million compound\u00a0<\/a>in Hawaii that includes a 5,000-square-foot underground bunker with its own energy, water, and food infrastructure. Other celebrities\u2014including Kim Kardashian<\/a>, Tom Cruise, and billionaire Peter Thiel\u2014have reportedly explored or started similar projects.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tHigh-end kitchens and bathrooms are top-of-the-list features.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Naomi Corbi, SAFE<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFor these people, there\u2019s no expense,\u201d Rigdon says. \u201cThey want that comfort level they\u2019re used to in their residences, and we provide that.\u201d He notes that protection often scales with wealth: Once estates hit nine figures, demand shifts toward full-scale underground sanctuaries. One of his current projects, for a Las Vegas casino magnate, involves a compound with a primary residence estimated at over $200 million\u2014not including the bunker beneath it. Others are\u00a0opting for remote ranches\u00a0<\/a>in Montana or Wyoming, where private airstrips offer quick escape routes. Many of these clients, he adds, have access to elite intelligence regarding geopolitical risks, economic volatility, and even AI threats.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd while discretion remains paramount, some ultra-wealthy clients are becoming more creative with how they use these spaces. \u201cWe recently completed a 120-square-foot precision shelter and are now building an 11,000-square-foot subterranean sanctuary for a family of four,\u201d Corbi says. In one extreme case, SAFE even designed a private replica of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit\u2014complete with harbor and tunnel\u2014for a client\u2019s children to race 100+ mph electric karts underground.<\/p>\n \n\tRigdon notes that many clients are dual-purposing their bunkers as high-end guest residences or weekend retreats. \u201cWe did one in a bamboo forest,\u201d he says. \u201cYou walk through the trees and\u2014boom\u2014there\u2019s your entry. It\u2019s a bomb shelter, yes, but decorated to the nines, with every comfort you can imagine. And it\u2019s safe.\u201d The final layer of protection? A custom blast door sourced from Switzerland.<\/p>\n \n\tRigdon insists his clients live in their bunkers for a short period after completion to test them out. \u201cI tell them, \u2018Once I finish, I want you to stay there for two weeks. You can leave if you have to\u2014but I want you to really use it. Make sure everything you\u2019re counting on is in place. That it feels like a real safety net.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tAmenities can range from saunas and gymnasiums to shooting ranges and bowling alleys.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Naomi Corbi, SAFE<\/p>\n \n\tThat ethos is also driving a \u201ctry-before-you-need\u201d microtrend. Rigdon\u2019s company currently has plans for a survival facility in Beverly Hills underneath a hotel. \u201cFrom the air, it\u2019s going to look like an alfalfa field\u2014but it\u2019s not,\u201d he says. Guests will be able to book stays and experience life in a luxury bunker before purchasing a unit of their own\u2014each priced at over $1 million.<\/p>\n \n\tOf course, not all high-security features are made public. \u201cDiscretion is everything at this level,\u201d says Dina Goldentayer of Douglas Elliman. \u201cThese features are rarely highlighted in listing materials\u2026 and their existence is typically only disclosed during private conversations between agents and trusted buyers.\u201d Carroll agrees: \u201cThese are custom additions tailored to very specific personal needs.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd, at the top end of the market, security has become just as important as other creature comforts. \u201cLuxury is about peace of mind,\u201d says Carroll. \u201cToday\u2019s buyers aren\u2019t just looking for square footage and finishes\u2014they want autonomy and control. That means full-home generators, reinforced architecture, private water reserves, and, in some cases, even off-grid capability.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd for some, control means girding against potential threats that sound more like science fiction. \u201cToday\u2019s next-level secure estates must go beyond traditional risks,\u201d says Corbi. \u201cWe\u2019ve expanded into protecting against artificial superintelligence, arguably the most profound existential threat humanity has ever faced.\u201d SAFE\u2019s new division, AERIE, offers a new kind of security architecture\u2014designed specifically to defend against threats from superintelligent systems. Radiation protection remains a recurring concern as well, especially in cities like Los Angeles<\/a>. Rigdon says his team has installed advanced air filtration systems capable of blocking radioactive particles, ensuring residents can safely shelter amid fallout.<\/p>\n \n\tRigdon, who worked as a consultant on the 2002 film\u00a0Panic Room\u00a0starring Jodie Foster, has been around a long time and watched pop culture fuel the recent rise of high-end survivalism. Today, apocalyptic narratives, from Hulu\u2019s\u00a0Paradise\u00a0to\u00a0Leave the World Behind\u00a0<\/a>on Netflix and James Cameron\u2019s upcoming adaptation of the atomic bomb expos\u00e9\u00a0Ghosts of Hiroshima,\u00a0are increasingly shaping real-world demand. \u201cPeople used to laugh at me,\u201d Rigdon says. \u201cNow? I\u2019ve never been busier.\u201d<\/p>\n \tAuthors<\/p>\n \t\t\t \n\t\tAbby Montanez\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n
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