Dog shower, arcade, hidden rooms among unique features in these homes

A dog shower. A two-level sauna. A room hidden behind a bookcase.

These are just some of the one-of-a-kind features you can find in Long Island houses on the market.

The details were all added by the sellers themselves, and have turned into conversation pieces with prospective buyers.

Nowadays, many buyers are looking for something recently renovated, with new appliances and revamped rooms, said real estate agent Christopher Colucci, of Laffey Real Estate in Huntington.

When something different comes along, like his listing in Northport with a sauna and one-of-a-kind decor, it'll end up with a buyer that values its "unique charm," he said.

Here are five houses for sale that offer amenities that a buyer may not find elsewhere during their home search.

Room for a gamer or two

Community: 

Bay Shore

Asking price: 

$4 million

The Bay Shore Colonial has a game room with plenty of ways to play — and for the buyer, the accessories are included.

Spanning about 8,000 square feet, the home came to the market this month, for $3,999,888. The taxes are $41,123.

The house sits on a 2.33-acre lot, in the Bay Shore Union Free School District. It contains seven bedrooms and four bathrooms.

"It was completely renovated in 2022, down to the studs," said listing agent Alex Winiarski, of Serhant.

Off the back of the three-car garage, there is a custom-built game room. It contains an air hockey table, a pool table and a Pac-Man arcade game, spread out across luxury vinyl plank flooring. The seller will leave the games behind for the buyer, Winiarski said.

A young family had an appointment to see the house recently, Winiarski said, and "they thought it was super cool for the kids to have a separate space to hang out, away from formal living space."

The house also includes a fitness center, located on the same floor.

"It's a really large-scale house that's great for entertaining," Winiarski said. "[The seller] has hosted full weddings at the house, and it's a really private setting."

A spa fit for a pup

Community: 

Middle Island

Asking price: 

$999,999

After posting photos of her Middle Island listing on Instagram, "you wouldn't believe the feedback I got," said real estate agent Gina Galante, of Realty Connect USA.

The three-bedroom, 3½-bathroom home underwent a two-year gut renovation, she said. Even though her post included photos of the updated kitchen, bathrooms and new appliances, the people who reached out to her were focused on something else: The dog shower.

"I've been in real estate for over 40 years; this is the first home doggy spa I have listed," Galante said.

The house hit the market about a month ago, with a recent price reduction to $999,999. The taxes on the house, which is in the Longwood Central School District, are $14,892.

The dog shower is in the finished basement, next to the laundry units. The sellers are animal lovers, Galante said, and added this feature with their pups in mind. The shower contains pullout stairs for the dog to climb up and down, glass doors, a shower head and spray hose.

Additionally, the seller built a greenhouse in the backyard, and it has the ability to grow fruits and vegetables year-round, the agent said. It's unusual for a property in this area to have this feature, Galante said, with greenhouses found more often at North Fork residences.

But the doggy spa "takes the cake," she added, and it's even canine-approved.

"[The seller] told me the dogs absolutely love it," Galante said.

Dragon on the door, sauna in the basement

Community: 

Northport

Asking price: 

$1.15 million

"Everyone has described the house as 'unique,' if I had to choose one word I've heard the most," Colucci said.

That's because the sellers of the Northport home have decorated each room to reflect their world travels, the agent said. The four-bed, 2½-bath ranch is in the Kings Park Central School District. It's on the market for nearly $1.15 million, and the taxes are $25,232.

"The sellers are the original owners; they've been there since 1988," Colucci said.

The house is full of their signature touches, including a chandelier made out of antlers in the dining room, and a front door accentuated by half moon-shaped, stained glass art, depicting a dragon roaming a mountainscape.

"They had it custom-made for themselves," Colucci said, of the fantastical, fiery entryway.

There is a coal-powered sauna in the basement, with a bathroom next door. The sauna features two levels of seating.

"I had a showing on it the other day and the buyer that came in to see it said, 'Oh my god, this sauna is bigger than the one I use at LA Fitness!' And we started laughing, because it is a huge sauna," Colucci said.

The scenery is another selling point: The home sits on over an acre of wooded land. "The privacy and the wildlife really highlights the home," he said.

A bonus room, but you'll have to find it first

Community:

Mount Sinai

Asking price:

$1.565 million

When a family comes to see Cody Buchalter's listing, he tells the children, "There's a secret, hidden room in this house."

"The kids run through the house to find it," said Buchalter, of Michael Alexander Properties. "It's been fun."

The Mount Sinai home features five bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms, totaling more than 3,500 square feet. Sitting on a 0.78-acre lot, the home is in the Mount Sinai School District.

The construction of the home was completed toward the end of 2025, by Chokdee Properties, Buchalter said. The list price is $1.565 million, with taxes of $31,700.

Spoiler alert for the kids searching: The bonus room is tucked behind a Murphy bookcase door in a second-floor bedroom.

There are several possibilities for the room: "Some people want to use it as a safe room, people have talked about turning it into a wine cellar, or a little office space," Buchalter said.

But most often, the agent has found that kids immediately envision it as a playroom.

"Honestly, it's a fun room," he said, "and every little kid has made it their mission to find it."

The way this room is situated is an unusual find in a home at this price point, Buchalter said.

"I usually don't come across hidden rooms or truly unique architectural features, unless I'm touring homes in the $5 million-plus range," he said. "So it's refreshing to see high-end, custom features in a home priced in the mid-$1 million range."

Let's go to the (home) movies

Community:

Miller Place

Asking price: 

$1.795 million

What was once a 700-square-foot summer cabin has been transformed into a four-bed, four-bath oasis near Long Island Sound — complete with a home theater.

This Miller Place home is on the market for $1.795 million, with taxes of $19,368. It now stands at about 5,100 square feet, on a 0.26-acre lot.

Mel Campo and her family moved into the home in 2008, ready to expand it. They wanted to maintain the home's charm and facade to match the rest of the neighborhood, while building upon as much space as possible, Campo said.

The renovation "was all done at once, with careful thought," she said. "It had a lot of spatial opportunities, and we utilized every single one of them."

The property hit the market about three months ago, and is being listed by Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon, of Compass.

"It's beautifully designed," Conlon said. "It showcases the water views, and maximizes the full use of the lot."

The home theater is "a really nice amenity," Postilio said. "It's something that is quite popular, certainly in local Long Island listings, and even in the city."

This room was born out of a desire for comfort: "My husband wanted a recliner, and he got seven," Campo joked.

The theater has seven seats, a projector, wet bar, storage area, full refrigerator, microwave and a 110-inch screen, complete with a surround sound system.

But the cinematic experience is contained: "When that room vibrates to 'Top Gun,' the rest of the house doesn't know it," Campo said.

This home theater is not just for blockbuster screenings. Sometimes Campo's husband, Mark, will watch the news there, and their grandchildren have taken over the space to play video games, she said.

The family is selling the home fully furnished, which includes the framed movie posters hung on the walls of the theater ("The Wizard of Oz" and "The Greatest Showman" make appearances).

"We're allowing ourselves to emotionally let it go," Campo said. "It's dear to our hearts, because of the family history behind it."