Developed in Holland 20 years ago, Snoezelen is a combination of two Dutch words 'snuffelen' and 'doezelen', which mean 'sniff' and 'doze' respectively. It was felt the amalgam of the words gave the feeling of relaxing lazily.

The concept of 'Snoezelen' is to provide sensory experiences for people in a controlled environment. Many of the props used are similar to those used with infants in trying to have them better understand the world around them.

In the Snoezelen room at KEMH there is a board with tactile features like fur, feather and a leathery material to indicate a tongue.

The word 'Snoezelen' has been trademarked to describe a multi-sensory environment.

Snoezelen rooms are now commonplace at health care facilities across the world. In Bermuda they can be found at the Mid Atlantic Wellness Institute and King Edward VII Memorial Hospital but the most elaborate is at the WindReach Recreational Facility in Warwick.