Hightower Lowdown

Some people simply get buried when they die. Some get cremated and have their ashes spread around. But some go to Summum, a Salt Lake City religious group that can really do you up right. Summum is the one place on earth where you can be mummified— for a fee, of course.

This is not your old-school Egyptian mummification, but a high-tech process that the Summum folks have patented. The deceased is cleaned and drained, soaked in a "secret formula" preservative for up to six months, covered with lanolin, and wrapped with gauze.

Next, the body gets a dozen coats of polyurethane rubber, after which it is wrapped in layers of fiberglass bandages, which set it in position for eternity.

The body is then placed in a bronze container called a mummiform—much like the ones from the ancient pyramids that you see in museums. The container is sealed with resin and can be topped off with a paint job or gold leaf. It's then yours to put in a mausoleum, make into a coffee table, or whatever.

Mummification is not for everyone. You've got to get the corpse to Utah—about a $5,000 proposition. The process itself costs some $12,000, and your standard bronze mummiform goes for $36,000. Tack on gold-leafing, mausoleum space, and . . . well, if you have to ask, you can't afford it.

Already, though, 137 people have ponied up the cash to go out mummy-style when they die.

If you like the idea, but don't have the money, Summum can do your cat for $9,000.