The Bold Baths of Kohler

The spa itself is reminiscent of an Eastern European bathhouse. After visitors pass through the marble reception area and beauty boutique, they head down a set of stairs to the relaxation pool, surrounded by chic white chaises, thick stone columns, and a cascading waterfall. From here, the women and men enter their respective areas of the spa through two separate locker rooms. With nothing but a robe to look after (the lockers have keypads, eliminating the need for annoying wristbands), it’s easy to lose yourself in the quiet retreat, where magazines, crisp apples, and chilled water are always within reach. In a ritual that’s said to boost the circulatory system, brave souls hop between the two plunge pools, one icy cold and one bath-water warm. The sauna and steam room loosen muscles—ideal after a long drive or before a treatment.

After sweating out toxins for an hour, I was ready for my first treatment, the Highland Fling. While I laid face up in a wet room (with face and privacy towels in place), a technician maneuvered a Vichy shower above me, and massaged my body with the warm water. Simultaneously, another technician drew warm water from a gleaming copper tub—I later found out it’s a Kohler product and costs more than $50,000—and threw buckets of the water over me. The sensation of water hitting my body from so many directions was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Afterward, my skin was exfoliated with a mint-oil–and–coffee scrub, patted dry, and rubbed with a generous amount of chocolate-scented cream.

Following another dip in the pool, I was led into a tastefully appointed room for a Great Lakes Stone Massage, which features a new take on one of my favorite treatments. Using heated supersmooth stones gathered from the Great Lakes, the technician stroked my back and occasionally repeated the motion with an ice-cold stone. Once I let the rocks do their work, I relaxed, inhaling the hollyhock–scented oils and listening to classical music.

In a state of sleepy contentment after the massage, I took my robed self to the lobby, where I sipped a thick smoothie and devoured a house salad with avocado, blue cheese, chicken, tomato, and cucumber. Revived, I joined my husband, who, after a day on the links, had just finished his two treatments—the Executive Head Trip, during which warm oil was massaged into his head, neck, and scalp, and a male bathing treatment in which a soak in the RiverBath chromatherapy tub follows a Kohler WaterHaven shower.

So much pampering gets exhausting, and we were ready for a snooze. Instead of retreating to our suite, we headed to a room on the fourth floor of the Carriage House—a modern, lofted space with a hot tub, a roof deck for sunbathing, and an expansive wall of gas fireplaces that warmed the adjacent white chaises. Men and women come here together for a dip in the hot tub or to relax with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. For the most part, the guests curl up and read until they drift asleep.

After a day of plunging, steaming, bathing, and showering, it felt great to put on a dress and go out. We had a cocktail in The American Club’s Winery Bar, a sophisticated club-style lounge with nearly 400 wine vintages. Then we were ushered through The Immigrant Restaurant, a series of six rooms elegantly decorated to reflect the heritages of Wisconsin’s early settlers, to a romantic table in the back. The service was impeccable and carefully paced so we could enjoy the evening. My husband and I shared a savory lobster risotto, followed by wild boar tenderloin and filet mignon with seared foie gras. It was an indulgent ending to an extravagant day, and suddenly I was ready to retire—to our whirlpool tub. I couldn’t explain it to my husband, but I knew I needed one more fix before we left in the morning.

Kohler, Wisconsin, 920-457-8000