On a fall weekend brilliantly decorated by the season’s foliage, my husband and I drove from Chicago to Destination Kohler, a sprawling and quiet resort an hour north of Milwaukee. It’s where Kohler, manufacturer of high-end plumbing fixtures, built its factory in 1900, across the street from the historic, Tudor-style American Club, which was built in 1918 as a dormitory for immigrant factory workers.  Today, The American Club is a luxury hotel, and the destination Kohler itself offers seven acclaimed restaurants, yoga and spin studios, a chocolatier, miles of picturesque hiking trails, and championship golf.

The marquee indulgence of our visit, however, was the famous Kohler Waters Spa, which, upon entering, greets you with a lightly sweet and lemony scent of their signature Hollyhock lotions, immediately setting a calm and relaxing vibe.

Solus per aqua —healing through water— was the Kohler Waters Spa’s raison d'être when it first opened 23 years ago, explained director Nicole Miller (who also oversees three satellite spas in Green Bay and Chicagoland). Every year since, a new hydrotherapy treatment is introduced. The latest is Fire + Ice, which leans into the body’s vaso-contraction and -dialation responses to changing temperature. “When your body shivers in the cold and then relaxes in the heat, you get this in-and-out surging of blood flow to the heart and the brain and all your different organs,” says Ms. Miller. “It increases metabolism, increases thyroid function, and leaves you feeling revival almost like a burst of energy.” 

While my husband had his conventional massage, I opted, obviously, for the Fire + Ice. The opening act in this treatment was a carrot-seed oil facial massage while six overhead sprays of Kohler’s custom Vichy Shower rained down warm water. A scalp massage was next and then the fire-and-ice business got real. Beneath the constant shower sprays, a full-body compression massage ensued using first hot stones and then eucalyptus- and peppermint-infused ice balls. This was followed up with an exfoliating rubdown and, finally, a massage utilizing silky, unscented body butter from head to toe. It was pure bliss. 

During the day, if you can pull yourself away from the spa, there’s another crown jewel at Kohler, their championship golf. Kohler has hosted two U.S. Women’s Opens, a U.S. Senior Open, three PGA Championships, and the Ryder Cup. Pete Dye, the legendary golf course architect designed both of Kohler’s golf venues: Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run. The Straits course is a beautifully designed work of art along 2 miles of the rugged Lake Michigan coastline, with expansive rolling greens, deep bunkers, and grass-topped dunes. This links-style course will have you wondering if you are in Wisconsin or if you’ve been transported to Scotland. The second course at Whistling Straits is the Irish Course, an inland grass-and-dune layout, equally as stunning.

Blackwolf Run, the original golf club at Kohler, is home to The Rivers, Meadows Valley, and Baths courses. All offering a beautiful, yet challenging, playing experience.

In the evening, we indulged yet again at the charming Whistling Straits restaurant on the grounds of that world-class course and planned our return getaway over sherry-spiked soup, rack of lamb, ribeye, caramel cheesecake, and champagne.