
Hydrotherapy is increasingly sought out by spa-goers for its multitude of benefits, including reduced muscle tension, pain relief, muscle rehabilitation, immune system support and stress relief. Kohler Waters Spa has been an industry leader in water and hydrotherapy experiences since the opening of its flagship location in 2000, at the American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin. For more than 20 years, we’ve offered guests the latest hydrotherapy treatments and results-oriented face and body services, with a focus on water as the healing theme. We encourage guests to immerse themselves in water, whether hearing it, feeling it, touching it or enjoying it in a service.
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Hydrotherapy is increasingly sought out by spa-goers for its multitude of benefits, including reduced muscle tension, pain relief, muscle rehabilitation, immune system support and stress relief. Kohler Waters Spa has been an industry leader in water and hydrotherapy experiences since the opening of its flagship location in 2000, at the American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin. For more than 20 years, we’ve offered guests the latest hydrotherapy treatments and results-oriented face and body services, with a focus on water as the healing theme. We encourage guests to immerse themselves in water, whether hearing it, feeling it, touching it or enjoying it in a service.
Our flagship location is the only Forbes Five-Star rated spa in the state, boasting 26 treatment rooms outfitted with KOHLER plumbing products, plus a warm coed relaxation pool, glass-enclosed rooftop deck, separate men’s and women’s whirlpools, plunge pools, saunas, steam rooms and unique showers. We have continued to expand, with subsequent openings in Burr Ridge, Illinois; Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in St. Andrews, Scotland; LODGE KOHLER in Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Lincoln Park in Chicago.
We leverage expertise from KOHLER’s kitchen and bath operation to incorporate its bathing and showering product innovations into each hydrotherapy service, which in turn makes the service unique and custom-fit to each guest. Our teams consistently collaborate with product engineers at Kohler Co. to integrate our deep knowledge of water and high-performing product technology and create results-driven treatments for our guests.
Creating an Experience
Our wellness experiences are crafted largely around the KOHLER Custom Vichy Shower, which is used in several hydrotherapy treatments. During each service, heat is used to quiet and soothe the body while slowing down the activity of internal organs. Cold is used to stimulate and invigorate, increasing internal activity within the body.
Guests seek out treatments like Healing Waters, which invigorates the senses with lymphatic drainage techniques and natural exfoliation; and Tranquil Tides, which uses espresso body mud to brighten the skin and remove impurities as the Vichy shower rinses and warms the muscles. To round out an immersive hydrotherapy experience, we offer guests access to water-led amenities before and after their treatments. They can relax and activate all five senses in the spa’s relaxation pools, plunge pools, saunas and steam rooms.
We also encourage guests to complete a hydrotherapy circuit before their service to pre-set their body for maximum benefits and ensure complete relaxation. This includes one to two minutes in a neutral shower to rinse and exfoliate the body, followed by three to five minutes in the whirlpool, which increases blood flow and stimulates oxygen. Then, we recommend spending about a minute in the cool plunge pool, which will shock the senses and cause the body to direct blood flow to all organs. Finally, the guest can spend three to five minutes in the steam room or sauna, allowing for increased blood flow and organ function.
Guests should repeat the circuit between the cool plunge and sauna three times, alternating between the steam room and sauna. This back and forth between hot and cold naturally stimulates the body, organs and blood flow to help it reset to a natural state. The guest can then end the hydrotherapy circuit in a neutral shower and relax with a hot cup of tea or warm beverage, promoting neutralization of the body.
To ensure full body benefits throughout the hydrotherapy circuit, Kohler Waters Spa infuses all steam rooms with eucalyptus, which diminishes mental sluggishness and reduces stress; relaxes the muscles by helping eliminate lactic acid buildup; opens nasal pathways and dilates airways for deeper breathing; and aids in deep relaxation of the body and mind. Our hydrotherapy pools are designed to emulate a water massage for the whole body, with jets aligned to address different areas of the lower body as guests move through the pool. Our thermal water circuits have a range of jets and water features that massage the body, stimulating the lymphatic system and flushing out toxins.
For spa leaders looking to incorporate hydrotherapy offerings into their space, I recommend services and amenities that combine sensory modalities—such as touch, sound, vibration and light—and place a focus on the power of physical touch to connect with guests. Touchless services like virtual reality (VR) treatments are soaring in popularity, and while these types of treatments are certainly innovative, human touch is still a very powerful and therapeutic spa technique.
For example, our Still Waters hydrotherapy treatment uses a CBD-infused exfoliation to relieve stress; soothing shirodhara to stimulate forehead nerve nods and balance the pituitary glands; and handmade tuning bowls to restore the body’s natural rhythmic flow—all while the guest experiences the soothing flow of the shower. Such treatments incorporating light, sound, vibration and touch are important for spa leaders to note as guests seek to address imbalances and restore their mind, body and spirit.
On the Horizon
We’re continuing to innovate and expand hydrotherapy offerings as we look to meet this need for personalized experiences and technology-driven amenities. Our spa in Burr Ridge, Illinois, recently added 3,000 square feet and seven new treatment rooms, as well as the latest evolution of the KOHLER Custom Vichy shower.
The new shower is suspended from the ceiling, allowing the therapist more flexibility to move around the massage table. It features an improved horizontal arm of water that houses six showerheads, and includes chromotherapy and red LED light therapy to improve skin health and aid cellular repair. Updated treatment rooms also showcase DTV technology, a digital showering system for guests to immerse themselves in the healing powers of water at every step of their visit.
A large part of getting the word out involves keeping staff motivated to maintain relationships with guests, which encourages them to return to the spa. Our team consistently recommends rituals and experiences that guests can take with them to continue their self-care at home. Our intention in selling is to create and recommend items for the guest that will touch them emotionally and bring back similar memories they had at the spa in the comfort of their homes. Moving forward, it is this connection to guests combined with hydrotherapy experiences that address the body and mind that will keep wellness-seekers coming back again and again.
Nikki Miller, director of Kohler Waters Spas, has been in the wellness industry for 20+ years. Miller is a licensed medical esthetician who is oncology trained and certified in reflexology, hydrotherapy and lash artistry. Her passion is educating about overall health and wellness starting from within and finishing with daily rituals that will aid in a better you.