While some hotel design touches—shower tiles that make you feel like you’re in a human car wash and bathtub spouts that descend from the ceiling like pot-fillers—draw attention, water isn’t the only liquid worth mentioning at Kohler Resort & Spa. After a hydrotherapy session under Vichy showers or a long soak in a deep jetted tub during a wellness getaway at the upscale Kohler, Wisconsin resort (yes, the Kohler of fixture fame), guests can continue their sensory indulgence at the property’s restaurants and bars, sampling thoughtfully brewed coffee, fine wines and inventive cocktails.
The Greenhouse, a charming stained-glass solarium relocated from Lancashire, England and transformed into a café, serves coffees, teas and smoothies in a light-filled setting. The café au lait is crowned with vanilla-scented steamed milk, the campfire mocha carries a hint of smoky syrup that evokes burning wood, and the cloud latte shows a vibrant blue-purple hue from butterfly pea flower powder. For something richer, try an adult milkshake flavored with Kohler mint or dark chocolate brandy. Take your drink along to the nearby Kohler Design Center to admire advanced plumbing innovation, explore the brand’s history and daydream about a dream kitchen or bathroom.
The Greenhouse is one of five food and beverage concepts at the 241-room American Club hotel, a 1918 dormitory originally built to house single male immigrants who worked at the Kohler factory. The company’s early history is intertwined with unexpected invention: in 1883, John Michael Kohler added an enamel finish and cast-iron feet to a horse trough, creating an early version of the modern bathtub. Today you can order Bathtub Brew at the pubby Horse & Plow, once a tap room for employees. A collaboration with a local brewer produced a hazy, golden Belgian-style witbier that offers notes of citrus, spice, coriander and banana. On Fridays, it pairs perfectly with a classic Wisconsin fish fry featuring potato-breaded lake perch.
© Kelly Magyarics
After a restorative visit to the Kohler Waters Spa, reserve a spot at the cozy Immigrant Winery, a wine bar that highlights artisanal Wisconsin cheeses from some 16 producers. Order a glass of wine and build your own cheese board, or choose a themed flight served with cornichons, whole-grain mustard, crackers and fruit spread. Rich fortified wines such as a 20-year tawny port complement aged cheeses and make for a luxurious finish.
The adjacent Immigrant Restaurant contains six dining rooms that honor the region’s early settlers from France, the Netherlands, Germany, Normandy, Denmark and England. The five-course vegetarian tasting menu with optional wine pairings is a refined showcase of technique and seasonal produce; a citrus-poached endive finished with beurre blanc and yuzu, paired with a white Bordeaux, is a clever dish that evokes the texture and presence of a delicate fish without using seafood. For a heartier meal, The Wisconsin Room—the site’s original employee dining hall—focuses on local, grass-fed Angus steaks. A marbled prime rib eye pairs beautifully with a structured Brunello di Montalcino.
Cozy seating areas throughout the resort, many with roaring fireplaces in season, invite relaxation after a day of treatments or exploring. The lobby frequently features live music and an after-dinner Old Fashioned. Visitors often discover a regional twist on that classic cocktail: the Wisconsin Old Fashioned traditionally uses brandy instead of whiskey and is topped with a splash of lemon-lime soda. It’s one of several small surprises that make a stay at the Kohler Resort & Spa both indulgent and distinctly local—an elegant wellness retreat that also happens to be run by the company whose name you might recognize from your bathroom sink.