“ We are owned by Kohler Company which has been in the water experiential business for over 140 years and that gives us a lot of brand identity, as well as an opportunity to really emphasize our niche in terms of therapeutic water treatments,” says Jean Kolb, director of wellness business at Kohler Co.“ Everything the guest comes in contact with relative to water is a unique experience.”
Done in an elegant, classic design with butter-colored walls and residentialstyle furniture, Kohler Waters Spa boasts 21 treatment rooms, a 30-foot relaxation pool with eight-foot waterfall and a glass-enclosed rooftop deck with a fireplace, sauna, plunge pools and lounge. The 25,000-square-foot facility is housed on two levels of the Carriage House, a 55-room annex of The American Club, which allows full access to the common areas of the spa. Some of its unique treatments include a WaveMotion Body Treatment( it is one of only three spas in the country with a WaveMotion table), an Acoustic Bath featuring VibrAcoustic technology and the RiverBath, a treatment using eight soft color hues and whirlpool jets. Recently, the spa also installed two Vichy showers custommade by Kohler.
“ We saw some things in the market place, but didn’ t like a particular one so we called plumbing … they made a custom Vichy shower for us with everything that we wanted on it,” Kolb says.“ Not a lot of spas have that resource so we are pretty fortunate.”
Five-Star Status Although Kohler Waters Spa’ s unique services are a big part of its claim to fame, the road to achieving five-star status took a concentration on consistency in the spa experience.
“ You can build the most beautiful facility and not walk away having a great experience. Forbes is all about the experience and the level of customer service,” Kolb says.
After reaching out to Forbes in 2008, the spa underwent blind service evaluations to decipher where the operation excelled and where improvements were needed.
“[ We excelled in ] technical execution and overall sense of luxury,” says Kolb, adding that the evaluations also showed that the spa“ needed improvement in‘ anticipating guest needs.’”
After working with Forbes trainers for more than three years, the spa finally reached five-star status in November 2012.
“ What I love about Forbes is that it’ s a little bit about the facility and a lot about customer service and the experience,” Kolb says.“ They rate over 8,000 spas annually … It’ s a pretty big honor.”
“ What I love about Forbes is that it’ s a little bit about the facility and a lot about customer service and the experience.”
January / February 2013 ■ PULSE 15