March 1, 2000 - Kohler Waters Spa will occupy nearly 16,000 square feet of space on two levels of the Carriage House, a guest room annex for The American Club. Operated as a resort amenity spa but also offering private memberships and day-visitor access, it will replace a modest day spa currently within Sports Core, Kohler's fitness and racquet center. 

The American Club is the Midwest's only AAA Five Diamond resort hotel and with the acclaimed golf courses at Blackwolf Run (site of the 1998 U.S. Women's Open) and Whistling Straits (site of the 2004 PGA Championship), is considered one of the nation's top golf resort destinations. Kohler Waters Spa, which will operate year-round, will extend the all-season allure of the resort that also offers a wilderness hunting and fishing club and an extensive menu of seasonal activities.

�We expect the reputation of this spa will resonate on a national level,� said Alice Hubbard, group vice president - hospitality and real estate, Kohler Co. �Our goal in adding this amenity, and our concept in designing the facility and its services, is to become as well recognized as a spa destination as the resort already is for golf. We feel that creating this new spa will significantly broaden our resort's appeal year-round, and will add a refreshing new amenity for our many repeat guests to enjoy.�

In keeping with the reputation of the resort, the new facility is planned to be distinctive and luxurious and to offer several exclusive treatments. 

�The spa, in its design and services, will complement the "gracious living" philosophy of our corporate mission statement,� Hubbard said. �The same care, attention to detail and quality our guests have come to appreciate in the presentation of our hotels and golf courses, will be similarly expressed in this spa.� 

Notably, as the resort is owned by Kohler Co.- the nation's premier plumbing products maker - the new spa also will be a showplace for the parent brand. �Kohler has a long history of working wonders with water, and the spa will reflect this affinity by providing singular treatments that celebrate the therapeutic benefits of water along with a variety of unique bathing experiences,� Hubbard said.

Kohler Waters Spa will occupy portions of the first and lower levels of the existing Carriage House adjacent to The American Club. Facing Highland Drive, the main entrance to the Village of Kohler, the spa's first floor will include a reception area, boutique, relaxation room with fireplace, exercise area, and finishing spa for manicures, pedicures, hair styling and make-up services. On the lower level, spa guests will enter a tranquil, classically styled and secluded environment featuring 13 treatment rooms - among them signature areas with innovative Kohler bathing products and four rooms specially designed for therapeutic water services. This level will also have a central pool suitable for light swimming, water classes and water therapies, and separate women's and men's lounge rooms (each with hot and cool dip pools, sauna and steam room). 

Interiors for Kohler Waters Spa are being designed by Cheryl Rowley Design, Inc. of Beverly Hills, Calif. Rowley's previous work for Kohler Co. was the interior design of the clubhouse at Whistling Straits golf course. Recipient of the 1999 Platinum Circle Award, she is known for her distinctive and exciting approach to design. Among her credits are the House of Blues Hotel in Chicago; the current renovation of the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.; the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City and Chicago; the Santa Monica, CA, Hotel Casa Del Mar; and the Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel in Japan. The architect of the Kohler Waters Spa is Paul Gondek of Kohler Architectural Engineering.
 

The American Club is a stately,red brick structure that wasbuilt in 1918 to house the manyimmigrants, "single men of modest means," who came towork at KOHLER Co. It was a place that enriched their livesand celebrated the "American spirit."  In 1978, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Carefully refurbished and reopened in 1981 as a luxurious resort hotel, it continues to honor its heritage today, welcoming guests with an "old world" elegance and style.

Overnight guests of The American Club who choose to stay in one of the 52 Carriage House guest rooms will have access to the spa included in the room rate along with complimentary continental breakfast, evening cordials and hors d’oeuvres. As part of the building project for the spa, the Carriage House will be further remodeled to include a comfortable first-floor library common area. In addition, by April 2000, all 52 guest room baths in the Carriage House will have been renovated to some degree, several undergoing extensive updates to include the latest Kohler products. 

Guests staying at The American Club's main hotel building may access the spa with payment of a fee (but at a rate less than that charged to the general public). Access fees for hotel guests and the general public will be waived with two or more services. Several hotel and spa packages will also be available.

The American Club, a member of Historic Hotels of America, is located in the Village of Kohler, two-and-a-half hours north of Chicago and within an hours drive of Milwaukee or Green Bay.