Saturday, September 1st, 2007
A Place to Chill
As temperatures start to drop, look no further than Wisconsin for the best rest in the Midwest
By Kristine Hansen
Travelers often seek sunny regions during the winter to escape the cold and find solace in a pampering spa. Many forget about the middle of the country, which, in fact, is home to superb spa offerings. In particular, Wisconsin’s spa scene has recently evolved, procuring ingredients and inspiration from its landscape.
SUNDARA INN & SPA
A feng-shui consultant designed Sundara Inn & Spa in Wisconsin Dells, and a landscape architect skilled in plotting botanical gardens introduced indigenous plants and ornamental grasses to the property.
It’s a short drive through groves of pine trees on a winding two-lane road to reach the spa, which is decorated in soothing colors of chocolate brown, eggplant, red and khaki.
The words “Energize Your Soul” beckon in script on the marbled cream and copper wall at the women’s lounge entrance. Lavender and eucalyptus aromas fill every room in the spa, and a 30-minute purifying bath ritual starts each treatment. It begins with a shower (using sandstone body polish with local soil as an ingredient), followed by an aroma steam, cool-down shower and an oil-infused hot pool/cool pool plunge. (Staff encourage guests to repeat the last step at least three times.)
Many of the treatments are tied into ayurvedic philosophies, including the Gemstone Energy Massage (60 minutes, $140-$150), where gems that have been charged under the moonlight are set on chakra points. The treatment begins with a dosha analysis, followed by a warm-water footbath in a hammered-copper basin.
Even when it’s chilly outside, the outdoor pool is open. Guests can sit in front of the open-air fireplace, dressed in the spa’s signature khaki-colored, ribbed fleece robes, and drink hot chocolate. Snowshoe and cross-country ski rentals are available as well.
There are 26 suites that can be booked for overnight stays. A dozen villas on the property were constructed of sustainable materials sourced from the local area and can sleep eight people in each. Overnight stays include access to a town car that can be used for door-to-door service to the spa, as well as excursions to nearby restaurants.
Light spa cuisine is available at Radiance Rotunda, and features seasonal ingredients from organic Midwestern farms. Spa-izzas (signature savory flatbread pizzas) and fresh fruit smoothies provide an energy boost by incorporating goodies like milled flaxseed, soy protein and spirulina. If cold winds are blowing outside, order French press coffee, espresso drinks or hot tea. Also available are Harvest Rolls—steamed veggies, herbs and green-tea noodles wrapped in rice paper—and seared duck breast with Door County cherry squash.
KOHLER WATERS SPA
Located next to The American Club, the only AAA Five-Diamond resort hotel in the Midwest, Kohler Waters Spa underwent extensive renovations in the fall of 2005. Ten Immersion Suites were added, allowing guests to book overnight stays and receive private treatments in the comfort of their rooms, which boast Kohler soaking tubs, vessel sinks and rain showers. Eight additional treatment rooms and a glass-enclosed rooftop spa were also added. The rooftop also boasts a 16-foot fireplace, an ideal place to snuggle up with a book.
To coincide with The American Club’s Scotland debut at the former Old Course Hotel, the Highland Fling (50 minutes, $140-$160) was added to the menu. Experience a Vichy shower and rinse from warm-water filled buckets followed by an exfoliation with mint-scented coffee granules, topped off with a chocolate body-butter moisturizer. Another new treatment is the private pedicure.
Though Kohler is well-known for cuisine prepared at The Immigrant Restaurant inside the hotel, the spa menu is also delicious. Items include a Thai beef wrap, pear and roasted parsnip soup, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. For afternoon tea, head to The American Club; in the cozy lounge, borrow a book, make yourself comfortable in an armchair near the fire and nibble on homemade cookies.
ZEN ON SEVEN
The top floor of Hotel Metro, a boutique Art Deco hotel in downtown Milwaukee, is aptly named Zen on Seven. The two-level spa debuted in March of 2006 as a complementary follow-up to the hotel’s emphasis on well being. The spa has only one small but cozy treatment room, but the rest of the spa provides enough to do for an afternoon. Services, which can also be done in guest rooms, include massages, foot reflexology, facials, waxing, aromatherapy and stone therapy treatments.
“All of the décor was selected to bring a Zen feel to the area,” explains Mark Hansen, the hotel’s director of sales, pointing to sconces that resemble the artwork of Gustav Klimt: exquisite amber glass with a grainy background and circles of soft color.
Walls are constructed from bamboo, some are painted periwinkle, and the floors are sustainably harvested woods. Take a short flight of stairs to the rooftop, where an open-air spa garden features a reflecting pool and saltwater hot tub—great on cool nights—with glimmering mosaic tiles.
Here’s a tip: Keep an eye on the hotel’s three rooftop lights if you happen to be cruising by. If two blue lights are lit, then the rooftop is open to guests. However, a blue and white light means a private party is using the space.
Indoors on the second level are a fitness center, showers with limestone tile, an inlaid-pebble pathway and a full-service bar offering the same libations as the hotel’s street-level restaurant. One of the hotel’s signature drinks is the Metropolitan: a Cosmopolitan with a splash of raspberry liqueur, the perfect drink to combat cold weather.
WELL SPA
In April, the 114-year-old Pfister Hotel—a popular downtown Milwaukee lodging choice for celebs and U.S. presidents—transformed its former basement-level restaurant into a first-class spa. Most spas adopt an aura inspired by natural elements, but WELL Spa took a different path.
Each treatment room in the 8,500-square-foot space features heated floors and a private bathroom with a Hammam shower (steam and a rain shower), decorated ornately with bronze-prism tiles. Guests choose from four aromas to scent their treatment room and a music theme, which can be supplied by the spa or the customer’s iPod. Because this is the hotel’s basement, there are no windows, making guests feel like they are in a dimly lit, quiet and ultra-calming cocoon.
Two treatments incorporate Dairy State ingredients. Brew ‘Do ($15), a hair rinse using amber beer, is intended to “revitalize your locks for more shine and fuller body.” Dairy State of Mind (50 minutes, $150) incorporates a mixture of yogurt, organic milk and honey, which is massaged onto the body to diminish fine lines, as well as soften and energize the skin.
While constructing the spa, Milwaukee architectural firm Kahler Slater discovered an original Victorian Turkish bath, as well as original plasterwork, moldings and floor tiles. Historical documents revealed the bath was for men’s use only and was among the country’s most luxurious until the mid-1920s, when it was converted into a barbershop and salon.
ASPIRA
The 20,000-square-foot Elkhart Lake spa opened during the summer of 2006 inside The Osthoff Resort, a popular summer getaway that also heats up when the temperature drops. Elkhart Lake is believed to hold unique powers and energy-healing qualities; it was considered sacred by the Native Americans who once lived on its banks.
Inside Aspira’s meditation sanctuary, a shallow pond with a trickling waterfall is the only sound. Guests relax while seated on satin floor cushions.
For the signature Sacred Waters Massage (60 minutes, $145), reverence is paid to the Native Americans with pouches made from deerskin that contain water from Elkhart Lake, which are warmed and applied to the chakra points, relieving muscle tension.
The SpaSuites each have their own bathroom, along with a fireplace and soaking tub, perfect for a completely private spa treatment. SpaSuite experiences include The Aspira Journey (120 minutes, $245), foot reflexology and several aromatic relaxation massages. The Art of Spa (a violet clay body treatment) and Infused with Spirit (which includes a color-therapy facial) are also offered in the SpaSuites.
According to spa management, Aspira has the country’s only Chromatub, used for a 30-minute treatment to detoxify the body using marine minerals, nutrients and essential oils. The spa is also one of the country’s few to provide guests with towels and robes created from bamboo, a sustainable alternative to cotton.
Last spring, The Osthoff Resort launched a year-round cooking school headed up by Wisconsin native Jill Prescott, who once taught Julia Child. Topics range from wine pairings to foie gras, with a combination of one-day, weekend and week-long courses.
Lola’s on the Lake is the resort’s full-service restaurant, which serves cocktails like espresso martinis, as well as signature items such as sesame-seared yellowfin tuna, caramelized scallops and roasted butternut-squash soup.
BOOK IT:
KARMA
Hotel Metro
414-272-1937
www.hotelmetro.com
WELL SPA
Pfister Hotel
414-227-9207
www.pfisterwellspa.com
KOHLER WATERS SPA
920-457-8000
www.destinationkohler.com
SUNDARA
INN & SPA
888-735-8181
www.sundaraspa.com
ASPIRA
877-SPA-2070
www.aspiraspa.com
Whether you choose a property tucked away in the fragrant pine forest or on prime lakefront property, Wisconsin spas have something for everyone, even in the cold winter months.
MIDWEST AIRLINES offers daily flights to and from destinations throughout Wisconsin. Details can be found at www.midwestairlines.com.
