Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HISTORIC HOTELS OF AMERICA
visit a historic spa
QUAINT TOWNS & HISTORIC CITIES ACROSS AMERICA
Something about sitting there buck naked in a spa opens me up to really
examining those issues that sometimes stay buried under to-do lists at
home.
—Chelsea O'Shea, self-described spa fanatic
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To an actress, turning 50 is almost a death sentence. To the grand old dames in this entry,
50 is merely the starting gate. We're talking about the National Register of Historic Places
and, more specifically, the National Trust's Historic Hotels of America, a listing of 209 time-
honored hotels and resorts that have faithfully maintained their historic integrity, architecture,
and ambience. Needless to say, many of these have spas, some as fabled as the hotel itself.
Here are six of note:
The American Club.
Built in 1918 to house single immigrants who came to work at the
Kohler Company, a renowned maker of bathroom fixtures, the brick Tudor dormitory was
transformed into a luxury hotel in 1981. Walter Kohler, president of the company and governor
of Wisconsin from 1929 to 1931, believed his immigrant workers deserved “not only wages,
but roses, as well.” His resident workers enjoyed wholesome meals, a billiard-and-tap room,
and summer concerts on the front lawn. American flags were hung everywhere—Kohler's not-
so-subtle hint that his immigrant workers might want to consider applying for U.S. citizenship.
By 1930, Kohler had convinced nearly 700 immigrant workers to take the annual paid day off
and free transportation to the county courthouse to take their oath of citizenship.
Nowadays, The American Club is a five-diamond lhotel with four garden courtyards,
nine restaurants, and uncommonly opulent bathrooms. The Kohler Waters Spa, in the Carriage
House of The American Club, has treatment rooms with waterfalls, a glass-enclosed rooftop
deck, fireplaces, and spa treatments. Rates range from $140 to $185 for a standard room in the
winter to $1,230 for the presidential suite in the summer.
