Kohler opens suburban spa, and we couldn't wait to take the plunge

If Scotland really had a Highland Fling like Kohler's, my ancestors would never have left for America.

One of the water treatments at the new Kohler Waters Spa in Burr Ridge, the fling is an invigorating cross between a massage and lolling inside a warm car wash.

It was inspired by St. Andrews, Scotland, which along with Kohler, Wis., is home to the company's only other spa.

Since these award-winning Kohler spas are so rare, we were happy to accept an invitation to check out the new suburban one in Burr Ridge.

The private room for the Highland Fling is a warm cavern covered with dark slate tiles -- walls, ceiling and floor. One wall is dotted with dim, square recessed lights.

I slip out of the comfy spa robe and lie face up on the massage table with small towels covering my trunk and my eyes.

The first step is the Vichy shower, a long bar with six nozzles that reaches horizontally above me.

While soft music plays, Renata, my technician, glides the shower arm back and forth. It's raining warm water on me, then it isn't, then it is again.

This is relaxing, but then comes the very best part of the experience. She massages each foot and leg with a scrub of coffee, mint and sea salt.

Coffee?

Yes, and at the end of the treatment the moisturizer that's rubbed on is said to be chocolate scented, although to me it just smelled sweet.

"Have you ever dipped a chocolate-covered biscotti in coffee? Delicious," said Jean Kolb, director of wellness for Kohler, when asked about the choice of ingredients. "The combination is wonderful. People like the way they smell and feel after the combo treatment."

The second soaking arrives when Renata gently hoses the scrub off each limb, my back and stomach.

Occasionally she tosses a bucketful of water over me. I'm not sure what the theory behind this is, but I'm enveloped in water.

The Vichy shower's best moments are when I'm lying on my stomach near the end of the 50-minute treatment. All the joys of a spring rain glide down.

Experiencing the Highland Fling and hearing about the spa's other water treatments, it's almost as if Kohler is trying to convert us to a lifetime in water.

Indeed, water is what sets this spa apart.

Kohler Waters Spa's main claim to fame is the Circle of Tranquility.

Clients use the round room tiled in pearlized white and shades of blue on their own without direction from an attendant.

Here two warm waterfalls gush into a 25-foot whirlpool.

Sitting under the serious waterfall with the 8-foot drop provides a vigorous massage that knocks stress from tight shoulders.

This also creates the room's sound effects -- a roar designed to promote relaxation that also impedes conversation.

"We really want you to become absorbed by the sound of the water," Kolb said. "It's very mesmerizing."

The smaller waterfall in the middle of the figure-eight-shaped whirlpool is designed to soothe muscles in the small of your back.

The room also contains an 8-foot-deep, 64-degree plunge pool. The idea is you jump in, then climb back up using tiled footholds and steps.

Going back and forth from cold to warm is supposed to improve circulation and relax your muscles. It's very European, but I'll pass on anything resembling cold water.

The Kohler team is very proud of the three tiled showers on the whirlpool deck.

Each features the company's very popular Watertiles, or flat showerheads with different configurations.

Envelope is where you really shower to get clean, Quench involves cool sprays from all directions, and Deluge is a misty rain.

The tiled steam room and cedar sauna are tucked behind the blue tiled waterfall wall.

The good news is this haven is open to anyone who purchases any spa service. So a $35 manicure gets you time in the Circle of Tranquility. Water therapies start at $30, massages at $75, and a Mother's Day package combines a facial and pedicure for $223.

One advantage that the waters spas have over other companies is easy access to Kohler products.

In fact, one purpose of the spa is to showcase what Kohler has available for homes, and there is a shop for plumbing fixtures next door.

But you might see the specially designed pedicure chairs with the 20-inch deep vigorously massaging tubs at another spa near you. The company now sells them commercially.

Taking the waters is a lot of fun, but it offers residual benefits, too. I found it relaxing and a great stress reducer. And the exfoliation left my feet ready for spring.

It's amazing how quickly my first experience at spa pampering gave me a sense of entitlement, not to mention an overwhelming desire to move in.