Did you remember to change your clocks? Here at the Kohler Waters Spa we are very excited to be back in British Summer Time. Although we will not be in dresses or shorts and t-shirts for a while it is still refreshing for mind and body to enjoy more daylight, we are now open later in the evenings, until 9.30pm and offering increased availability of our spa treatments.

On April 1^st we celebrated our new membership programme. We offer Individual, Joint, Husband & Wife and Corporate membership packages at the Spa. Some benefits of our memberships include

• Full use of Kohler Waters Spa facilities
• Comprehensive Fitness Induction and Fitness Evaluation.
• Personal Training Programme and Lifestyle Review.
• Complimentary Kohler amenities, usage of towels and robes, spa sandals and stereo headphones.
• Access to 24 fitness classes per week
• Complimentary Guest Passes to Kohler Waters Spa.
• 20% discount on Spa Treatments.
• 10% discount on our exclusive Spa products at the spa boutique and selected items in our new Kohler At Home Online Store.
• 10% discount on Spa Cuisine.

Available within the Spa we offer our signature scent Hollyhock shampoo, conditioner and body wash, which we display in our changing areas and Kohler Waters Spa Boutique. Hollyhock is a gentle scent flower which grows in the Wisconsin area. In the early 1920s the Kohler family, owners of the Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa built the Kohler village in Wisconsin for their employees and each spring the company presented a packet of seeds to families throughout the village, beautifying neighborhoods with stunning colour. Today, visitors at the Kohler Waters Spa can continue the tradition with our luxurious Hollyhock range.

We hope to see you in the Kohler Waters Spa soon!

It’s simple to know when spring is arriving. The sun rises in the earlier hours of the morning and sets later on in the afternoon. The days get slightly warmer. Spring flowers start to appear, birds start building their nests and the farmers deliver new-born lambs. It is our favourite time of year as everything starts to bloom.

Weather in spring is very varied as we have seen in the last few days. We have enjoyed some fabulous Spring days with wonderful warm sunshine. Friends have even had their first barbecues of the year! But then the weather can turn. It may be cold enough to snow, leaving your skin & hair both dry and dehydrated, wishing for the summer months. CARITA have recommended their Fluide de Beaute 14 as the essential care for dry skin and hair. Laced with hazelnut and corn oils, it nourishes dry skin and leaves it feeling supple and satin-smooth. The body is wrapped in a light, satiny veil making your skin feel incredibly soft and supple.

Here at Kohler Waters Spa we are excited to celebrate Mother’s Day with our Day Spa Guests. This is when time stands still and the worries and strains of everyday life simply disappear. This is precious time for you and your mother to catch up, relax and rejuvenate. The day consists of our 80 minute Kohler Waters Facial or our 80 minute Kohler Waters Massage, a delicious two course spa lunch, glass of champagne, selection of handcrafted canapés and access to our wonderful rooftop hot tub, thermal suite, hydrotherapy pool and swimming pool … complete with its own waterfall. We would love for you to join us in the celebration and relaxation.

And don’t worry if you can’t make it on Mother’s Day itself. At the resort, we dedicate the entire month of March to Mums – so what better gift on the day than to set a date for the days or weeks to come and visit with at a time that best suits you and your Mum? We very much hope you’ll be able to visit and enjoy all that we have to offer.

Some of you may well have given up something decadent for Lent? We are now counting down to Easter – and the coming days are dedicated to lovers of chocolate! Easter will soon be upon us – and everyone has the excuse to gorge on delicious chocolate Easter eggs. For those of you who will be more restrained come Easter Sunday, why not try something a little different …

We would like to introduce you to our Kohler Chocolate Body Butter, slimming on the hips but full body nourishment. Please do get in touch if this – or any other of our treatments and therapies whet your appetite. We are always happy to offer advice on what will be the best experience for you.

We wish you a colourful start to spring.

February brings with it a breath of fresh air and hope. Hope that we stop talking about the January blues, hope that we stay focused on our New Years resolution and hope that the year ahead will be positive and bring new experiences.

For some February is Superbowl month, for others February has become an occasion during which people express their love for each other. Expressing love is not just about the love which you show towards someone or something else but it can be expressing love towards yourself, me, myself and I. Can you honestly say you express love to yourself?

Love is also said to be a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Here at the Kohler Waters Spa we want you to try something new this February, we want you to romance yourself, show your body compassion and kindness and rejuvenated from within.

Romance your body with our seasonal treatments

Caramelt Me Away is a head-to-toe, full body & facial experience in one. The treatment begins with an exfoliation using a sweet cream salt scrub followed by a drizzle of warm caramel shea butter melt. After wrapping the body, enjoy a facial along with a neck & scalp massage. After a gentle rinse , a sweep of caramel body milk lotion nourishes the body with rich oils and vitamins…

The Berries and Bliss Pedicure features fun, whimsical & paraben free products from Farmhouse Fresh. In a word? YUMMY! The scents? AMAZING! For New Year Toes? PERFECT. Blueberry Powder Milk Bath, Sweet Cream Body Scrub, Strawberry Smash Double Moisturizer, Dark Chocolate Serum. And to put you over the edge, our signature warm stones between your toes…

A person can be said to love an object, principle, or goal if they value it greatly and are deeply committed to it. Commit your body and mind and try one of our fitness classes, restore your inner love with one of our yoga classes, stimulate the circulatory system, endocrine glands and other organs and keep muscles and joints strong and flexible. Try one of our Personal Training sessions or boot camps and allow your body to experience new pleasures and find a passion in health and fitness. Traditionally chocolate hearts and flowers are exchanged to show affection but chocolates are eaten and flowers wilt. So maybe this year embark on one of our 7 week programmes, and make a positive change that will last you lifetime.

We wish you a lustful February and we ask you to find a new love…Me, myself and I

A very Happy New Year from all of us at Kohler Waters Spa and the Old Course Hotel! We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, and that you took the time to relax and enjoy the festive season with loved ones and friends. In the spirit of the New Year, I have to say there is not a better time of year to be working in the wellness business.

The team and I at Kohler Waters Spa are preparing for record membership highs and have created a number of new year inspired treats to kick start a new you, including outrageously themed American style fitness camps following the festivities, wellness retreats, and two new year new you seasonal spa treatments to banish those January winter blues and help you unwind following the festivities.

New Beginnings Bootcamp

7 Week Programme. Kick start meeting commencing 14 January. Looking ahead to 2013 New Year’s Resolutions? Get inspired and kick-start your New Year to make positive lifestyle changes that will last a lifetime! This outrageously fun American style Fitness Camp is sure to lift the spirit, body and soul and is designed for your fitness success following the festivities!

New Beginnings Retreat

Revive and renew your mind body and spirit , and feel better from head to toe with this ultimate day spa retreat. Enjoy a breathtaking Chariots Of Fire style beach run with our professional fitness coach, followed by our signature Hammam water treatment and Neet Feet Pedicure.

New Seasonal Spa Treatments

NEW! Caramelt Me Away Body Treatment is a head-to-toe, full body & facial experience in one. Begins with an exfoliation using a sweet cream salt scrub followed by a drizzle of warm caramel shea butter melt. After wrapping the body, enjoy a facial along with a neck & scalp massage. After a gentle rinse , a sweep of caramel body milk lotion nourishes the body with rich oils and vitamins…

NEW! The Berries and Bliss Pedicure features fun, whimsical & paraben free products from Farmhouse Fresh. In a word? YUMMY! The scents? AMAZING! For New Year Toes? PERFECT. Blueberry Powder Milk Bath, Sweet Cream Body Scrub, Strawberry Smash Double Moisturizer, Dark Chocolate Serum. And to put you over the edge, our signature warm stones between your toes…

Whatever you choose we wish you all the best for 2013.

The Kohler Waters Spa Team!

Wow! What an amazing summer of sport we have had … from London 2012 with the Olympics and Paralympics to the most incredible European win in the Ryder Cup ever witnessed. The nail-biting 14.5 to 13.5 win will definitely have a fabulous boost for the game of golf – and that is wonderful news for the resort, for St Andrews as the Home of Golf – and for Scotland. Heartfelt congratulations from us all at the Spa to Team Europe, with an extra special pat on the back to Scotland’s Paul Lawrie. What a performance – and yes Paul, you are most definitely cool!

And on the back of Britain’s sporting prowess with ‘Super Saturday’ and ‘Scintillating Sunday’, we are celebrating our own victory at the resort after the Spa won ‘The Best Hotel Spa’ in this year’s Good Spa Guide Good Spa Awards. I owe a huge ‘thank you’ to all of my team for their hard work and attention to detail. The Guide is the UK’s only independent guide to spas, therapies and treatments and, as every review is independent, it adds real credence to the award.

We were shortlisted earlier in the summer and then subjected to a secret ‘Spa Spy’ visit where all our facilities were assessed for the awards’ programme. Their review is wonderful, acknowledging that we are “a golfer’s heaven”. Our golfing guests and members love the Spa – especially our Thermal Suite – and we’ve developed a number of unique treatments and therapies for their benefit. The Golfer’s Massage is personalised by our therapist. It concentrates on shoulders, upper back, chest, hips and forearms and is designed to ease tension and increase flexibility. It is perfect preparation for a round on any one of St Andrews fabulous courses. And when you step off the 18th, restore your feet with our Golfer’s Foot Renewal … including a warm mud mask applied to the feet followed by a scrub and soothing foot massage. Bliss.

So now we await the arrival of all for this year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – another incredible golfing event that rounds off the season in real style. We welcome leading golfers from around the world – both professional and amateur for the competition staged on three of the greatest courses – The Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie. There will be some inspirational performances – and talking of ‘inspiration’, a number of my Associates at the resort have been so inspired by this great summer of sport that they are signing up for events and activities in 2013 as part of our Stewardship Programme. But more on that next time!

Look forward to seeing you at the Spa soon.

Victoria

With only four days to go, the hugely anticipated London 2012 Olympics is fast approaching and you can just feel the excitement building! With over 15,000 athletes competing and an estimated eight million tickets, it is no wonder that t the eyes of the world will be on London – and the United Kingdom.

At school I loved sports and jumped at any opportunity to play sports outdoors.  I started horse riding when I was 13 and have dreamed of show jumping ever since I won my fist medal at a show jumping competition in my home town.  More aggressive actives such as the 100 meters, long jump and javelin however, were never my strong suit – I left that to the more hardcore aspiring Olympic athletes in our group.

What always amazed me however was the sheer grit and determination we had as school children – come rain (in some cases hail)  or shine we would be out there competing with that winning Olympic mentality, challenging each other, fighting to achieve our goals and always getting the job done.  As I watch the Olympic athletes in training in the news each night, I cannot help but feel so in awe of them and their amazing attitude and approach to the  Games themselves, paving their way to victory. Their desire to be successful, setting and then maintaining goals, striving for excellence and perfection. Their vision and passion and their work ethic, sheer grit, determination and self confidence that they will go the distance.

I think the same path can also apply to life.  Focusing on that one thing you want to achieve – at home or at work. Despite the many hurdles we may face in our lives, by keeping our heads down, channeling our energies, and of course with plenty of practice, we may be just be that one step closer to getting what we want.   At Kohler Waters Spa we are challenging our associates, spa members and guests to reach beyond the bounds of expectation and push themselves mentally, physically and spiritually. We have created all kinds of fun games and activities to inspire, and celebrate this extraordinary summer of sport. Chariots Of Fire and Beach Olympics are just two of our new fitness classes that we have introduced this summer which include including the 100 meters relay, long jump, shot put, hurdling, volleyball, badminton, synchronized swimming – and all on the stunning West Sands Beach with views out across the North Sea. Come rain or shine I know that our spa members and guests will embrace the challenge and will take what ever we throw at them! What will be your challenge this summer?

Speak soon

Victoria

I hope this finds you all feeling well and rejuvenated as we embark on a marvellous British summer!

As I had taken some time out from our Kohler Waters Spa blogs to prepare for our fabulous golfing season, I also took some time to catch up on lots the latest spring and summer trends, beauty must haves, and the most talked about wellness issues. And our industry did not disappoint…

As we spring into summer and the warmer, lighter and longer days bring hope and a sense of sparkle to our lives, it seems everyone is preparing for The Queens Diamond Jubilee! From famous fashion houses and  brand names each transforming their shop windows with a timeless fifties vintage feel, to  bunting,  to one of a kind diamonds and tiaras, and all you can eat and drink British favourites, you name it its out there. I was therefore not t surprised to learn that a number of well known, famous make-up and beauty brands too have created one of a kind, limited edition Union Jack embellished products, with a full blown patriotic makeover. There truly has never been a better time to invest in some British glamour and British-inspired beauty products!

If like me, you are a brand collector it truly is an exciting time and opportunity to purchase those one of a kind cant-live-with-out products and it seems like everyone is taking part in the fun.  At Kohler Waters Spa, we too are embracing the Jubileeness and have decided to mark the special occasion. To celebrate, throughout June, we are offering our guests a complimentary 5 Carat Diamond of Beauty Cream (worth a whopping £43.00) a glass of our finest champagne and signature Kohler chocolates when they experience our Diamond Of Beauty Facial, our most luxurious face and body ritual, with extraordinary anti-aging results containing a fusion of plants and Diamond to prolong youthful, dewy and radiant skin, fit for a Queen! What ever your plans are, I hope it’s a smashing one.

Carita Diamond of Beauty at Kohler Waters Spa

I’m delighted to share too this week that we received the Spa Treatments Award at the Scottish Hotel Awards!  The team are absolutely thrilled!

Scottish Hotel Awards - Spa Treatments Award

Talk soon.

Victoria

Still looking for New Years Resolutions? As we say goodbye to January, many of us still find ourselves contemplating New Years resolutions – or beginning new ones that we have perhaps already failed miserably to keep.  For me, I wanted to completely detoxify my body and skin and discover new result driven tools and techniques to put life back into my body.

As I browsed new and cutting edge products on the market, I was ecstatic to discover that a new edition of the ultimate, super-powered cleansing tool has landed in the UK!  Guaranteeing to deeply cleanse, detoxify your skin and to make you look 10 years younger!!  As spa professionals at Kohler Waters Spa, we know that cleansing is THE most important step of a professional skin care treatment at the spa or with your at-home beauty routine.  Not only does it deeply cleanse our skin from make-up,  impurities and 100 cars worth of pollution that we are affected by ever day, it also preparers your skin and enhances the performance of your products to ensure that they work more effectively.   The Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System was originally created for the Sonic electric toothbrush, the brush head works in just the same way. (Ladies and gents, don’t reach for the tootbrushes yet please!) The patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second has been developed to gently cleanse and soften the skin.  In just 60 seconds, the micro-massage action removes 6 times more makeup and twice more effective that cleansing with your hands alone.

Celebrity fans are reported to include Justin Timberlake and Courtney Cox and with such sparkling results I can understand why.  Clarisonic facial cleansers come available in an array of sizes and colours and mix and match his & hers “I love you” “ I love you more” (too cute!)  The new Clarisonic Mia which benefits in a one-button, single speed smaller size perfect for home or travel.  With every sale of the pink Clarisonic facial Cleanser, £5 is given back to skin care charity Look Good…Feel Better^®  Pricing at approximately £120 the products are expensive, but highly worth the investment, and that of your other products in my opinion.  Waking up to  deeply cleansed, smooth skin bursting with radiance – this was one of the biggest results driven products to hit the UK in 2011 and continues to be a beauty must have for 2012. You wont want to travel anywhere without it!

I’m pleased to tell you that Kohler Waters Spa will very soon be offering the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System for all of our facial services, for the ultimate detoxifying and results driven treatment.  We are also delighted to announce that that the professional product modes will also be available in our spa boutique, so you can take home their miracle power tools and enjoy  beautiful and radiant skin at home at home.

Stay beautiful and healthy until next time!

Victoria

The Clarisonic Mia in Pink

A very Happy New Year from all of us at Kohler Waters Spa and the Old Course Hotel!  We hope that you had a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and that you took the time to relax and enjoy the festive season with loved ones and friends.

As the nights continue to draw in, we look forward to a brand new year and new beginnings.  It is that time of year again to both reflect and look forward to new opportunities, trends and must-do’s, for what you must promise yourself will be the best year yet!

As I looked forward into 2012 I was very excited to learn that leading spa industry expert Susie Ellis (http://blog.spafinder.com/) released an annual report that named the latest and greatest trends forecasted for the global spa and wellness industry for 2012 , including wellness and beauty coaching, family’s who spa, integrating spa with fine dining and ice therapy and snow showers making the most noted and one-to-watch trends. This was SpaFinders ninth annual forecast of the emerging concepts set to shape the spa world next year, and beyond.

It is no surprise too that since 2010 spas around the world have taken their rightful place in preventative health care, and 2012 promises to deliver more new and innovative ways to look after one’s long-term health, such as foot fitness classes to  to podiatrist-overseen “medi-pedis”! Here at Kohler Waters Spa, we aim to continue to promote and educate our guests of   the long term therapeutic benefits of water and experiential water treatments, and look forward to embracing these tends for 2012, and beyond !

 1.) Healthy Feet Treatments

The delicate human foot contains 33 joints, 26 bones, and 126 muscles, ligaments, and nerves – which women regularly squeeze into high heels. Add the fact that the average person spends four hours a day on their feet, and it’s no wonder there is a national epidemic of foot problems like bunions, hammertoes, arthritis, and worse.

I’m so pleased to see tootsies are at number one following our last June blog about fabulous fingers and toes!  We just love our shellac treatments, keeping toes and tootsie glam all year, every season!

2.) Cold and Ice Are Hot 

From saunas to steam rooms to hot stone massages, spas have traditionally turned up the heat. But while heat promotes relaxation and detoxification, the benefits of icy therapies – including better circulation and reduced inflammation of muscles and joints – are finally getting their due.

There is no  doubt that there is once again a change of current  and a focus on hydrotherapy, and hot and cold experiences. Here at Kohler Waters Spa,  all our signature spa treatments and  thermal suite experiences focus on contrasting temperatures of hot and cold, and in some cases heat and ice!  Our new Cooler Near The Sea treatment for example set to released in May of this year uses hydrotherapy, Vichy shower and a scotch hose to stimulate the lymphatic system to deeply cleanse, detoxify and relax the body. As the hot Vichy shower cascades beautifully over the body, ice blocks are then used to cool, and in turn cause the muscles to contract, relax and release the muscles promoting short term fatigue which will firstly energise and relax your body and mind.

3) Wellness & Beauty Coaching

Health coach. Sleep coach. Eyebrow coach. Coaching is gathering steam at spas, and with good reason. While isolated treatments have their benefits, spas are in a unique position to help people make the kind of lifestyle changes that lead to long-term health and well-being. With the word “spa” increasingly evoking an entire lifestyle, it is only logical that coaching will become a fundamental part of the spa philosophy.

4.) Online Wellness Gaming

Half a billion people worldwide play online games for at least an hour a day, and gaming’s addictive features – points, challenges, rewards, social interaction – are uniquely suited to making healthy lifestyle changes stick. Pioneers in the wellness gaming space include early entries like the meditation game Leela, from mind-body guru Deepak Chopra, and MindBloom’s Life Game, which rewards members for achieving well-being goals and has the backing of insurance giant Aetna.

5.) Pairing Fine Dining and Spa-ing 

While many hotels and resorts have long offered both very fine food and very fine spa, the two weren’t traditionally paired together as a package. That’s changing in a big way, as fine dining and spa-ing are being aggressively paired, packaged, curated, marketed, and savored together as never before. Creative culinary-plus-spa experiences have become a massive trend because they’re massively appealing: a logical, sensory, “lifestyle” combo for both pleasure seekers and true connoisseurs.

6.) Vibration, Sound, Music, Light, and Color Therapies

Spas have long used sound and light as ambient accessories. Now, new scientific evidence revealing the physical and emotional benefits of frequencies and vibrations has inspired an explosion of approaches based on the idea that various systems in our bodies vibrate at different frequencies, and disruptions can affect our health.

Since 1873, We are proud to say that Kohler Co.  have created the most cutting- edge in  bathing technology.  Each of our five technologies offers unique experiences, including music & sound vibration, Bubble-Massage technology, overflowing baths – all with chromatherapy capabilites.  Here at Kohler Waters Spa, we offer two unique bathing treatments – the Sok and the Riverbath, both with chromatherpy technology designed to improve sleep, relieve muscle tension, relaxation and overall well-being.

7.) The Glam Factor

The intensity, frequency, and sheer whimsicality with which people are now getting “glammed up” is exploding worldwide.

8.) Spa Evidence: Showing the Science Behind Spa

Will a massage boost immunity? Can time in a sauna cure cold symptoms? Does acupressure relieve lower back pain?

9.)  Spas Become a Family Affair

As more families travel with children to spas, the industry is evolving to accommodate the under-18 set – from opening kids-only spas to offering services focused on everything from childhood obesity to the development of lifelong wellness practices.

I certainly look forward to spending more time with family this year and we always consider needs and wants when we design our packages.  This year we have some really exciting group packages due to launch with trips away with family and friends in mind and we’re delighted to say we’ve kept some core packages that let couples come away and play together!  The Your Choice Getaway is a great way to let him go out and get some golf time and you to spend some much needed you time with us in the spa!

http://www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk/tariffs/resort_breakaway.html

Keep tuning in for some news on our Girls Night In package coming soon!

10.) Spas Go for the “Wow”

Gone are the days of interchangeable spas with the same beige, Zen look. As seasoned spa-goers seek new experiences, spas are piling on the “wow” factor to differentiate themselves from the crowd.

I was very pleased to introduce our stunning new relaxation suite in 2011 and look forward to creating many more wow spaces and experiences in 2012.

Thanks for choosing to follow my blog this year, it’s the first step to health and wellness in 2012.  Do visit the resorts website for lots of rejueventating break away ideas and of course, it really is a good time of year to kick start in style and become a member!

http://www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk/spa/services/spa_membership.html

Speak soon.

Victoria

…Everywhere you go……and I almost cannot contain my excitement! You know when Christmas is coming when you see the return of those festive little things like red coffee cups in Starbucks, the magical “holidays are coming” Coca-Cola advert and the launch of a new John Lewis festive TV campaign appears on our TV screens in a prime time slot on a Saturday night!  I just love this year’s ad, brings a little tear to the eye!

For many of us the Christmas shopping frenzy has already started. At Kohler Waters Spa we have just launched our brand new and simply delicious Christmas gift collection from NEOM. Each year NEOM release an exclusive range of fabulous winter hibernation treats – which are always at the top of the Christmas wish list for both me and my friends! The Christmas Wish Candle, my absolute favourite, is literally Christmas in a box! It’s packed with a variety of warm spices and soothing fruit notes of Cinnamon, Ginger, Mandarin & Tonka Bean. This glorious scent is best enjoyed with warm glass of mulled wine, a mince pie (or two) and rich chocolate truffles- truly scrumptious! And if that wasn’t enough to give you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside then I am sure this will….for every candle sold NEOM will donate £1 to Make-A-Wish Foundation, granting magical wishes to children & young people fighting life-threatening illnesses.

To view many more of our Christmas inspirational gift collections, visit our Spa Boutique and our online shopping site, Kohler at Home, and don’t forget to make your Christmas Wish….

I do hope you can join us on Saturday 26^th & Sunday 27^th November for our wonderful Christmas Emporium. The perfect opportunity to pick up a few Christmas gifts!

Take care

Victoria