The Brand Story
Kohler: A Wisconsin Foundry That Turned a Horse Trough Into the Modern Bath
In December 1873, an Austrian immigrant named John Michael Kohler and a partner, Charles Silberzahn, paid $5,000 for a small iron and steel foundry in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The seller was Kohler's father-in-law, Jacob Vollrath. Ten years later Kohler took a cast-iron horse trough, coated it in enamel, and offered it as a bathtub. More than 150 years on, the company that grew from that foundry is still owned by the Kohler family, and it is now building the steam rooms, saunas and cold plunges of the at-home wellness era.
Chapter 1 · 1873
A foundry by the lake
The business Kohler bought was the Sheboygan Union Iron and Steel Foundry, a modest operation in a manufacturing town on the shore of Lake Michigan. Kohler, who had come to America from Austria, understood the metal and understood the market, and he treated the foundry as a base from which to find a better product rather than a finished business.
Chapter 2 · 1883
The trough that became a tub
In 1883 Kohler applied enamel to a cast-iron horse trough. The idea was simple: iron gave the vessel strength, and the enamel gave it a smooth, washable surface. That enameled trough is remembered as Kohler's first bathtub, and it pointed the company toward the work it would become known for: enameled cast iron, and later a full range of plumbing fixtures for kitchens and baths.
Chapter 3 · A family company
Four generations in one village
Kohler grew without ever leaving family hands. Its headquarters sits at 444 Highland Drive in the village of Kohler, Wisconsin, named for the family and the company. Herbert V. Kohler Jr., the founder's grandson, handed the presidency to his son, David Kohler, on June 1, 2015. By 2019 the company employed about 40,000 people around the world.
Along the way Kohler built businesses far from the bathroom. Its hospitality arm, Destination Kohler, runs hotels and golf courses including The American Club. Its energy group grew with the 2017 purchase of the UK firm Clarke Energy, and in November 2023 Kohler announced that the energy group would become an independent company in a partnership with Platinum Equity. It now operates under the name Rehlko.
Chapter 4 · Steam in the shower
Bringing the spa into the bathroom
Steam was a natural extension of a company that had spent a century perfecting the bath. A Kohler steam shower uses a compact generator, usually installed in a nearby closet, vanity or attic, to boil water and send steam through a steamhead into a sealed shower enclosure. Kohler built that idea into its Invigoration Series Steam, pairing generators with steamheads, controls and thermostatic valves so the steam room becomes part of a complete shower system. More recently the company introduced the Anthem+ digital shower platform, which includes an ice mode for contrast therapy, alternating heat and cold the way a traditional bathhouse would.
Chapter 5 · 2024 to 2025
Ice baths and saunas
In October 2024 Kohler announced a partnership with Dr. Jonathan Leary, founder and CEO of Remedy Place, a club billed as the first social wellness club. The first product was the KOHLER x Remedy Place Ice Bath, a cold plunge with precise temperature control, ergonomic positioning, UV-powered filtration, a light to guide breathwork and optional plumbing for filling and draining, built for indoor or outdoor use.
In July 2025 Kohler announced its own line of home saunas in indoor and outdoor models, in small, medium and large sizes, with a freestanding heater, dual thermostats and a touchscreen for time, temperature and lighting. The outdoor models add a triple-insulated waterproof ceiling and dual-pane glass.
Kohler Wellness general manager Katie Stevens said the aim was to "invigorate the senses and promote deep relaxation, recovery, and rejuvenation."
The Lineup
What Kohler builds today
Kohler makes plumbing fixtures, faucets, showers, toilets, bathtubs, cabinetry and tile, and it has expanded into a dedicated wellness category of steam, sauna and cold therapy. HVAC365 focuses on the heat and wellness side of that range:
- Steam shower generators: Kohler generators in sizes including 22 kW, 26 kW and 30 kW, sized to the volume and construction of the steam enclosure.
- Steam controls, valves and trim: the Anthem+ system controller module, the three-port Anthem digital thermostatic valve and Invigoration steam control kits.
- Steamheads and other steam shower accessories, including generator drain pans and tandem kits with two round steamheads.
- Indoor saunas: the C1 series, such as a two-person small indoor sauna with floor in Scandinavian spruce.
- Outdoor saunas: the C2 series in three-, five- and six-person sizes, finished in weathered grey spruce.
- Cold therapy: the KOHLER x Remedy Place 85-gallon ice bath for indoor or outdoor use.
Steam generators and saunas draw significant electrical load and, in the case of steam, need a water supply and drain, so they are installed by licensed electricians and plumbers following Kohler's sizing tables and installation guides.
At a Glance
Kohler by the numbers
- Founded
- December 1873
- Founder
- John Michael Kohler
- First bathtub
- 1883, an enameled cast-iron trough
- Headquarters
- Kohler, Wisconsin
- Ownership
- Private, Kohler family
- Leadership
- David Kohler, since 2015
- Employees
- About 40,000 (2019)
- Wellness line
- Steam, saunas, ice baths
Questions
Frequently asked questions about Kohler
Who owns Kohler?
Kohler Co. is a privately held company owned by the Kohler family. David Kohler, great-grandson of the founder, became president in 2015, succeeding his father, Herbert V. Kohler Jr.
When and where was Kohler founded?
Kohler was founded in December 1873, when John Michael Kohler and Charles Silberzahn bought a small iron and steel foundry in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The company is headquartered today in the village of Kohler, Wisconsin.
What was Kohler's first bathtub?
In 1883 John Michael Kohler applied enamel to a cast-iron horse trough, creating the company's first bathtub. It set the company on its path toward enameled cast iron and plumbing fixtures.
Does Kohler make saunas?
Yes. Kohler announced a line of indoor and outdoor home saunas in July 2025, in small, medium and large sizes, with a freestanding heater and touchscreen controls.
What is the KOHLER x Remedy Place Ice Bath?
It is a cold plunge developed with Dr. Jonathan Leary of Remedy Place and announced in October 2024. It features precise temperature control, UV-powered filtration and a breathwork guide light, and works indoors or outdoors.
How does a Kohler steam shower work?
A Kohler steam generator installed near the shower heats water into steam and sends it through a steamhead into a sealed enclosure, with a digital controller or thermostatic valve setting the temperature and time.
