The stocky middle-aged gentleman in the elevator looked decidedly self-conscious in his fluffy spa robe and slippers. It didn't help that my husband, Ed, and I had just arrived at the American Club's Kohler Waters Spa in Wisconsin and were still in our street clothes.

"He feels pretty silly," his wife whispered to us confidentially.

Not more than a half-hour later we bumped into the same couple again, this time alongside the spa's relaxation pool. Now the man wore a wide grin and was actually strutting around in his robe.

"My wife has already decided this will be our Christmas present to each other every year," he said. From the look on his face, you could tell he liked the idea.

Growing numbers of travelers are heading to spas, which have the power to quickly relax your mind and body.

"People no longer see spas as pampering, but instead as a requisite to stay healthy," said Lynne Walker McNees, president of the International Spa Association.

Considering the source, some might take that statement with a grain of salt. I preferred to consider it while getting a salt scrub, followed by a massage. That's why I polled well-pampered friends and spa insiders about where I could find the best spas in the Midwest. Two names -- Kohler Waters Spa in Kohler, Wis., and Sundara Inn & Spa in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. -- came up time and again. I booked time at both.

Kohler Waters Spa

My first stop was Kohler, where Ed and I celebrated our 19th anniversary. The plan was to get polished and buffed.

Between treatments, we'd spend quality time together, which we rarely get to do with three kids at home.

Alas, treatments can compete for your attention even more than children.

After Ed's Executive Head Trip, which featured a soothing head and neck massage with warm essential oils, he waited for me. But I was busy being exfoliated with a citrus sugar scrub as part of the spa's H2O Inspiration treatment.

When I didn't show, the sauna and cold plunge pool in the men's locker room called to Ed. Before he knew it, it was time for his next treatment.

I waited for him, too, but I didn't care. It gave me time to appreciate one of Kohler's latest additions: a rooftop lounge where both sexes can unwind in a whirlpool before a 12-foot-long fireplace or outside on a small deck.

We eventually connected and relaxed over some pinot noir in the resort's Winery Bar, then retired to our room, called an Immersion Suite because of its two-person whirlpool bath.

At 7 p.m. two therapists knocked on our door, ready to give us our massages. Afterward, Ed flopped on the bed to watch TV while I lay on the couch, limp as a noodle, waiting for my bath-to-bed service.

A little later another quiet, efficient therapist drew my bath, adding aromatherapy oils and mineral-laden freeze-dried sea water. Then she dimmed the lights, scattered rose petals around the rim and gently set a bottle of wine in an ice bucket. As I soaked in the tub, totally relaxed, Ed was beginning to nod before the TV set. "Happy anniversary," I whispered.

Sundara Inn & Spa