Bathroom fixture manufacturer Kohler Co. may be more than 100 years old, but the company is investing in new ways to reach its digital-age customers.

The Kohler, Wis.-based brand opened the Kohler Experience Center on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood last week, the second in the country for its new hands-on showroom concept, and the seventh internationally.

Kohler counts on other retailers for much of its $6.5 billion or so in annual revenue, but also has 21standard retail stores of its own across U.S., including one in Culver City.

The Experience Centers take Kohler’s retail strategy a few notches upscale.

The 10,000-square-foot West Hollywood location is twice the size of the regular stores, and allows customers to try out the high-end toilets, showers, baths and faucets. It also stocks fixtures customized for other countries for professionals working on international projects.

The concept comes as retailers look to adapt to the changes brought on by the internet and to find the right balance between brick-and-mortar and ecommerce.

“We think brick and mortar has a real purpose if there’s a reason to go there,” said Chief Executive David Kohler, whose family owns the company. “If retailers are not offering better, differentiated experiences than online, then there really is no point (to have brick-and-mortar).”

Kohler’s new experience centers – the other U.S. entry is in New York – are a continuation of a strategy it began in China, where the company has 800 stores, according to Kohler.

Kohler expects consumers, designers and architects to visit the store, designed by Sawtelle architecture firm Marmol Radziner to reflect a Southern California aesthetic. The site also offers a private room with video conferencing for use by customers.

“We want the experience center to be a home-base for architects and designers,” said Kohler, who added that the majority of the company’s products sold domestically are for private homes.

Many fixtures on display in the experience center come with touch screen panels, while a toilet with a motion detector that flips up the lid when someone walks by sits in a private room that customers can reserve ahead of time.

The company’s biggest seller is its high-end Veil toilet, which starts at around $3,000 and comes with a heated seat, bidet and nightlight.

Such high-technology toilets have been popular in Asia for some time, but Kohler is importing the trend to the U.S.

Kohler has three experience centers scheduled to open next year in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Dubai and plans to open more in the U.S. in the future.