Back Door Spa and Retreat Centre is a private wellness space at 42 Nayland Street in Sumner, Christchurch, founded by Michelle and Eva. Their invitation to visitors is simple: if you are ready to take responsibility for your health and want support and inspiration on your journey, they are here for you. Sessions are one on one, unhurried and personal, and the team is upfront that their role is inspiration and support rather than medical treatment — each guest is, in their words, the ultimate authority and healer of their own health.
The treatment menu centres on detoxification and bodywork. Colon hydrotherapy runs on a closed system, with single 45-60 minute sessions and options to add coffee, apple cider vinegar or probiotic retention enemas. Coffee and probiotic enemas are a signature offering in their own right. Bodywork includes 90-minute abdominal restorative massage and restorative massage for pain, stress and vitality with Sonia, whole-body manual lymphatic drainage with Eva, colour therapy combined with bodywork with Michelle, and Contact CARE. Soosie provides restorative reflexology and Indian head massage, from a 30-minute energizing seated massage to a 90-minute Ultimate Head to Toe Experience. Assessment services include EAV Avatar testing (in person or remote, with remedy bottles), facial acupuncture and DNA-based genetic analysis.
Beyond single sessions, the spa hosts personalised Still Point Retreats for one to two people: three nights of broth fasting paired with colonics, bodywork, breathwork and morning yoga, based at the Still Point Retreat House overlooking the ocean, a 15-minute drive from the spa, with access to a sauna, pool, plunge pool and sunny courtyard.
Practicalities are straightforward: book ahead by phone or through the website, pay by EFTPOS or cash (no paywave or contactless — bring a physical card), and give advanced notice if you need to change an appointment. Gift certificates are available.
Back Door Spa and Retreat Centre operates from a private property at 42 Nayland Street in Sumner, Christchurch. Founded by Michelle and Eva, it is a wellness space built around detoxification and restorative bodywork, welcoming people who are ready to take responsibility for their health and want support and inspiration on the journey. It is an unusually personal setup — a home-based retreat centre where treatments are one on one and sessions are shaped around what each guest needs.
The property is run privately, and the team is upfront about their role. The site carries a notice stating that they do not claim to treat or cure any disease through their services or information; instead, they see each person as the ultimate authority and healer of their own health, with Back Door Spa there to bring inspiration and support. That framing shapes the whole experience: appointments are unhurried and personal.
Because the property is private, it pays to book ahead rather than call in — appointments and retreat places are arranged directly with the team by phone or through the contact page on their website.
Detox is at the heart of what they do. Colon hydrotherapy is offered on a closed system, with a single 45 to 60 minute session as the core treatment. Those wanting a deeper session can add a ten-minute retention enema through the colonic equipment — coffee, apple cider vinegar or probiotic — followed by more colonics. A 30-minute consultation is available for anyone who wants extra time to talk through their treatment, and it comes complimentary with a purchased colonic or colonic series. Coffee and probiotic retention enemas are a dedicated treatment in their own right, and one of the things the spa is best known for.
Bodywork is equally central. Sonia offers 90-minute Abdominal Restorative Massage and a restorative massage for pain, stress and vitality, with one-off sessions or multi-session packages. Eva provides whole-body manual lymphatic drainage, while Michelle combines bodywork with colour therapy, each 90-minute session including a remedy bottle. Contact CARE rounds out the bodywork options.
For head-to-toe care, Soosie offers restorative reflexology and Indian head massage — a 60-minute restorative version, a 30-minute energizing seated head massage, and the Ultimate Head to Toe Experience: 90 minutes of Indian head massage paired with either a 30-minute chakra energy balance or foot reflexology.
Assessment services include EAV Avatar testing and analysis with Eva, available in person for up to 90 minutes or remotely, both including a remedy bottle, with postage on remote sessions. Facial acupuncture and DNA-based genetic analysis are also on the menu.
The flagship experience is the Still Point Retreat — three nights and four days for one or two people, whether a couple, friends or family members. Fasting is a key part of the programme: guests fast on broths to keep electrolyte balance optimum through what the spa describes as the ultimate detoxification and rejuvenation experience.
Accommodation is at the Still Point Retreat House, which overlooks the ocean and is a 15-minute drive from the spa, where some treatments take place. Most treatments happen conveniently in the retreat house itself, and guests have access to sunshine, a beautiful courtyard, a pool, a sauna and a plunge pool.
A retreat includes broths and supplements; minerals and salts for balneotherapy baths; three nights' accommodation; three morning yoga or stretching sessions; two coffee colonics and one probiotic colonic; three bodywork treatments spanning colourwork with bodywork, lymphatic drainage and massage; and two breathwork sessions of around 90 minutes each.
Payments are straightforward but worth knowing in advance: EFTPOS and cash are accepted, and the payment equipment does not take paywave or contactless — bring a physical card or plan on a bank transfer. The team also asks for advanced notice if you need to change or miss an appointment, and gift certificates are available.
Feedback from visitors is warm. As Christchurch guest Chloe Whiting puts it: 'Fantastic people, brilliant treatments, thank you!' For anyone in Christchurch looking for colonics, massage or a structured fasting retreat close to the coast, Back Door Spa is one of Sumner's most distinctive wellness destinations.