The Manor Country Spa and Retreat occupies a grand 1910 homestead on Titoki Street in the leafy suburb of Lansdowne, just north of Masterton. What was once a 33-bedroom family residence is now a holistic wellness destination — part day spa, part retreat, part boutique stay — built around a simple belief its owners hold dear: that self-care is the foundation of a balanced, joyful life.
The house was bought in 2005 by Paul and Katie Winstanley, an English couple who had relocated to New Zealand in 2001, and its restoration was a true labour of love. Katie, then a practising nurse at Masterton Hospital, had long dreamed of a health and wellness spa; The Manor Health & Beauty Spa opened in 2006, rebranded as CHANGES in 2012, and in 2025 the business is returning to its health and wellness roots — welcoming alternative practitioners, hosting retreats, and moving to clean ingredients throughout the spa.
Today's guests can choose from seven luxurious treatment rooms with doors opening onto a tree-lined garden, offering massage rituals, nourishing facials, couples massage, pregnancy rituals, body treatments, foot care, nails, lashes, a luxury manual tan and the trademarked New Definition Brows™. A separate medi-spa wing adds two treatment rooms where the nurse from CHANGES Medispa provides anti-ageing care, from injectables to IPL hair removal, microneedling, nano infusion and dermaplaning. Outdoors, the wellness garden holds an alpine sauna, ice bath and hydrotherapy spa pool beneath the tree canopy, and after treatments there's the Rainforest Lounge — oversized couches and calm in which to gather your energy.
For a longer escape, the south wing offers six unique rooms for up to nine guests with a cocktail lounge, sunny conservatory and shared kitchen and laundry, while the Wellness Garden Retreat Suite adds an en-suite bathroom, living space, private patio and outdoor bath. Just five minutes from Masterton and close to golf courses, vineyards and beautiful walks, The Manor also hosts girls' getaways, team retreats and celebrations, supported by its Spa Passport membership and gift vouchers.
The Manor Country Spa and Retreat occupies one of Masterton's most storied buildings: a grand 1910 homestead on Titoki Street in the leafy suburb of Lansdowne, just north of town. What was once a thirty-three-bedroom family residence is now a holistic wellness destination — part day spa, part retreat, part boutique stay — built around a simple belief its owners hold dear: that self-care is the foundation of a balanced life.
The house was bought in 2005 by Paul and Katie Winstanley, an English couple who had relocated to New Zealand in 2001. Restoring the 33-bedroom home — which had no heating and no hot water upstairs when they took it on — was, by their own telling, a labour of love involving blood, sweat and many tears. Katie, then a practising nurse at Masterton Hospital, had long dreamed of a health and wellness spa. In 2006 that dream became The Manor Health & Beauty Spa, pairing alternative health therapies with beauty treatments. Demand later shifted toward relaxation and the business rebranded as CHANGES, a thriving day spa that at its peak employed ten therapists.
Now the tide has turned again. In 2025 The Manor is returning to its roots as a health and wellness spa — welcoming alternative practitioners, hosting transformative retreats, and switching to clean ingredients throughout the spa as it moves away from chemicals and excessive wastage.
The spa's seven luxurious treatment rooms open onto a tree-lined garden, so the immersion in nature begins the moment a door swings wide. The menu spans massage rituals, nourishing facials, couples massage, pregnancy rituals, body treatments, foot care, manicures and pedicures, lashes and the trademarked New Definition Brows™, plus a luxury manual tan routine. A separate medi-spa wing adds two treatment rooms where the nurse from CHANGES Medispa provides anti-ageing care, including injectables, IPL hair removal, microneedling, nano infusion and dermaplaning.
Outdoors, the wellness garden is the heart of the property: an alpine sauna, an ice bath and a hydrotherapy spa pool tucked into a private garden beneath the tree canopy, beside a white rose pergola. After treatments, guests are invited to the Rainforest Lounge — a newly redesigned haven of oversized couches and calming surrounds where you can gather your energy before rejoining the bustle.
The Manor is more than a day out. The south wing offers six unique rooms — the Diamond Room, Butterfly Room, Queen Bee Room, Bordello Suite, Stag Room and Pink Room — for up to nine guests, with a cocktail lounge, a sunny conservatory for breakfast and a shared kitchen and laundry. For something more private, the Wellness Garden Retreat Suite boasts an en-suite bathroom, living space, private patio, outdoor bath and access to wellness garden amenities outside hours.
Groups are a specialty: the venue hosts girls' getaway weekends, health retreats, team-building days and celebrations, with flexible packages that can add yoga, meditation and massage. The setting helps too — five minutes from Masterton and close to two golf courses, small eateries, vineyards and beautiful walks.
Regulars can join the Spa Passport, a membership that turns self-care into a habit: small weekly or fortnightly payments, no price increases for the year, VIP benefits and a birthday gift. You set your spend and The Manor designs a passport around it. Gift vouchers are available online for anyone treating a loved one — or themselves.
Bookings can be made online or by phone. Whether you come for a single massage ritual, an afternoon of sauna and ice bath, or a long weekend with nine friends, the idea is the same: a tranquil sanctuary where time slows down, stress dissolves and wellness, self-care and tranquility come together in harmony.