Peace and tranquillity make Whitedown perfect for new wellness centre

The peaceful, rural location of our farmstead conversion at Whitedown has proved to be the perfect place to establish a new spa and wellness centre for Holly Findlay and her business, Wylder Wellbeing.

Holly took over two adjoining units at Whitedown, near Wootton St Lawrence in June 2025 and, after a major fit-out with the support of The Manydown Rural Estate, opened to clients in October.

She says the setting in the beautiful Hampshire countryside is the ideal match for her business, providing a stress-free environment for her many clients who come for the wide range of treatments on offer. 

“It is exactly right for our brand,” she said. “Being Wylder Wellbeing; being in tune with Mother Nature; being in the countryside was exactly what we needed. When clients come here it feels like an escape. We work with people who are often under stress and this location is the perfect antidote to that.”

Just four weeks after opening, Wylder Wellbeing at Whitedown Farm was shortlisted in the Good Spa Guide Awards for 2025 in the best new spa in Hampshire category. “Although we didn’t win it was a great event and so good to be shortlisted,” Holly said.

Holly, who also has a spa in a rural location at Mattingley, near Hook, fell in love with the idea of establishing her businesses in the countryside after a spell working on a farm during the Covid outbreak. 

She had already launched her own spa business, operating from her home, when the pandemic struck and restrictions meant she was forced to stop treatments. 

She went to work on a farm to keep occupied and made the decision to relaunch the wellness centre in a rural location once the pandemic was over. “I fell in love with farming and knew a rural location was right,” she said.

After four years at Mattingley, Holly said she needed to expand and started searching for the right space in the Basingstoke area, where she lives. 

Whitedown has proved to be well-placed for her growing client list, and she has already named it as her Flagship Spa with Mattingley the Petite Spa. She employs eight people across the two locations.

Wylder Wellbeing is now part of a strong community of commercial tenants on The Manydown Rural Estate.

The spa uses disposable, biodegradable towels which are composted on the farm, with the compost used by another commercial tenant, Sedum Growers.

Holly was already close friends with Laura Fisher, who runs the Parlour Tearoom & Teabarn at Scrapps Hill, while Anna White, who runs Buds Floristry at Manor Farm, Wootton St Lawrence, is a long-standing client of Wylder Wellbeing.

The three businesswomen have already run a joint social media giveaway offering a package of prizes from their three businesses, including an afternoon tea, a spa treatment and a beautiful bouquet of flowers!

Estate Manager, Hannah Dawson said it was great to have such a range of businesses occupying commercial premises on the Estate. “Wylder Wellbeing is such a wonderful addition to our portfolio of commercial tenants,” she said. “We’re so pleased to have been able to accommodate Holly’s business needs and it’s so rewarding to see her business thriving here.”

There is one unit remaining at Whitedown Farm. Click here to view the brochure.