Months after Benjamin Brollier proposed to Courtney Corinne Wood in the garden of her family’s home, with a cushion-cut diamond ring his mother Louise helped select, his mom passed away. In planning their lavish New Year’s Eve wedding at River Oaks Country Club, C.C. and Benjy kept Louise top of mind and in their hearts, curating thoughtful details like heirloom jewelry and special wedding programs. But the high school sweethearts also wanted to celebrate life and love, and ring in a fresh New Year with 500 loved ones — a vision expertly executed by Keely Thorne planner Jennifer Kaldis, and the floral and decor team at Todd Events. C.C. and Benjy each had 18 attendants standing by their side at the altar, and out on the dance floor, which remained packed even after the stroke of midnight! After fueling up on late-night breakfast tacos, the newlyweds escaped in a convertible Rolls-Royce — with a backdrop of fireworks, of course.
As Escape Spa Expands in 2025, Owner Has Advice on Personal Growth: ‘Focus on Intention Setting’
CHANGE IS A good thing, and with the start of a new year, I always like to reflect on how far I've come and start fresh by setting self-care goals for the coming months. Personal growth is a passion for me, and also something I enjoy. Guiding a business through growth and change is also one of my passions, so I am very pleased to announce that Escape Spa is going to be expanding in 2025! We’re honored that we’ve built such a loyal following since opening in Cypress in July of 2022, and we’re thrilled to be in a position to grow our wellness and recovery sanctuary just outside of Houston.
Spring 2025 marks an exciting new chapter for Escape Spa! We'll be opening the doors to a significantly expanded space, designed to elevate your wellness journey. With an additional 1,200 square feet, the spa will feature a dedicated yoga and meditation room, providing a tranquil haven for mindful and therapeutic practices. Our guests can also look forward to an array of recovery options, including innovative therapies and treatments to rejuvenate your mind, body and well-being including Yoga + Mediation, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and a Cryotherapy Sauna. The expansion also includes more treatment rooms, ensuring a personalized experience for every guest. This larger, more versatile space allows us to enhance our services and create an even more immersive and transformative “Escape” for you.
My vision has always been to create a sanctuary where you can disconnect from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with your inner self. This expansion brings that vision to life in a whole new way, providing a haven of reset, and restoration with a wider array of therapies for body and mind. We're committed to providing a space where you can prioritize your wellbeing and embark on a journey of self-discovery.
And speaking of journeys, I'm embracing my own path of seeking a deeper connection with oneness and truly focus on intention setting. Every morning, I take a few moments to pray and set clear intentions for the day ahead. It's a powerful practice that helps me stay focused, grounded and aligned with my goals. Intention setting is more than just wishful thinking; it's about consciously directing your energy and attention towards what truly matters. By setting clear intentions, you create a roadmap for your day, your week, or even your year. It's a way to invite positive change and attract all that you desire. Give it a try — start by setting small, achievable intentions and observe the positive impact it has on your life. Remember, your journey is unique and personal. Embrace it, nurture it, and allow Escape Spa to support you along the way.
Vichy shower at Escape Spa
Couples treatment room at Escape Spa
Relaxation lounge at Escape Spa
Chairs Brady and Zane Carruth, Brittany and Adam Clark
IT ALREADY FEELS like spring in Houston and the spring social season is here with it! 375 guests donned in white-tie flocked to The Post Oak Hotel for the annual Houston Symphony Ball, one of the city’s most anticipated and A-list galas.
The theme was Monet’s garden and the grand foyer was transformed into a picturesque lush scene with floral archways and a lifesize lilypond painting with an archway. Dazzling guests took photos and mingled during the cocktail hour that featured passed sipping tequila from Casa Dragones — because why not?
The ballroom was as posh and verdant as the foyer with large wooden gazebos flanking the rows of tables topped with extravagant boutiques of pink roses and various hues of hydrangeas and greenery.
The Post Oak Hotel’s Executive Chef Jean-Luc Royere created a three-course French-inspired meal for the occasion including a French country salad, filet mignon served alongside potato gratin and Grand Marnier pain perdu for dessert. Following dinner, revelers danced the night away to Q the Band.
This ball was chaired by Zane & Brady Carruth and Brittany & Adam Clark and honored Cora Sue Mach with Houston Symphony’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Franco Valobra as Houston Symphony’s Community Honoree.
Betty and Jesse Tutor
Barbara Burger and Gary Ginstling
Margaret Alkek Williams
Hallie Vanderhider and Bobby Dees
Bob and Joan Duff
Chris and Kristy Bradshaw
Daniel Irion, Karen Payne and Kirk Kveton
Eric and Lisa Lindsey
Alice Mao and Matt Brams
Edward and Rini Ziegler
Elia and Michael Gabbanelli
Jim and Dancie Ware
Jonathan and Ann Ayre
Lisa and Eric Lindsey
Tammie and Charles Johnson
ON JAN. 3, 2025, I observed a big personal anniversary. As of that day, it’d been 20 years since I first moved to Houston — from the Big Apple media circus, by way of my home state of Louisiana — and began working as an editor in the lifestyle-magazine biz here. It’s been two full decades, which is hard to believe! I like to joke that I’m far too young and good-looking to have done anything for two decades. But here we are.
The Houston area, increasingly diverse and cosmopolitan, has changed so much in that time. For starters, its population has grown from 5.2 million to nearly 6.9 million. It blows my mind that I landed smack in the middle of what I’ve long called “the most fascinating city in America,” just as it evolved from a sprawling, un-zoned and largely misunderstood hodgepodge of urban and suburban influences into a widely revered cultural and commercial mecca, soon to overtake Chicago as America’s third largest city.
Space City, with its renowned arts and culinary and pro-sports scenes, has become a world city, finally fully reflecting its long-held status as the capital of the global energy business, and home of the world’s biggest and finest medical center. I’ve had a front-row seat to all of it.
Now, reflecting on all those great years, it’s time to flip the script a bit. My business partners and I have decided to suspend the publication of Houston CityBook magazine after nearly nine wonderful years in print. As we assess what’s next for the CityBook brand, our digital platforms continue to operate.
I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built. For so long, many magazines came and went in Houston. Most of them operated for a year or so and faded away. CityBook, on the other hand, survived in print for the better part of a decade. To my knowledge, we’re the only independently published, large-circulation title to have accomplished anything like that since the 1980s or ’90s.
We’ve been a must-read in many quarters, with engaging, beautiful content — including the only full-on fashion spreads regularly produced in Houston with top-notch photographers and Houston-based models, many of whom have gone on to big careers in New York and beyond after gracing our pages. And we’ve presented unique long-form content, such as our “Day in the Life of the Arts” photo-documentary projects, exhaustively reported annual best-restaurants features, the reliably racy and instantly infamous annual “Sexy Issue,” the prestigious “Leaders & Legends” portrait collections, and, more recently, the “Cool 100” features counting down the hippest Houstonians with vivid portraits and surprising characters.
They were labors of love, loved reciprocally by 120,000 readers, and celebrated with bring-the-content-to-life parties and smart marketing events that became some of the hottest tickets going.
It hasn’t always been easy. As a startup, we had to overcome an energy-biz downturn and then Hurricane Harvey. Just about the time we found our feet, Covid hit. And all along, we’ve faced valiant competition from other fine magazines, including one I happened to have helped launch years ago.
No whining though! It’s all been a thrill. And an honor. And I’ll forever be grateful that, of all places, this amazing city is where my childhood dream to launch my own magazine one day — yeah, I know it’s weird — came true. Bigger and better than ever, Houston still holds that same kind of promise for all of us who call it home.
To what shall we aspire next? I can’t wait to see.
Jeff Gremillion is the editor-in-chief of Houston CityBook magazine and HoustonCityBook.com, and the CEO of CityBook Media, LLC. He can be reached at jeff@houstoncitybook.com.