Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabree Cotton.
Hi Sabree, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
March 12, 2020 was the worst day of my life. Living in Milwaukee, WI at the time, where I was born and raised, I was awakened to several missed calls. I woke up that morning not knowing that my life had completely changed while I was asleep. The calls turned into urgent text messages from an unknown number. One of the texts read, “This is your mom’s friend. There’s been an emergency, please give me a call.” I nervously called the number back and it was my mother’s co-worker who was out of town with my mother at work training. She told me that my little brother was in the hospital and that I needed to get there fast. I hurried and got myself and my children dressed and my husband and I dropped them off to my grandmother and we hurried to the hospital. When we arrived, I found my dad and my youngest brother in tears. My brother, Justin, had taken his own life that day. They were able to revive him, but he was only being kept alive by a machine. We decided as a family that we would have the machines stopped and let him Rest In Peace. This was the hardest decision I ever had to make in my life. Later that night, my mother was able to fly back home and we began funeral arrangements for him. Two days into planning, we were told due to Covid-19, we would not be able to have a funeral for him. He was cremated and we, unfortunately, never publicly had a celebration of his life.
For the past several months, my brother had been suffering with a new diagnosis of bipolar depression. The onset of bipolar depression typically occurs in the late teenage years and early 20s. My brother was 24 years old when he lost his battle with his illness. Before his diagnosis, he was so full of life, he lit up every room he entered. He played every sport, loved working with children, and would do anything to help anyone. It was heartbreaking to see him decline and to know that the world is missing out on all he had to give.
After losing him, I knew that I wanted to be an advocate for those in similar situations and for families who are experiencing the grief that comes along with caring for those struggling with things outside of their control. I didn’t know how or when I would help people, I just knew I would.
September 2020, I lost my only living grandfather to his heart condition. My grandfather smoked for decades. He wasn’t much of a healthy eater and didn’t exercise until he started to get sick. Per doctor’s orders, he started to eat slightly better and ride his stationary bike when he could, but a lot of the damage had already been done. For the last few years of his life, he spent on oxygen. It sucked, but I am thankful I got to spend the last few years with him even though it was only at his house.
January 10, 2021, I was taking a bath late at night and I got a from my little brother. My heart sank before I even answered the phone. I knew when I answered, it would not be good news. I answered and he informed me that my dad was not breathing and that the fire department was there at the house. I had to make that familiar trip to drop my daughters off to my grandmother’s and this time head over to my parent’s house. We could see all the flashing lights before we even turned onto their block. I got out of the car and my uncle walked up to me and told me that he was gone. My dad had a heart attack and nothing could be done to save him. This time, we were thankfully able to have a beautiful homegoing service for my dad and we also did a tribute to my brother and buried him alongside dad.
After being hit with back to back tragedy, my mother and I had to lean on each other even more now. We started by changing our lifestyles for the better. This included eating better, exercising, meditation, yoga and other self-care activities such as spa days.
Before losing my dad, I had announced to my family that my husband and I would be relocating to Houston, TX. After losing him, it was a very tough decision to still decide to move. I felt like, I too, was “leaving” my mother. However, I knew that her or my late father would not want me to delay my dream even under the circumstances. Before moving, I decided to give my mother one last gift. It was a weekend getaway to a nearby 5-star spa resort. We got her an all-inclusive retreat package that included, meals, entertainment, and relaxing spa services. She told me how much fun she had, but told me a story about one night how she requested room service. When she opened the door to collect her items, it was a young African American male and that “he looked like he saw a ghost” when she opened the door. I asked her what she meant and she told me that she was the only African American guest that she had seen during her entire stay and that the look on his face let her know that he was not used to seeing anyone who looked like him there either. This is when I had my “ah-ha moment”. That day, I decided that I would open up a spa.
The very next month, we moved to Houston and Eminence Spa and Retreat was born. I immediately applied for an LLC and began working on my plan. I found a mentor, Daniela, owner of Energe Spa in Cypress. She took the time to sit down and talk to me and she told me, “The #1 thing you need to do is GO TO SCHOOL”. My heart sank when she told me that. At the time, I just wanted to be the boss, I didn’t want to actually touch people. LOL, She told me that it didn’t matter, I still needed to go to school so that I could learn about skin, sanitation, and customer service. I hesitantly listened and enrolled in school in January 2022. Every month while I was in Esthetics school, I took courses outside of school and received certifications for additional skills to help me advance my knowledge even further. I found the perfect location to open my first spa in May 2022. I graduated in July and opened Eminence Spa and Retreat in August of this year. I am so excited to share my story, my gifts, and my knowledge of self care and wellness with the city of Houston.
This is only the beginning. I will be opening an even bigger location next year where I can do more to give back including yoga and meditation classes. It is also my desire to offer classes on managing stress, grief, and on proper self care to adults as well as children.
Giving my community the knowledge and resources is how I will keep my brother’s legacy alive.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Eminence Spa and Retreat is a Luxury Holistic Day Spa. Services we offer include customized facials, full body waxing, non-laser permanent hair removal, skin tag and mole treatments, cryotherapy, and womb therapy(vaginal steaming). What sets us apart is our level of client care. Our goal is to heal the mind, body, and soul. We get our satisfaction from knowing that every client that walks through the door is leaving out better than they came in. Another thing that sets us apart is our Manday Mondays. Every Monday, the spa is only open to men. This is our way of honoring men and letting them know that you too, deserve self-care, and that spas are not just for women. On Mondays, men receive services specifically for them at a discounted rate, including facials with upper body massages, back treatments, and cryotherapy.
All guests of the spa receive complimentary beverages and refreshments.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am always looking for like-minded business owners and businesses to collaborate with. I am interested in having a referral system with other service-based providers that offer different services that my clients may be interested in and vice versa. Additionally, I love to host parties of all types, birthday parties, wedding showers, employee appreciation spa days, etc. There are multiple ways to support my business: word of mouth is the biggest way to help my business grow, also by sharing social media posts, purchasing gift cards as gifts for special occasions, and of course, booking appointments are the best ways to support the spa.
Pricing:
- Facials cost $79-$189
- Cryotherapy costs $50-$300 per treatment
- Waxing $10-$99
- Womb Therapy (“V-steam”) $59
- Skin Tag and Mole Removal $150 per treatment
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eminencespabooking.com/
- Instagram: Instagram.com/eminencespa_htx
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/100083375527273/
- Other: TikTok.com/@eminencespahtx
