Renae Bentley opened the Bent on Healthy Living Wellness Center in November of 2022 and has been steadily adding unique services to create a well-rounded fitness center and wellness space. 

The center provides group classes and wellness therapies for those who live or work in the Galveston County community and out-of-town visitors looking for a group class or spa treatment while on the island. 

 The center offers daily group classes and individual training and coaching and provides a space to work out, learn, and pursue wellness and fitness.

 “I wanted to make the wellness center a safe, accessible, and affordable space for the everyday person and offer services that were unique to our community,” Bentley said. 

 Aside from a full array of diverse group classes in yoga, Pilates, cycling, strength training, cardio, barre, core, and Zumba, Bent on Healthy Living offers distinctive services like infrared sauna, IV drip therapy, salt booth, and massage therapies, among others. Weight loss services have recently been added to the amenities that are now available. 

 Working folks will appreciate the schedule that offers classes before and after work as well as during the lunch break. Seniors and students will appreciate the economic costs - there is no membership fee, and your first class is $10. Follow-up classes are $15 each and class packs are offered at a discount from the single class price and are good for six months. 

 A native Texan, Bentley and her husband Howie became full-time residents of the island in 2013. Howie and Renae are the owners of Classic Auto Group, 8020 Broadway, which sells and services new and used cars for Honda, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, General Motors, Toyota, and Ford. 

 Classic Auto Group also sells parts for all of the aforementioned manufacturers. “We are BOIs of another kind - Business Owners on Island,” she said. 

 Bentley started taking group fitness classes when she was student teaching in college, as a stress reliever. A year later, she became a certified instructor and taught in Illinois and Florida and finally in Texas when she moved back here in 1992. 

 She has a bachelor’s degree in education and has been a certified fitness instructor for nearly 40 years. She said the fitness center was born out of her own health and wellness journey.

 When Bentley developed an auto-immune disease, she sought more natural methods of healing for her body. This was her reason behind pursuing functional medicine - science-based treatment that addresses the root causes of chronic illnesses with natural medicine. 

 She overcame a second auto-immune disease by working with a functional medicine practitioner and this led her to incorporate therapies that helped her along her wellness journey. “I figured if it helped me, it would help others as well,” Bentley said. 

 An array of personalized services is offered at Bent on Healthy Living Wellness Center that you may not find anywhere else on island, Bentley said. Specifically, an infrared sauna with chromotherapy, a salt booth featuring halotherapy, Vitaflex services, and a vibration trainer, among others. 

 The salt booth helps alleviate all respiratory concerns, says Bentley. Patrons sit in a four-by-four-foot booth as a halo generator grinds pharmaceutical-grade salt and blows it by fan, into the booth. Clients then breathe deeply in through their nose, filling their lungs, letting the dry salt attach to mucus and toxins, and gives it a vehicle to exit the body through coughing and blowing the nose. “This therapy is good for anyone who breathes,” she said.

 The infrared sauna uses a gentle heat from infrared bulbs, heating you from the inside out, Bentley said. The object of this technique is to release toxins through the skin. “Skin is your largest detoxification organ,” she said. 

 Bentely is also a certified Raindrop Technique Specialist. This technique uses essential oils, mostly herbs, to cleanse cell receptors, reduce inflammation, and relax the recipient. Customers enjoy aroma therapy while a technician works on organs through receptors on the feet and back. 

 Vitaflex is one of the techniques used with essential oils and helps drain lymph nodes, cleanse the colon, and treat upper respiratory issues by using oils on the feet. This technique is like reflexology but utilizes the skill of fingertip rolling. 

 Bent on Healthy Living Wellness Center also offers a service of vibration trainers that drain your lymphatic system, strengthen your muscles, and increase your bone density. Bentley says this technique was first used on the Russian cosmonauts in the 1960s to keep them healthy while living in zero gravity. She cautions that folks with retinal detachments, medical implants, or rods or pins are not eligible for this treatment. 

 Planning a special spa day? Bentley suggests starting your day with a salt booth to help your breathing and utilizing the infrared sauna to heat and soothe your body and muscles. Follow up with a yoga class and a massage and finish your day by rehydrating your body with an IV drip or energizing yourself with a B12 injection. 

 If you’re injured, you have access to a physical therapist and they also offer personal training and essential oil therapies, among many other services. 

 Book appointments for group classes with Bent on Healthy Living Wellness Center on their website or download their free phone app. 

For appointments with Lauren C. Orange, PT, DPT, OCS at Orange Rehab/Performance and Katie Morgan, BSN, RN at So Vein Therapies for IV and massage, click on the separate links that are provided online at www.bentonhealthyliving.com. 

 New Barbeque Joint Comes to Galveston
“The timing was perfect for us to realize our dream of opening a barbeque restaurant on the island,” empty nesters Cedric and Jennifer McLaughlin told Galveston Monthly Magazine. “Our kids are grown, we moved to the island, and the perfect space opened up.” 

 The soft opening for Horsemen’s Bar-B-Que, located at 920 Seawall Boulevard, is scheduled for early February and the McLaughlins could not be more excited to share their menu of “classic southwest barbeque with a Kansas City flair.” 

 The new restaurant is located in the old Jack in the Box building on Seawall. The 3,500-square-foot restaurant can serve up to 80 customers, including indoor and outdoor seating, with a front-row view of the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Horsemen’s will employ a full wait staff for both inside and outside seating. Counter service will be available for to-go orders and for delivery services, like DoorDash. 

 Cedric honed his barbeque skills while living in Kansas City, Missouri. After moving to the Dallas area, he combined Kansas City flavors and techniques with classic Texas barbeque to create his own unique style. 

 “Our barbeque will have a different twist,” Cedric said. “We look forward to serving up a different style of barbeque. We encourage everyone to come in and try us.” 

 The McLaughlins are long-time Texans, having relocated from Kansas City to Dallas, and then finally landing in the west end subdivision of Jamaica Beach in 2023. Why Galveston? 

 “We feel there is a lot of potential for success on the island. We felt there was room, and need, for our style of food. There really is nothing like it in the area. And we couldn’t have picked a better location,” Cedric said. 

 The food is not the only thing that will be different at this barbeque restaurant. “We are creating a different kind of scene, a different kind of vibe. Horsemen’s will have the feeling of a barbeque joint, like those in Kansas City, with live music. We will offer beer as well, as soon as TABC comes through. We are creating a family-friendly space for folks to eat great food, have a cold beer, and listen to great local musicians.” 

 Plates of brisket, pulled pork, ham, sausage, and pork ribs - Cedric’s specialty - will be on the menu.

 “Cedric has perfected his pork rib recipe. Folks can’t get enough of them. We always sold out of them,” Jennifer said of the ribs at their original Horsemen’s Barbeque in Lewisville, Texas. 

 Cedric follows the low-and-slow method of cooking ribs with hickory wood but uses his own Kansas City-style sauce and spice blend. Cedric makes all his spice blends and sauces in-house. The spice blend will be available for retail sale at Horsemen’s Bar-B-Que. 

 Brisket and pulled pork tacos and deep-fried chicken wings round out the menu. Additional items include Horsemen’s “killer” brisket fries - steak fries topped with chopped brisket, smothered in house-made pico de gallo, cheese, and Cedric’s signature barbeque sauce. 

The smoked stack burger is sure to fill your belly with a one-third pound (80/20) beef patty, pulled pork, coleslaw, and a drizzle of their special sauce. The McLaughlin’s special blend of southwest charro beans and grilled, buttery Texas toast is an homage to their new location. 

 Horsemen’s live music lineup of bands, playing classic 70s rock, will begin in March - every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. For a schedule, or for more information about the restaurant, please visit their website at www.horsemensbbq.com. 

 The McLaughlins also own Parkway Food Service Solutions, a restaurant equipment and supplies company. The office is located in Pirates Cove, and you can find them online at www.parkwayfood-service.com.