Welcome to the
*Anti-Spa*
massage studio

Our sessions are powerful and effective. Our therapists are intuitive and seasoned healers.

Applied Pressure practitioners are sculptors: highly skilled artists intuitively applying pressure & pulling fascia creating space for blood to flow and restoring balance to your body.

Dena kneeling in the studio with a client performing deep tissue massage.

This Is Not Your Average Massage.

We Really Fix People.

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Deep Tissue Massage

Deep Tissue Massage

Deep tissue massage is a type of massage therapy that focuses on realigning deeper layers of muscles and connective tissue. It is more effective vs simply relaxing.

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Myofascial Release

Myofascial Release

Myofascial Release is the stretching, the spreading, the manipulating of connective tissue to free up the body and treat dysfunction that causes pain and restriction of motion. Ahh doesn't that sound wonderful?

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Sports Massage

Sports Massage

Sports Massage is a specific form of massage that is typically used before, during, and after athletic events. Sports massage is much lighter than deep tissue and is also stimulating rather than relaxing.

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Ashiatsu

Ashiatsu

Ashiatsu uses the broadness of the feet to apply pressure rather than the pointiness of the hands or elbows. Your therapist will be standing on the table holding overhead bars for balance or sitting on a chair while using their feet to press your stress away.

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Cupping

Cupping

At Applied Pressure we don't simply do cupping, we do sliding cupping.   Think of it as myofascial release on steroids. This intense & effective form of bodywork breaks up congestion in the body like no other; cups attached to the body but gliding on oil pull the skin + underlying connective tissue.

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WE GO DEEPER

I created Applied Pressure (treatment) because I wanted to give others the deep tissue experience I always dreamed of receiving.

founder of Applied Pressure
Dena using her foot and both hands on a client who is laying on the massage table. The massage treatment is called myofascial release
Ashiatsu massage using feet across a client's chestDena massaging a client's shoulder who is laying face down on a massage tableA deep tissue massage is being given to a client who is laying on a massage table. Both feet are being used as massage tools.An up close photo of a client's neck and shoulders being pressed down onto the foot of the masseuse Dena performing cupping massage on a client who is face down on a massage tableDena using her balanced weight to move a client's leg into position on the massage table.

Customer

                      Reviews

I am WILDLY particular when it comes to bodywork

I understand the body from the inside out and can tell within 10 seconds of someone working on me if they are the real deal.Dena 1000% is. She has a felt sense about the functionality of the body, which makes her work incredibly effective and precise.The work she does on my neck / head / shoulders is what I’ve always wanted someone to do during a massage. It always feels like she has 3-4 hands which is just so crazy and magical to experience!To top it off, she’s an awesome human being. Do your body and yourself a favor🙏🏻✔️

- Samantha C.

There’s is good massage and then there’s Dena.

- Megan K.

Consistently excellent massage...for starters.

When was the last time you had a meal that made you say "that was ALOT better than I expected"? Or, a music concert that left you in awe of how you felt afterwards? Fill in any number of your own personal peak experiences and then imagine yourself getting a massage that breaks open your idea of how good you can have it - that's what awaits for your first session with Dena (I've had approx. 10 of these in the last year - all top quality). 

Dena's winning combination includes highly skilled / intuitive hands AND feet (not "Thai"), and is as unique as it is wonderful. She is both sweet & deep, but never painful. I have had 4 hip operations in the last 2 years, and have worked hard to bring myself back into an active lifestyle, which involves lots of excercise. After I see Dena I feel better for days afterwards, and move with the giddyness of a youngster. 

If you want the best, get on her schedule. Just know its a busy one, so plan ahead...I promise the wait & $ will be well worth it.

- Gus D.

Applied Pressure is not a spa

You will not be given a 600-count Egyptian cotton bathrobe and a pair of organic hemp flip-flops to slip on your blistered feet or a glass of champagne served in Riedel stemware while you wait in an opulently decorated lounge for your massage to begin. A “massage therapist” will not infuse your skin with essential oils, or cover your face with Dead Sea mud. No hot rocks sourced from Mt. Etna will be applied to your back.

Applied Pressure is a real – sparsely, but tastefully decorated – massage studio, run by a BAD ASS massage therapist named Dena, with a bit of attitude, an infectious personality, and Minnesotan work ethic. Dena will use her hands, elbows, and feet (while suspended from custom-made oak monkey bars secured to the ceiling) to mend your broken body, so you can abuse yourself once again in your chosen field of sport.

My first massage therapist relationship lasted nine years, my second massage therapist relationship lasted 23 years. Some people die, others retire. It’s unlikely that I will be looking for a new massage therapist anytime soon.

Be punctual, because Dena always is, and if you lose your place on her regular’s list, you may be waiting a while for another spot to open up.

- Mr. G, ATX

I’ve never been more impressed and satisfied with a massage

Dena is exceptionally skilled and very passionate about her work. She is able to relieve tension without inflicting pain or discomfort. I’m very confident there is no one better in the Twin Cities.

- Corey S.

The most effective and deep massage you will ever experience

Truly one of a kind. Dena is the only person you will ever book again. She has essentially ruined all other massages for me. She is AMAZING and worth every penny.

- Olivia B.

Amazing! The BEST 90 minute massage I've had.

Dena is so knowledgeable and so welcoming. She did a wonderful job explaining the benefit of new techniques and reminding me to breathe/relax when she found tension in my body. After the first 15 minutes my back, shoulders, and neck felt better than it has in years. She's so in tune with what the body is going through - she's quick to find the real source of pain. I can't recommend her enough. It was an amazing experience. I'll be a lifetime client - best kept secret in the twin cities!

- Lacey S.

Dena is a tried and true bodyworker.

She's knowledgable, strong and thoughtful during her sessions. It was my first visit to Applied Pressure and I was so happy with my session. I recently moved back to the states from Asia and have tried lots of fun and different massages (Thai, Lao, Chinese TCM) and Dena's are incredible - they're up with the best of em! The massages are methodical and magical! If you're looking for the real deal bodyworker - not just a massage she's the one!

- Kristina C.

5 out of 5

*Based on 77 reviews