I was recently on a hunt for some of the best day spas in Minneapolis/St. Paul and my journey took me to the steps of Sabai Body Temple located in Uptown, Minneapolis.

It’s a place that in 2022 was recognized by Expertise.com as having the best massage therapists in Minneapolis. And it’s no accident that they do. In an industry where turnover is very high, Sabai Body Temple is very intentional about treating its healers with care and providing a healthy workplace. They recognize that when they take care of their therapists, their therapists will take care of their clients.

Maple, who recently took over the reins of the spa in January 2023 when the founders decided they wanted to move on after 17 years, said they provide unlimited time off, paid parental leave, a living wage, paid training, and regular opportunities to receive body work. They also limit how many days per week therapists work so that they don’t burn out.

Maple is the daughter of a massage therapist and went on to earn her own degree in massage therapy and work in the industry before landing at Sabai in 2019. She’s committed to continuing the slow-flow style that the studio is known for. She understands the importance, especially after the pandemic, of providing compassionate touch to their clients.

The founders, Jessika and Joshua, met in China, and when they found themselves in Minneapolis decided to create a sanctuary where people could experience Eastern-inspired bodywork with an exceptionally high service standard. It’s a tradition the current staff is committed to carrying on.

Here’s what you’ll love about Sabai Body Temple: 

• The intimate space is like stepping into another world, one where you can escape the hustle of the city—a warm, cozy oasis in a city known for its sub-zero weather.

• Each massage therapist has a unique background and they are encouraged to incorporate it into their services, bringing their expertise into each treatment.

• Therapists are given the space to respond to each client’s needs within a treatment, customizing it to provide individualized and holistic healing.

• They are committed to sustainable practices, limiting the use of disposable items, purchasing local, supporting neighboring businesses, and incorporating organic products in their services.

• They are committed to making their services accessible and provide such opportunities as discounts for service industry members on Mondays and Tuesdays, birthday specials, holiday specials (for Father’s Day, dads could get a discount by bringing in pictures of them with their kids), and other ongoing and intermittent specials.

• Their couples’ treatments go beyond just massage—they have nine different packages with names like “Opposites Attract,” “You Make Me High,” “Head Over Heels,” “I Love Us,” and “The Moon and Back.” They include a wide range of body treatments, aromatherapy massages, foot massages, and even pre-natal massages for the expecting couple.

• Studio massages, their most popular service, can be enhanced with exfoliation, foot massage, face massage, or head and neck massage.

Sabai Body Temple is at the top of a flight of stairs and everyone removes their shoes at the door, stepping barefoot into the peaceful environment filled with plants and painted in rich, deep colors.

I was their first client of the day on Father’s Day and Maple brought me a cool glass of Tazo Sweet Cinnamon tea. The chilled drink was a lovely, flavorful way to start the morning and helped make the transition between the outside world and the sanctuary of Sabai.

Prior to arriving at the spa, I had filled out their intake form online. Before the treatment started, Maple, who was providing my treatment, asked how I was feeling and went over the intake form in depth, seeking out my individual needs, determining what elements of my health history might need to be addressed during the treatment and creating a connection between us. She asked about my intentions for the service and how I hoped to feel afterward.

I was signed up for the Thai Herbal Poultice Treatment which is offered in intervals of 90, 120 and 150 minutes. The 90-minute treatment focuses on head to hip. The treatment is a deep heat, medicinal muscle treatment that combines organic lemongrass and ginger herbs into a fabric ball which is then steamed and applied to the body.

Maple explained the details of the service and what I could expect then left me to undress and lie face down on the table. At my request, she had turned the heat off on the massage table (I run very warm).

When she returned, she began the service by running her hands lightly over my body, a gentle touch from head to toe that invited my body into the massage that followed. She enveloped my feet in hot towels, washing them in a manner designed to touch the soul as well as the body.

She invited me to take deep breaths, inhaling the aroma of lemongrass and ginger, something she would repeat throughout the service. Then she went to work.

Switching between her hands and the poultice, Maple focused on my neck and back. Partway through the service she said that I had some tissue that was “stuck” and not responding to either the poultice or her hands. She asked if she could add cupping to my treatment, to which I assented. The cups they use are hard plastic ones with a vacuum trigger. She applied them to my lower back, first moving it across my back and explaining to me how I can tell where there was blockage. After using the cups, she gently massaged the area, making sure my tissues had been released.

At various points, Maple incorporated elements of Shiatsu massage, pressing on those points in my body where she found tension, opening up the circulation in my body.

When it came time for me to turn over, she offered me a tissue and asked if I would like a drink of water. She later told me they always keep water in the room and offer it when guests turn over so that they don’t have to wait until the end of their service to rehydrate.

The second half of the service focused on my neck and shoulders with a hot towel placed under my neck and used to help move and manipulate that area of the body. When it came time for the massage to end, Maple made sweeping movements from my head to toe, making a circle around my stomach in a way that felt as though it was doing a final gift wrap of the energy awakened during the treatment.

I left feeling relaxed, at peace, and restored from several days of travel.

Sabai Body Temple is a place to go when seeking work that heals, touch that connects, and a service that awakens the soul.

Cost: Thai Herbal Poultice Treatment ($175/90 minutes)

Insider Tip: Be willing to open up to your therapist about your needs. It gives them an opportunity to customize the service around you. Communicate with them during the service—when they ask about whether the touch is what you are seeking, they are genuinely seeking answers, you won’t offend them by asking them to press harder or softer.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Monday to Sunday)

Address: 2753 Hennepin Avenue South, Suite 201, Minneapolis, MN 55408

Phone: 612-872-8354

Email: hellosabaibodytemple@gmail.com

For more information and to book a service at The Sabai Body Temple, visit the website. Follow on Instagram: @sabaibodytemple

[Photos by Bridgette Redman]

Bridgette Redman, who is a second-generation journalist, fell in love with spas and travel while working as a writer and editor for 16 years at the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. As a freelancer for the International SPA Association, she co-wrote two textbooks, nine workbooks and numerous case studies on spas. Her freelance career began in the 80s and she has written for publications in Michigan, Arizona, California, and Texas along with several regional and national publications. She is a committed storyteller who loves sharing narratives which improve people's quality of life and build community. Born and raised in Michigan, she currently lives in Lansing with her husband and son. See more of her writing at www.bridgetteredman.com