By Tim Robinson

When Monty Penney and Pradju Tuladhar opened Blissful Knead in Burien at 140 SW 153rd St three and a half years ago they never imagined the number of friends they would come to know. They never imagined how many became clients at their massage therapy clinic "just ahead of the Ambaum curve" in Burien, as his business partner Pradju proudly claimed. 

But it is imagination that made Blissful Knead a well-known clinic in the Highline area.

Penney and Pradju met in Chicago several years ago where the idea of a luxury spa took hold. Pradju's affable nature and Monty's need to succeed only required acting on their collective imaginations. They moved to Seattle and here they are.

Penney is a 20+ year veteran of the clothing industry in Chicago. "I worked in rags", he smiled. Raised in southeast Oregon, Penney graduated from the University of Oregon with a business degree. Pradju, whose parents emigrated from Nepal and settled in Rochester, NY, has a law degree from the University of Illinois.

With the accelerated success of the therapy/spa, Monty and Pradju took a major step this spring with a move from the Ambaum location, where they leased a former residence, to their very own building at 140 SW 153rd.

There will be more than 3300 square feet of brand new space in the new building, a former legal office.  It would be easy to get lost in the labyrinth of rooms with premium relaxation spa amenities. The clinic features multiple massage stations, a small conference center and a "therapy shop". 

When the building came on the market, Monty stepped up his game. He admits it was in rough shape. Pradju and Monty were not afraid to dig in, get their hands dirty and clean the place up.

Now with all new interior, paint, carpeting, cabinets and various amenities, the spa will shine at the coming grand opening this June. The shop motto "luxury in the heart of Burien is never more true with this move," Monty said.  

There is uniqueness to Blissful Knead. Many spas in the industry offer 50 minutes treatments. Here's the rub. Massages are a full 30-60-90 and 120 minutes. All massage staff are licensed massage practitioners. Penney, voted  Burien's person of the year in 2016, sees all the positives of the expansion of Blissful Knead. "We love it here," he admitted. 

Blissful Knead is almost ready to invite everyone to visit and maybe even schedule a massage. 206-939-6007 from 10-7 weekdays and 9-6 weekends but call them about specific hours as schedules do change.

The business is on the web at blissfulknead.com.