Meet the Owner: Jeni Mackenthun

Getting into a car accident in 1999 made Shakopee resident Jeni Mackenthun realize her calling.

It only took me until I was 33 to figure it out,” she said with a laugh.

As part of her recovery, she had her first massage – and she was hooked after feeling the benefits firsthand.

Mackenthun decided to go to school and earned a two-year massage therapy degree from , in 2006. Then she started working part-time as a massage therapist at different chiropractic offices in the area.

She still had a full-time job as an accounting clerk, though, and was reluctant to give it up to start her own business.

“You get caught up in the regular paycheck and the benefits,” she said.

A layoff in 2009 helped her make the leap into starting .

“You gotta sink or swim,” she said. “So far, I’m still swimming.”

Mackenthun’s business is located in an office building at 1221 Fourth Avenue East in Shakopee and since she opened in January 2010, she’s made several moves into larger office space to accommodate more clients and offer more services.

Maintaining relationships with her clients is key to Mackenthun’s thriving business, she said.

“If someone needs me on Sunday, I go in on Sunday ,” she said. “I’m not going to make them wait.”

She also tailors each massage to a client’s specific needs and says she often incorporates different techniques into one massage.

Mackenthun offers Swedish, deep tissue, hot stone, chair and pre-natal massage, as well facilitated stretching. They also offer ear candling, foot soaks/scrubs and hand soaks/scrubs.

Sherry Meersman, one of Mackenthun’s clients, said when she first started coming to Pure & Simple, she was so stressed out her shoulders felt like rocks.

“Even from the first time, I felt like a new person,” she said. “She helped me a lot.”

Licensed Cosmetologist Stephie Burdick (who is also a hair stylist at ) joined Pure & Simple in January and offers several options for facials.

Mackenthun and Burdick are currently talking about making the business a partnership.

While they work out those details, Mackenthun is gearing up to provide massage services again this year to many of the jockeys who ride in the  horse races. She also provides chair massages at fundraising events in the area.

“My goal has always been to help others,” Mackenthun said. “I love it.”