diff --git a/lib/casclient/tickets/storage.rb b/lib/casclient/tickets/storage.rb
index 3cdbfaf8..95263f71 100644
--- a/lib/casclient/tickets/storage.rb
+++ b/lib/casclient/tickets/storage.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+require "fileutils"
+
 module CASClient
   module Tickets
     module Storage
@@ -84,6 +86,7 @@ def initialize(config={})
           @tmp_dir = config[:storage_dir] || default_tmp_dir
           @service_session_lookup_dir = config[:service_session_lookup_dir] || "#{@tmp_dir}/sessions"
           @pgt_store_path = config[:pgt_store_path] || "#{@tmp_dir}/cas_pgt.pstore"
+          create_service_session_lookup_dir
         end
 
         # Creates a file in tmp/sessions linking a SessionTicket
@@ -169,6 +172,12 @@ def filename_of_service_session_lookup(st)
         def open_pstore
           PStore.new(@pgt_store_path)
         end
+
+        def create_service_session_lookup_dir
+          unless File.exist? @service_session_lookup_dir
+            FileUtils.mkdir_p @service_session_lookup_dir
+          end
+        end
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/spec/casclient/tickets/storage_spec.rb b/spec/casclient/tickets/storage_spec.rb
index 1cace278..cccf0112 100644
--- a/spec/casclient/tickets/storage_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/casclient/tickets/storage_spec.rb
@@ -32,13 +32,28 @@
 
 describe CASClient::Tickets::Storage::LocalDirTicketStore do
   let(:dir) {File.join(SPEC_TMP_DIR, "local_dir_ticket_store")}
-  before do
-    FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(dir, "sessions"))
-  end
+
   after do
     FileUtils.remove_dir(dir)
   end
-  it_should_behave_like "a ticket store" do
-    let(:ticket_store) {described_class.new(:storage_dir => dir)}
+
+  describe "when the sessions directory does not exist" do
+    before do
+      File.exist?(File.join(dir, "sessions")).should be_false
+    end
+
+    it_should_behave_like "a ticket store" do
+      let(:ticket_store) {described_class.new(:storage_dir => dir)}
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe "when the session directory exists" do
+    before do
+      FileUtils.mkdir_p(File.join(dir, "sessions"))
+    end
+
+    it_should_behave_like "a ticket store" do
+      let(:ticket_store) {described_class.new(:storage_dir => dir)}
+    end
   end
 end