I've done it without one, but only if fitting lowered springs. With the car on the ground, remove the top nut, the metal plate, then the nut under that. Slowly jack the car up until the spring is loose. Then remove the strut as per normal.
If you are not fitting lowered springs, you will need compressors to get the spring back on. Otherwise you can push the spring down enough to get the nut on when fitting lowered springs.