A world of senses

By employing visually impaired therapists, Seeing Hands guarantees an experience like no other

What makes a great spa experience? The massage, the ambience, the people...sure. But sometimes there’s something else entirely that makes a spa experience truly remarkable. Seeing Hands isn’t just your ordinary spa that you could casually drop in to have your normal massage. Perhaps that is the reason why the Chiran Poudel, the owner of the establishment prefers to call Seeing Hands as a ‘Clinic’ rather than calling it a normal ‘spa’.

It’s true what he says about Seeing Hands, it is not only economically inclined but also an amazing social initiative. What started off as a search for his identity as a visually impaired man, led Chiran to establish Seeing Hands Nepal in 2010 and start training and employing people like him who were often socially and economically constrained. After nearly seven years at Seeing Hands, he has shown what a truly relaxing experience can be and perhaps, created an even bigger example that even specially able people can work and lead normal lives. At present, there are as many as twenty visually impaired people who are employed in their various outlets – in Bakhundol, Thamel, Pokhara and most recently in Boudha.

Before telling me all about the wonders and benefits of the massage, Chiran suggests that I try out the massage first. I am ushered into a decent room that is well lit and consists just a few basic amenities. I am introduced to my therapist Kushal who ensures that I am comfortable in every way. I opt for a basic Swedish Relaxation Massage, focusing on my problem areas – shoulders and lower back.

Just a few minutes into the massage, I realise that it is true what they say about the speciality of the massage there. Visually impaired people have better sense of touch in their hands and I can immediately sort the difference between the previous massage I’ve had before. It’s amazing how his hands can find the pressure points in my back like its clearly traceable – easing out the knots and sore spots. This process is often very tricky, you’ll realise this if you’ve been to many spas and returned disappointed. 

However, Kushal is very attentive to all the problem areas in my body and is concerned enough to ask me if I have any problems with the pressure.  Beginning with my back, he works through my arms, without leaving a single finger unattended. He is patient and attentive – he makes sure that I am relaxed irrespective of the time that we had initially agreed upon. If you close your eyes in this moment you’ll feel as if there’s nothing in the world in that moment except the deep sense of relaxation, the therapist’s soft hands and a peaceful music in the background. There is nothing more pleasing than a therapist’s soft hands dipped in a fragrant aroma of oil, however; it is very hard to find one who does not regard it merely as a job but a responsibility. Kushal is just that – he maintains so much of professionalism and concern in the massage.

After all, sixty minutes is never enough. When the massage is over, the deep sensation of relaxation lingers. I head out of the room, satisfied and calm. Chiran than asks me about the therapeutic experience I’ve just had, and I can’t stop myself from saying that it was different and better than others.

One might be inclined to ask why someone would opt for this spa, when there are others more luxurious and equipped than this one. But I can guarantee you that you might not find an experience more satisfying to the mind as well as to the body than this one. And as Chiran states, “We are not selling the cause but the quality.” However, it is necessary to know that Seeing Hands has changed people’s lives for the better – just ask one of the therapists there. When I ask Guna, one of the therapists there, about her life and job she ardently states, ‘Now I am independent, I don’t have to depend on anyone because of my condition.’ The same is true of Kushal who says with a smile, “People used to say that we couldn’t do it, but we have proved them wrong.”

Seeing Hands might not be luxurious or posh, but it is inviting, homely and filled with the right people who truly care about the experience you’re going to have.

To book your appointments:

Contact Number: +977 1 5555425, 9856029137

Shuvekshya Limbu is a content writer at Nepal Traveller.