As requested, here are some pics of the inside of the new clinic (treatment room & reception), and our new Didi (housekeeper) called Bhagawati.



We've seen nearly 50 clients this month in Kathmandu - not a bad start and better than we were expecting. It is a great feeling to have finally finished the fitout and word is slowly spreading about our services. We're hoping to get some guidebook updates soon too as wrong number listings are giving us some headaches. We are in the process of updating our website but in the meantime, if anyone is looking for our clinic or wanting to contact us - the details are below with a map:

Kathmandu Clinic

01-4253513
Kumari Marg, Jyatha, Thamel
(Near Gaia Restaurant)

Pokhara Clinic

061-465786
Lakeside 6, Opposite Basundhara Park
(Near Greenline office)

Andre's practical sessions have brought the students on really well - they are all doing full body massages (in one go as opposed to disparate parts of the body) and have each now had a chance to demonstrate their skills on some willing volunteer clients - much earlier than we expected!

Andre has also introduced a new concept - (called 4-arm massage) where two therapists massage one person at the same time, synchronising their movements. The idea being that four hands are better than two and the inability to concentrate on all four hands at once helps the brain to switch off so the body can relax more deeply. The girls are fantastic at it but Hari and Ramji aren't yet managing to coordinate their movements. Still, they've had some excellent feedback from clients and you never know..we might offer 4-arm massage as a treatment in future.

Andre is by far our most tactile volunteer - using close contact to quickly build bonds and trust with the students. Much to their and the therapists delight, breaktimes are usually filled with playfights, tickling, teasing and human balancing feats. They've given him a new Nepali name: Deepak (for reasons completely unknown). Pictured are Govinda and Anmol playfighting with Andre.

It gives us great pleasure to announce that on November 1st 2010, our second Seeing Hands Clinic opened in Kathmandu.

Comprising two treatment rooms and accommodation for therapists, the new clinic is based in a quiet area of Thamel (off Jyatha) and is already attracting passing tourists. As our opening also coincided with celebrations for Tihar (Deepwali or festival of lights), we’ve decorated with vibrant marigold malas, oil lamps and candles.

Our new receptionist, Sneha made a beautiful mandala in our entranceway and all these efforts are designed to attract Laxmi, the God of Wealth into our clinic.
Behind the scenes, we’ve been working frantically - the last fortnight a frenzy of cleaning, painting, carpentry and other fitout works. Budgets are admittedly tight but we plan to work hard to market the clinic over the next few months so we can quickly generate the revenue we need to cover the set up costs. Chiran and Laxmi are presently working in the Kathmandu clinic and will be joined by more therapists as the clinic gets busier. In our first week we’ve only seen a handful of clients but we’re confident more will follow soon once word gets around.

Meanwhile, back in Pokhara the students are receiving training from our latest volunteer; Andre, who is qualified in a number of massage therapies including sports, traditional Thai massage and acupressure. Andre is also fluent in a number of languages such as Portuguese (mother tongue), Swedish, English, Spanish, Norwegian and Danish. We’ll bring you more news on their progress soon.