About Santosh Sapkota

Santosh Sapkota is a sports, remedial, and deep tissue massage therapist who has 16 years of experience in these forms of massage therapy. He was born fully blind in 1987, but that did not stop him from becoming an expert in his field and pursuing activities that even able-bodied people would find challenging. He completed his tenth-grade SEE from Nagarjuna Higher Secondary School in 2006. Then, despite challenges that a blind person would face—especially in a country like Nepal where there are limited resources for physically disabled people—he went on to finish up to a Master's in Education in English in 2013. While he was studying for his Master's degree, he started working at the famous Seeing Hands Nepal, where he initially went through rigorous training for one and a half years to be a qualified massage therapist, earning his certificate via the London School of Sports Massage in 2012. Later, he contributed his service and expertise for 11 years at Seeing Hands Nepal. He also undertook advanced training in Swedish relaxation, deep tissue massage, and sports massage in the years 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019 under renowned professional therapists such as Andre Baptista, Robert Enly, and Andrew Salvetti.

What distinguishes him from most massage therapists available in Nepal is that he underwent formal training in massage therapy systems that provide a thorough knowledge of human anatomy. Thus, he is able to identify each tense muscle in one’s body and apply the relevant technique to loosen the muscle. He can understand even MRI reports and can provide a tangible resolution to ailments such as sciatica and major relief to problems of disc herniation. This is not possible through regular massages that are meant primarily for relaxation. And for those who are looking not for treatment but for regular relaxation, his skills are even more effective as his technique affects the sore muscles more powerfully and subtly.

What distinguishes him from other massage therapists who have undergone similar training is that he is one of the beginning students to have learnt this in Nepal and he has perfected it through his experience and training compared to most other therapists who have been limited to only basic training modules and haven’t spent as many years as him.

Aside from his involvement in the massage therapy field, he has played in the Blind Cricket World Cup two times and the Asia Cricket Cup two times. He was also a national-level blind football player and played table tennis. In addition, he is the first blind bungee jumper of Nepal. He has many other countless hobbies of this nature which make even able-bodied people wonder how one can find the motivation and discipline to be as multi-skilled as him.

He established Healing Hands Center in 2024, whose first physical location is in Ale Complex, Boudha. His intention via his center is to provide formal training to the next generation of massage therapists—not just blind people—so that they become globally competitive experts in this field. He also aims to educate Nepalese about the importance, advantages, and limitations of massage therapy and various wellness modalities in general, so that people become socially comfortable with these modalities and use them to keep themselves physically fit and heal their untreated conditions.