Six years ago, when Lisa decided to bring reflexology to Kathmandu, the term was still waiting to be discovered in town. People often mistook it for the regular body massage places found in the inner lanes of Thamel, and visiting such places was still a taboo then. But she changed the whole concept of how a massage place should be like.
“I set up 8/9 chairs in a row, had my window curtains parted so that people would know that nothing fishy was going on inside,” says Lisa.
Since then, a lot has changed. Getting a nice foot massage or similar recreational treatments to bust one’s stress is being an accepted trend for the denizens of the capital, leaving the massage parlors that run illicit sexual pleasure business at bay.
How clichéd it might sound, but this trailblazer is confident, which adds to her beauty; and above all, she dared invest in a venture all alone at the age of 22, when a person is still in the process of figuring out what one wants in and from life.
Far from her homeland Darjeeling, Lisa at the tender age of 16 moved to Kathmandu and started working. “I began with all odd jobs. But I always wanted to do something of my own,” adds Lisa, “And a mentor of mine encouraged me to invest in something I loved and enjoyed doing.”
For Lisa, touch had immense healing powers, and what could be better than investing in something she always respected. However, investing in this business and providing job opportunities to others was and still is not an easy go for the girl.
“Be it in massage or any other venture, market saturation is right there,” observes Lisa. Thus, she believes a quality service provided in affordable rates is what helped her for the continuity of her holistic business.
Foot Fetish, Thamel
Initially started with the objective of catering such services as foot and head massage treatments, Foot Fetish, after six years since its establishment, has been successful to spread its wings. Now its services include different types of massages depending on the needs of the clientele. Located in Thamel, the salon not only provides services to foreigners but according to proprietor Lisa Mukhiya, a majority of the salon’s patrons are Nepalis. Though situated in the touristy hustles and bustles of ten-deep Thamel, Foot Fetish’s ambiance and Nepali music disconnects one from the outer world.
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