Thai Massage Loses Its Charm Behind Masks, Social Distancing

By Lee J Miller

 

== Wellness industry faces new hygiene rules, fewer customers

== Virus hurting sector’s traditional role as back-up employer

 

FILE PHOTO: Reuters

 

Walk into a massage parlor in Thailand and a familiar clasped-hands “wai” greeting will welcome you as a hint of jasmine lingers in the air. Less appealing is the smell of disinfectant and the squeaky sound of latex gloves.

 

Thai traditional massage is being forced to reinvent itself in the Covid-19 era, in which the human touch has barriers and masks hide the faces of therapists in a country known as the Land of Smiles. That has implications for both its appeal to customers, and its role as employer of last resort when other industries falter in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.

 

“This isn’t like any crisis we’ve ever seen,” said Wiboon Utsahajit, president of Siam Wellness Group Pcl, which owns about 70 massage shops and spas across Thailand. “We’ve had to change the way we operate. We’ve installed ultraviolet disinfection equipment in every room, and loaded up on health and cleaning supplies. The costs are higher and customers far fewer.”

 

Full story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-12/thai-massage-loses-its-charm-behind-masks-social-distancing

 

-- © Copyright Bloomberg 2020-07-13

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

maybe the customers are not happy with the end result ? 

The problem is mainly lack of tourists, as an expat i have a massage every week or two, when i was a tourist i had 2 hours everyday, many expats don't bother with massages any more

I'll draw the line when they'll start wearing hazmat suits and welder's style headgear...

I have gotten a few foot masssges and it has been fine.

Usually take a nap anyway.

There are way to many massage places and even before corona they had big difficulties getting customers..

So i can see it is a hopeless situation for them now

This issue will not end happily.

We should all patronize our local massage shop. These ladies have

been out of work for a long time.

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The problem is mainly lack of tourists, as an expat i have a massage every week or two, when i was a tourist i had 2 hours everyday, many expats don't bother with massages any more

I don't ... not the same anymore

I feel like this is just people uncomfortable to accept the strange new normal.  Do you really spend much time in your massage looking at the face of the person massaging you?  I agree it's nice to see someone's smile, but it does not bother me at all if they wear a mask, in fact it's reassuring.  Gloves would suck.  The lady in the photo is not wearing gloves as she massages.  I don't think that's a thing is it?  

First of all, the so called "new normal", I hate it, many people hate it.

Wearing a mask unnatural !!!!!

I like to see the face of people, I like to see the expression when talking to them.

 

For all the discomfort and disadvantage, somebody has to be responsible.

As a matter of fact, its China with all the lies and disinformation.

Why everybody here ignores it?? 

Massage is not fun anymore.

We all have to pay a price because of China.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Walk into a massage parlor in Thailand and a familiar clasped-hands “wai” greeting will welcome you as a hint of jasmine lingers in the air. Less appealing is the smell of disinfectant and the squeaky sound of latex gloves.

Ahhh yes Jasmine, brings back memories... she was so nice!

Usually I had to pay extra for them to wear the rubber gloves ????.

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The problem is mainly lack of tourists, as an expat i have a massage every week or two, when i was a tourist i had 2 hours everyday, many expats don't bother with massages any more

I agree. Much like swimming in the polluted waters and having a live-in companion. It's there, but do I really need it to be happy?

9 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Ahhh yes Jasmine, brings back memories... she was so nice!

Yes, she runs a coffee shop I go to. What a sweet, hardworking, middle age, Thai barrista. Barely making a living in these rough times. Fortunately, there are enough of our group that go for coffee on a regular basis. Most likely not related to your memory.

1 hour ago, rtco said:

I don't ... not the same anymore

What is not same? Are you talking about massage, or something else?

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The problem is mainly lack of tourists, as an expat i have a massage every week or two, when i was a tourist i had 2 hours everyday, many expats don't bother with massages any more

True, I'm married now! Lol

Troll post removed

Zorro and The Lone Ranger would be AOK with it

 

 

The people working in Thai Massage do not make a lot of money, and deliver a lot of well-being for the 150 B or so that guests are charged.

The article is one of few articles that slipped through Bloomberg's editor team.

I have been to many a massage, and in 90 percent of the places staff are wearing some kind of Uniform / coordinated clothing. 
However, to present an article about Thai Massage and use the picture below as an illustration of the business, signals to me that the writer is not talking about what most people here would call "Thai Massage", but rather about "Massage-by-staff-that-look-like-Thai"
 

I would go weekly-get an hour-ask for same lady-they would call her to come in...

 

Put on my headphones and zone out and let her work--dont think she even knew english

 

Was always a hello and kop khun krup and a 50 bt tip...same same but different

What’s sad about this is the government will continue to take freedoms and rights away and turn us into lab rats where we will need to wear masks wherever we go, force businesses to install expensive useless medical equipment, walk through unvetted chemicals, get a vaccine that will be useless (flu vaccine is around but yet we have 65k deaths a year anyways) and no one questions what’s in the vaccine even though is runs through our veins DURRR. They won’t stop until they destroy business and individual freedoms all in the guise of “your safety”. 
 

It’s easy to see that all this is big corporations stepping in to take over and destroy their competition (the small business). Big corps have the funding and the likes of Bill Gates, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Walton’s etc begins their push. When you have that much power, you need more. 
 

They use words like “new normal” and “Covid era” because the want to program the idiots into thinking it’s normal to not have human contact and wear a mask and be afraid of your shadow. It works on many idiots (many commenters I have seen in Thai visa actually) and the low IQ. 
 

If people are actually scared of a Covid flu over Tuberculosis which has killed over 1.5 million last year (without the help of extra hospital funding and lenient CDC guidelines like “guessing the cause of death”) then we have bigger problems heading our way when it comes to government overreach. 
 

The really sad part of this, is that so many who are driven by fear and scared of their own shadows don’t have the ability or basic intelligence to research on their own so they just accept the airplane of pea soup fed by the government and swallow big like they are told.

 

Moral of the story, don’t be an ignorant “Maskhole”.

We know this saying of some politicians: Covid is just like a flu. And after following covid developments for months, I'm convinced they're right - provided those affected do not suffer from excessive body fat - or possibly even lifestyle diseases due to it, like diabetes or high blood pressure. 

 

I've read that bodyfat excess prevents the immune system from working properly, in a sense that its agents are being 'prevented to really get there fast to join the action' (or something in that sense). Another aspect was that while eating 'traditionally', we inflict more constant damage on the body's cells than most of us are aware of - and thereby, we keep the immune system busy trying to repair the cells affected, while its full capacity would be needed to fight off an aggression like covid (or flu, for that matter).

 

How do we avoid excessive body fat - in the first place, or reduce it to a healthy level once it's there? Simple: Eat the right diet, and do sufficient sport. The internet told me that a low-carb diet will probably be effective, and my personal experience shows that this is true. That we should do sports five times a week, half an hour each, is probably known - swimming is useful, if you swim with an effort (thus have a raised heartbeat, pulse and breath frequency).

 

If you now ask yourself if all these important covid-related measures that leaders are taking, and on a global basis, are headed in the wrong direction (because they fail to address the true cause), not to mention the untold damage they keep on inflicting on the economy, then there is some evidence that you are right. But due to the classic ignorance of those in power, plus herd effects (and it's not 'herd immunity'), and undue economic considerations (like protecting McDo & co), it is hard to imagine that we will begin to see the light anytime soon. Stock up on masks, and keep your TV in good working order (or what else you spend your homeoffice time with). 

 

PS: Ironically, some of the 'flu' political protagonistas (Trump or Bolsonaro come to mind) are not exactly delgado themselves...

 

8 minutes ago, visacrack said:

I've read that bodyfat excess prevents the immune system from working properly, in a sense that its agents are being 'prevented to really get there fast to join the action' (or something in that sense).

strange... I had the impression that the Immune system instead goes into Overdrive - with the signs from the huge inflammation and fluid flooding

One would suspect that the main issue is that most customers didn't actually come for the massage.

 

Thankfully, there is no "new normal" (I despise that term!) when it comes to thai massage. I have not been to a single shop that wears masks. Thrilled with that. A few wear masks outside but few wear masks once inside. It is the same delightful experience as before, except the gals are even happier to see me, than they used to be!

6 hours ago, mr mr said:

maybe the customers are not happy with the end result ? 

No happy ending they don't come  from Longreach.????

4 hours ago, mberbae said:

We should all patronize our local massage shop. These ladies have

been out of work for a long time.

My fortnightly Monday one will be ok , she only missed once at the first c 19 panic attack. With this rain and damp setting in , roll on 1pm.

37 minutes ago, visacrack said:

We know this saying of some politicians: Covid is just like a flu. And after following covid developments for months, I'm convinced they're right - provided those affected do not suffer from excessive body fat - or possibly even lifestyle diseases due to it, like diabetes or high blood pressure. 

 

I've read that bodyfat excess prevents the immune system from working properly, in a sense that its agents are being 'prevented to really get there fast to join the action' (or something in that sense). Another aspect was that while eating 'traditionally', we inflict more constant damage on the body's cells than most of us are aware of - and thereby, we keep the immune system busy trying to repair the cells affected, while its full capacity would be needed to fight off an aggression like covid (or flu, for that matter).

 

How do we avoid excessive body fat - in the first place, or reduce it to a healthy level once it's there? Simple: Eat the right diet, and do sufficient sport. The internet told me that a low-carb diet will probably be effective, and my personal experience shows that this is true. That we should do sports five times a week, half an hour each, is probably known - swimming is useful, if you swim with an effort (thus have a raised heartbeat, pulse and breath frequency).

 

If you now ask yourself if all these important covid-related measures that leaders are taking, and on a global basis, are headed in the wrong direction (because they fail to address the true cause), not to mention the untold damage they keep on inflicting on the economy, then there is some evidence that you are right. But due to the classic ignorance of those in power, plus herd effects (and it's not 'herd immunity'), and undue economic considerations (like protecting McDo & co), it is hard to imagine that we will begin to see the light anytime soon. Stock up on masks, and keep your TV in good working order (or what else you spend your homeoffice time with). 

 

PS: Ironically, some of the 'flu' political protagonistas (Trump or Bolsonaro come to mind) are not exactly delgado themselves...

 

Oh dear . At 73 years old I am supposed to do sports 5 times a week , oh and look Trump has appeared again in this ' Thai massage loses its charm '.

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The problem is mainly lack of tourists, as an expat i have a massage every week or two, when i was a tourist i had 2 hours everyday, many expats don't bother with massages any more

Speak for yourself, I had one with my gf (expat too) just yesterday. 

 

The ladies were not wearing masks though. Not that i worried.