What Makes A Massage Shop Attractive In Cnx?

[tc4mez]

Other than good masseurs, good service, good layout & environment, what other things will attract tourists to step into your massage shop?

What kinda name will draw the attention of a tired tourist in CNX? All inputs much appreciated, thanks in advance

Regards,

Loh

[kudroz]

Well, for me, I like to see photos of the actual environment where I'll be spending the next hour or so. Too often I was disappointed with the cheap tables, lack of privacy, clothes that didn't fit me well and the general bad environment.

What about if you put a book on a stand outside with photos, prices and a quick note of what to expect inside. It feels awkward to me to walk into a place and ask to check the facilities and then leave saying it's not what i'm looking for. Usually I would look for a website with these details before going somewhere, so I know what to expect.

For the tourist walking-by, some might think that this place offers kinky endings, some people who are looking for a sleazy place might think it's not?!? So going back to my idea - put a book outside on a stand showing pictures and a quick note of what to expect could work well.

[robertmueller]

I always look if the massage shop is properly cleaned, e.g. windows, floor, mattress, dress of masseurs etc.

The first impression counts.

What kills the relaxing ambiance of a good massage is the eternal talking of the masseurs with their customers: where do you stay?, where do you come from? and the use of mobiles phones.

Unfortunately this is out of your control when you are already treated.

Names: Feel Good, Relax, Original Thai

[sassienie]

What Makes A Massage Shop Attractive In Cnx?

Edited June 10, 2009 by sassienie

[wjmark]

How about the credentials and resumes of the practitioners?

I remember one proudly proclaiming that she had studied the full five days at Wat Po...

Five days...

[Ulysses G.]

Let's not forget, the chubby young lady is much more likely to give a good, strong massage than the more attractive one!

[HTWoodson]

Have the A/C already on when the customer walks in the door. I don't want to sweat for an hour during a massage, or wait 1/2 an hour for the room to cool down.

[Pantip]

For me the quality of massage is more important than the décor. Any menu you put outside should emphasise the quality and professionalism of the masseurs, have them dressed in nice light weight clothing with your logo and their name prominently displayed so that the customer can choose the same masseur next time if he/she is particularly happy with the massage, offer Chinese tea afterwards.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I can tell you what would attract ME into a massage shop.

Tourists though.. who knows. Price, probably.

Tough to make money though among a couple hundred similar massage shops, in a city almost without tourists most of the year.

[WaiWai]

Information (incl. credentials of workers, languages spoken & clearly stated prices) and photos outside are a very good idea. The information should be provided in a number of languages. Consider aptitude in other languages (even if it's very basic) when hiring. You could even send your workers to short courses in the most commonly used tourist langages. (*Remember the Asian & Arabic tourists, too.)

The place, and everything and everyone in it, must be super CLEAN. Aroma should be pleasant but subtle .

Workers should not be lounging about, eating or chatting if you wish to attract foreign tourists. All mobile phones swwitched to silent. Landline ringer muted as much as possible.

Train the workers to "suss out" whether a client wishes to chat or not. Some do but in general, I'd discourage it as I think most people prefer a quiet environment. Perhaps play some soothing "spa"/meditation music.

Have fountains or a fish tank ( as dentists do, to relax their patients ), plenty of plants, attractive & soothing decor. Look at photos on the more classy spa websites for ideas,

Must be very cool inside -- tourists have not acclimatized.

Try to develop some kind of theme or style to make your place a little distinctive & memorable (even if it's essentially the same as most other places). This can be done very simply -- just through coordination of decor, clothing colour & styles etc. Have business cards with maps & directions in Thai so tourists can recommend your place to their friends.

Offer tea or cool fruit juices.

The name could reflect the type of massage/s offered or your chosen "style".

Edited June 11, 2009 by WaiWai

[Absingjul]

Aroma should be pleasant but subtle . Workers should not be lounging about, eating...

This means no som tam allowed in the building

Farang nose very sensitive

[getgoin]

Too many massage shops. What would make them more attractive is getting rid of 100,000 of them.

[eek]

Let's not forget, the chubby young lady is much more likely to give a good, strong massage than the more attractive one!

Good and helpful response to a pretty unhelpful and childish post. Was actually thinking same thing when i saw the pics.

-----

One thing I would like to see/read at a massage parlour is which masseuses offer stronger massages. That way my bf can be happy, and I can avoid those ones! Im very sensitive to pressure, so prefer a lighter touch. Bf always likes the most sadistic masseuse possible. I dred going into a parlour and having to keep reminding the masseuse to give a softer touch. Particularly if she is starting softly but then forgets, repeatedly. It breaks the mood for me and makes me tense rather than relaxed.

On a side note too..when i have a body massage, im not a fan of the back bending and twisting, nor my head and neck being manipulated. So, I like a masseuse that respects that when i say i dont want those areas massaged they accept and dont try to make a bit of a fuss and insist on wanting to do it anyway (or even trying to do it, whilst im saying dont do it). Maybe they feel its an incomplete massage without it, but I know what I want and what i dont want..so I like when what i request is respected and that i dont need to have a debate over it. So a massage parlour that states they are happy to tailor to your requests/needs would be nice too (edit: although worded in a very careful and clear way!!).

Edited June 11, 2009 by eek

[Ulysses G.]

On a side note too..when i have a body massage, im not a fan of the back bending and twisting, nor my head and neck being manipulated. So, I like a masseuse that respects that when i say i dont want those areas massaged they accept and dont try to make a bit of a fuss and insist on wanting to do it anyway (or even trying to do it, whilst im saying dont do it).

This is very important to me also. They didn't know how to do it properly way back when I was thin. There is no way that I'm letting them give it a try now!

[Rasseru]

Let's not forget, the chubby young lady is much more likely to give a good, strong massage than the more attractive one!

Good and helpful response to a pretty unhelpful and childish post. Was actually thinking same thing when i saw the pics.

Now I'm confused. I thought the chubby young lady was the attractive one!

[Ulysses G.]

In the eye of the beholder!

[kudroz]

I had an idea reading the posts... What about the book you have inside/outside shows the bio of each masseur and list their specialities, credentials. Next to each masseur's bio you could allow the customers to write a note, i.e. "Goi has strong hands, she got thru my muscles! Will come again!" or "Poi gives great massage if you need to relax, but not tough enough for my back".

I would sure like to see that somewhere ;-)

[eek]

Great idea kudroz Seeing a bio, credentials, and specialties would be great.

Also, in doing it that way, shouldnt the young student/newly graduated/less qualified/lower trained level masseuses be paid the base rate, but the more qualified skilled masseuse should be paid a bit higher? It would be nice to choose if you just want a simple foot massage from a less qualified/experienced masseuse, or want to wait and/or pay more for the more skilled masseuse.

There have been I would say two occasions where I was thinking wth is the masseuse doing.. kind of shocked me that they seemed to not know what they were doing. Doesnt the manager always check? Not that i know anything about being a masseuse, I wouldnt claim to either, but from having quite a few massages in the last couple of years, I think I can tell the difference between a regular masseuse and someone that doesnt seem to know about what they are doing. One woman was massaging my leg like she was kneading dough, but put on so much oil her hands kept slipping (was for a regular foot massage, not an oil massage). No variations, just the same thing for an hour. Kneading and slipping. I just watched in bemusement. She didnt notice my expression, because she was too busy looking at the clock and adding more oil to my leg. Maybe she was hungry?

Edited June 11, 2009 by eek

[MonsieurHulot]

Home service.

I'm just too lazy to go to a massage salon and I'd love to have a massage at home, either on the veranda or in the living room, with my own background music.

[rebo]

I prefer to make an appointment with one of my favorite masseuses which is really kept.

Fortunately I have a very good place for professional Thai massage with 3 ladies (out of more than 20) far above average for my taste.

Unfortunately almost everytime I call there and make an appointment to be massaged by a certain lady at a certain time they give a sh1t and are occupied when I arrive. So I have to wait or to choose another lady or to leave.

Mostly I leave. I would go much more often if they would keep their appointments on time.

I also dislike when they use their mobiles as well as babble with their colleages or other customers in the room. I need tranquility to be able to really relax.

[Ulysses G.]

I always loved practicing Thai with the masseuse when I first got here, but rooms back then were more private and far away from each other. Trying to get a massage with someone yacking away right next to you behind a curtain would not be much fun.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

That assumes he'd actually get two customers at the same time.

Honestly though, with prices around 100 baht, and with a gazillion massage shops... Is it just a front for something else?

Edited June 11, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[uptoyoumyfriend]

i get lots of massages and know some of the owners/practioners and talk to them.

it is obviously important to attract both men and women.keep that in mind.i had a friend with a shop that had nice music was clean and quiet,a shower and tea afterwards and so on.i recommended to her to open up the shop window so you could look inside better and light it up and she got more women customers from that.there is a few newer places on loi kroh like that and they stay busy even now. the ac however i find to cold in many places especially when getting an oil massage .they work hard and are dressed and i am naked and and lie there and shiver....

make sure the girls are really trained for thai massage,even if they give oil massage.

many people come back if it's worth it.and they tip.

the chubby girl does not give the better massage by the way. that's why she is chubby.

...or the older girl, that's why she is still there.....

i had an oil massage at ying yang not too long ago and the girl offered me a shower afterwards .she stepped inside the shower and lathered me down and rinsed me off.nice touch. although i felt like a baby.

[slapout]

The bio, etc may be kind of embarrassing for many of the girls. This is one of the most popular areas of study in the northern Thailand prisons as per a recently released masseuse. This may be one of the reasons for so many of these establishments.

[eek]

i get lots of massages and know some of the owners/practioners and talk to them.

it is obviously important to attract both men and women.keep that in mind.i had a friend with a shop that had nice music was clean and quiet,a shower and tea afterwards and so on.i recommended to her to open up the shop window so you could look inside better and light it up and she got more women customers from that.there is a few newer places on loi kroh like that and they stay busy even now. the ac however i find to cold in many places especially when getting an oil massage .they work hard and are dressed and i am naked and and lie there and shiver....

make sure the girls are really trained for thai massage,even if they give oil massage.

many people come back if it's worth it.and they tip.

the chubby girl does not give the better massage by the way. that's why she is chubby.

...or the older girl, that's why she is still there.....

i had an oil massage at ying yang not too long ago and the girl offered me a shower afterwards .she stepped inside the shower and lathered me down and rinsed me off.nice touch. although i felt like a baby.

The point wasnt so much about the 'bigger' girl giving a better massage, but giving a stronger massage, usually. Although small girls can be strong, usually the bigger girls can give more pressure, for those who like a stronger massage.

I dont get what you mean about the older girl comment to be honest though.

Lastly, is it not unusual for a regular massage girl to lather down and rinse off the client here? I did once have that experience when I had a mineral mud treatment in Budapest (but just rinsing/hosing. I washed myself), just didnt think it was a common thing to happen here.

---

The bio, etc may be kind of embarrassing for many of the girls. This is one of the most popular areas of study in the northern Thailand prisons as per a recently released masseuse. This may be one of the reasons for so many of these establishments.

Would the name of the training course be the prison name though, or under a different name? I imagine an external training school would teach them? If so, they studied at that school. The premises would then be irrelevant.

[wedders]

Horses for courses - one poster mentioned a need for air conditioning. That can be a real turn-off for a customer. During a massage the body temperature drops as you relax, and there's nothing worse than starting to feel cold halfway through, destroys the pleasure. Personally I always ask for fan only. I avoid some places in Chiang Mai like the plague for this very reason - much too cold. Don't know what this obsession is with air conditioning anyway, unhealthy practice, people should just slim down instead

But the OP wanted to know what attracts people into a massage place. Fair enough, the aesthetics etc, how to persuade first-timers in. But she should also be looking at what keeps people going to the same place. I'm a trained masseur myself (sports, therapeutic) and imo maybe one in three masseuses in CM do an acceptable job, but a far smaller percentage are exceptional at their work. Two out of three are not so good at what they do, a few are positively dangerous.

So what keeps me coming back? I don't care if the place looks cheap or luxurious. Cleanliness, the ability to choose the air temperature, competitive prices, but most important of all - a really skilled masseuse. And that's not just down to technique. The intuitive part, feeling what the customer needs, is at least as important.

So how to attract first-timers yes, crucial for a business in these difficult times. But someone like me who has a average five two hour sessions a week through the year, we are worth keeping happy too!

[Ulysses G.]

The point wasnt so much about the 'bigger' girl giving a better massage, but giving a stronger massage, usually. Although small girls can be strong, usually the bigger girls can give more pressure, for those who like a stronger massage.

I dont get what you mean about the older girl comment to be honest though.

It is my experience that - generally - the younger and prettier girls also tend to not put a lot of effort into giving a good massage, where the older and less attractive women do.

Many people are thin because of their genes, not because they do any more exercise than their plump co-workers, but the bigger women are usually stronger and also more motivated to please the customer by doing a good job insead of just acting cute. There are some exceptions of course.

[Puwa]

For me, in order: Cleanliness, skill, privacy/ambiance, price, location, range of services, parking.

[IanForbes]

Mark me down as confused. What does Cnx stand for? I know a lot of people use abreviations, but I thought Cnx was an abreviation for an airport.

There have been some good suggestions about a massage parlour, but the biggest problem is making it stand out amongst the already too many parlours. Certainly well trained staff is important, but they also have to understand that not everyone likes the same massage style. A few people like something completely different that stimulates them rather than soothes them. A closed shop entrance has a tendancy to turn people away from coming inside. There has to be something attractive at the door to make them want to come in. I do like the idea of photos of the staff. Some men prefer to have a pretty woman working on them. Others just want a heavy handed work out that digs deeply into the muscles. I don't mind chatting with the women who massage me, but then I know the staff personally. It is repeat customers that build up a massage parlour's business. Unfortunately, it takes a fair bit of money to start up a business and stay in business long enough to build up a clientel.

[kudroz]

Parking. That's important for me, maybe less for those on motorbikes - but I'm driving a car and there's nothing more frustrating than not knowing where to park when I'm going somewhere. I started to go to The Dukes before because it was easy to park just in front. There are a lot of restaurants that looks interesting, but because parking is inexistent I don't go.