Thai Business

[WhiteIsaan]

She's no longer a girlfriend, merely a valued friend. No money from my pocket. We have that out of the way.

The business in question is a high(er) end spa/massage/facial kind of place. She wants to target farang women and Thai women who have a few extra bucks for pampering with their massage. Aroma therapy, ass-kissing, vegetable facials, incense, mood music...

No matter the country, we're all familiar with the concept. Is anybody familiar with this in BKK? Is there a realistic market? New Biz? Buy an existing? She looks to me for biz advice but my knowledge is limited to the USA and Mexico.

Any resources I can point her to? Is it a realistic pursuit (provided the capital is sufficient)? She is very intelligent and has a good bullshit detector. Any help for a hard working Thai woman trying to make good? Thanks for any feedback.

[Bobcat]

I beleive the capital required for a hihg-end spa would be significant. In addition, the market is almost at saturation point already. There are high-end spa's all over Bangkok.

[Harmonica]

She's no longer a girlfriend, merely a valued friend. No money from my pocket. We have that out of the way.

  The business in question is a high(er) end spa/massage/facial kind of place. She wants to target farang women and Thai women who have a few extra bucks for pampering with their massage. Aroma therapy, ass-kissing, vegetable facials, incense, mood music... 

  No matter the country, we're all familiar with the concept. Is anybody familiar with this in BKK? Is there a realistic market? New Biz? Buy an existing? She looks to me for biz advice but my knowledge is limited to the USA and Mexico.

  Any resources I can point her to? Is it a realistic pursuit (provided the capital is sufficient)? She is very intelligent and has a good bullshit detector. Any help for a hard working Thai woman trying to make good? Thanks for any feedback.

Marry her and have her look after you! Skip the Spa idea. Instead, visit them regularly and have manicures, pedicures and facials galore!

[Khun Bob]

Last time i was in switzerland, in zurich i noticed a few thai massage places - not many - and in the rest of europe i hardly ever see any.

Also down the red light district in amsterdam there are a few thai bars - now that might be an opportunity to have a few of those elsewhere in europe - they even sold sangsom - but, unlike thailand, when i walked past at 11am on a sunday morning, it was closed....

[sundevil]

A good spa can make a lot of money in Bangkok. Email me if youre interested in Buying an existing one.

[email protected]

[denby45]

Maybe you could try Sunbelt there is a link to it from this website but here it is anyway.

http://www.sunbeltasia.com

Den

[thedude]

yes the high end spa idea is v good but middle end may be more profitable. you have to be careful where your located. for example some quiet streets in sukhumvit are quite ideal, but move closer to the main road and on the wrong sois and you have a disaster. i have been to some good middle market spas that charge good rates and are almost always fully booked, they make seriously good money.

my advise, watch out for the 'wet' area cost, ie call it a spa but cut down on the plumbing and wet equipment, focus on more labour intensive (labour is cheap) treatments and less on the real expensive stuff like floatation tanks, aroma steam rooms etc. focus on designing efficient spaces and massage services that deliver that resort tranquility but price it competitively and focus on maximizing turnover. this way you will get a thicker slice of the middle market without coughing out the big bucks for a real spa.

also, there is a predominance of Thai and Aroma Oil type massages but a surprising lack of massage skills such as swedish, shiatsu etc in the middle market spas. you could really capitalise on this.

Edited July 12, 2005 by thedude