I read a lot here about the exploits of Sextile and others. They seem to visit massage joints on an almost daily basis and keep track of it all for our education.

My disposable income is limited, but today I decided to check out some of these joints. I went to two of them, both on Soi Convent. One is called Fan club, and the other one is close to Sathorn, more or less opposite BNH hospital.

Both shops quoted prices of around 600 THB for a massage, plus a mandatory minimum tip for the masseur. Total cost would be about 1600 to 2000 THB. That is about 10 times the minimum DAILY wage.

If I convert that to equivalent European/USA rates, it would mean a 1 hour massage in an unsafe, smelly and rickety old building in a slum by an unlicensed "masseur" would cost around 650 Euro in Amsterdam. Or around 900 USD in New York. So prices are way out of line.

What gives? I just laughed and walked out when the mamasans told me the costs. How does anyone take these places seriously?

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