Ketsara Chanachai
The first thing I notice about a client is how they walk into the room. Some move softly, with curiosity. Others come in like they already own the place. Two weeks ago, I had a client from the second group. An American. Big man, loud voice, restless eyes. Something in his energy told me it wouldn’t be easy.
I’m 28 now and have been working as a professional Thai masseuse for six years, four of those at a luxury retreat center in Bangkok. I love the rhythm of the work—the physical flow, the focus it requires, the calm it brings when a session goes well. I've had incredible conversations while kneading tension out of someone’s shoulders. Once, a German woman started crying quietly halfway through the massage. She later told me it was the first time she'd felt safe being touched in years. That kind of moment makes the hard days worth it.
But there are days like the one with the American. From the start, he kept making strange comments—about my hands, my appearance, the “reputation” of Thai massage. I kept my responses short, polite, professional. I always do. Halfway through the session, as I was working on his lower back, he asked, almost casually, if there was a “happy ending.” I stopped what I was doing and looked him in the eye. “This is traditional Thai massage,” I said. “If you are looking for something else, you are in the wrong place.”
He laughed awkwardly and said he was joking. But we both knew he wasn’t. I finished the session quickly and informed my supervisor after he left. I don’t let those things slide anymore. When I was younger, less experienced, I might have smiled and brushed it off. But I’ve learned.
Thai massage is part of our heritage. It’s not just a service. It carries intention, history, meaning. Thankfully, most of my clients are respectful, grateful, even fascinated by the depth of the practice.
Encounters like that stay with you. They make you tired in a different way. But they also remind you of why you stand your ground. Why boundaries matter. And why this work, though often misunderstood, is worth doing with pride.