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PussyLover 69
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Report from The Nation dated Monday 23 April 2007 :-
Affordable massage in style
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Located in an area of Bangkok popular with foreigners near Sathorn Road and with a stylish exterior, Tongdevalai could scare off shallow-pocketed massage lovers.
Contrary to its expensive image, the Thai massage shop offers reasonable prices. A 90-minute session combining foot and hand reflexology with back and shoulder massage is only Bt700. Aromatherapy oil massage, foot massage and face massage for three hours and 30 minutes costs Bt2,000. With only Bt350 in your pocket, you can pay a visit to the shop.
Apparently, getting rich quick is not Napattra Chatikavanij's goal. Despite the lavish look of her shop, she aims to make it a long-term business.
"Even foreigners are reluctant to walk in. However, they come back after being impressed with the quality and attractive prices," said Tongdevalai's executive manager.
After nine months of operation, the shop remains a loss-making business. Its monthly revenue is Bt100,000 against Bt140,000 to Bt150,000 in expenses. For survival, income should be Bt250,000 per month.
The losses come mainly from high turnover of employees.
Napattra is undeterred by the figures. She intends to develop her business to increase the number of customers. She plans to change decorative items and expand to related businesses such as a beauty salon.
After an investment of Bt200,000, the beauty salon is due to open next month. Its services will include herbal treatment for face and body, as well as paraffin treatment.
"My mother always encourages me to keep on with the business, saying it is usual to lose at the beginning. The problem also keeps me alert. We hope that the new business can offset losses from the massage service," said Napattra, who aims for her business to reach the break-even point within four years.
With a small investment of Bt400,000 for renovation and decoration, Tongdevalai is a small massage shop with 15 staff to service about 200 customers per month. Of the staff, eight work as masseuses, four are housekeepers and three do general work.
The investment is small as the shop is on the ground floor of Napattra's mother's apartment in Soi Prapinij, Suan Phlu.
"We have half as many housekeepers as masseuses so that we can ensure cleanliness, which is the most important part of our service to impress our customers," she noted.
The business targets expats who live and work in the area, where many multinational companies and medium-to-high-end condominiums are located.
Napattra, 34, loves massage and has experienced this part of Thai culture at both ends of the price spectrum. In addition, she also reads a lot of books about massage methods and herbal treatments so that she can advise customers.
"I once wanted to learn massage but I could not do that because of my physique. My muscles are not strong enough to tolerate doing things even for half an hour," she said.
However, Napattra's experience of massage from different places has allowed her to apply best practice for a complete business. In addition, the problem of high staff turnover has been resolved by a standard salary and a new recruitment strategy.
Napattra has to hire experts to train her masseuses and ensure high-quality massage and treatments. The training will encourage expansion in the near future to related services such as yoga and Indian-style massage.
As a marketing strategy, Napattra spent Bt150,000 to create her website and brochures to promote her shop. The shop is also collecting customer data in a bid to capture its target group.
Looking further afield, Napattra is studying the possibility of opening shops in Canada and the United States. She is assessing the investment regulations of those two countries in order to avoid business risk. It is a particular factor in the US, where laws vary from state to state.
For the time being, however, her efforts are concentrated on Suan Phlu.
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 11:01 pm on April 22, 2007
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jirawisit
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Hi!
Can you please let us have the address and tel. no. of
Tongdevalai Thai Traditional Massage?
Regards,
Jira
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Bangkok Women : Meet Sensual Bangkok Women
Posted on: 7:41 am on April 26, 2007
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PussyLover 69
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It is located in an apartment in Soi Prapinij, Suan Phlu near Sathorn Road
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Thai Girls : Meet Sexy Thai Girls
Posted on: 2:12 am on April 28, 2007
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