June 6, Masseurs and masseuses looking to fill their wallets with tourist cash have discovered paradise has an address on Koh Chang. Pan moved to the island from Surin two years ago to work as a traditional masseuse. She anticipated business would be brisk and could not be more right. She came to the island at the onset of its bustling commercial development.
Pan follows strict work ethics. Nonetheless, Pan has had to put up with customers making indecent advances. She earns money massaging customers at various resorts on Koh Chang. She gets baht per hour after the resorts take their cut.
She charges Thai tourists a cheaper rate. Pan has worked with more than 40 other masseuses. Some massaged and then offered intimate services afterwards, making more than , baht a month.
Others met foreign tourists, fell in love and went overseas to start a family. It was clear they entered the profession to find wealthy foreigners to marry.
Pan said some customers were interested in sex or asked the masseuses to apply bizarre contortion methods. Pan insisted that sex was out of the question. She had met many tourists trying a pick-up line. Pan said her monthly income from massage topped 30, baht during the peak tourist season. She loved her job and earned her keep without hurting her pride while supporting her parents in Surin.
