The adult entertainment scene in Thailand has always been a major topic of discussion on this website. One reason for that is the sheer size of the industry. Another is its accessibility. Countless millions of men have come into contact with working women while traveling to and through the country.
Many more have run into Thai working women abroad. Without even visiting the country in person they have found a large number of ladies working in all manner of knocking shops including brothels in Amsterdam and massage parlors in Japan. I have written about a number of these places too.
A lot has been made of recent remarks by a female tourism authority in Thailand who wants to eliminate the commercial sex scene there as according to her people visit the country for its beautiful beaches rather than beautiful women.
As far as I know no mention has been made in any powerful quarters about all of the Thai women who go overseas to ply their trade. Thai women are a very common occurrence in places like the walk up brothels of Hong Kong, the freelancer bars and brothels of Singapore and even in escort agencies and massage parlors located in European countries like Germany.
I don’t know how this could be eliminated in any real way short of improving the economy and the position of women in the country itself. That is no small feat. Until that happens Thai working women will without a doubt seek out higher paying work around the world just as Filipina nannies, nurses and housekeepers do. That will continue to be the case in spite of efforts such as those of Singaporean and Malaysian border agents to turn back Thai women on “social visits” who appear to be traveling for disallowed work.
Mandarin Thaimassage is a Thai massage parlor in the city of Berlin that has a staff of at least three Thai women. These ladies range in age. The most attractive is in her thirties. Another is probably in her early forties. The last lady is possibly much older though she seems to be the most friendly.
Their shop is easy to find. It is located on the corner of a main road. It shares a building with some residential apartments though the massage shop has a separate entrance and store front. The doors remained locked. Customer ring a bell and one of the two women arrives to let them inside.
Once in the doors the customers decide on a service and make payment. Prices are reasonable for the area. A one hour oil massage costs 60 Euros ($68 USD) which is more than seven times the price for a similar service in Thailand but totally normal for Western Europe.
After customers pay they are led up a set of stairs to a hallway lined with massage rooms. The hallway and the rooms are kept very clean and neat. They are also well decorated and filled with quality floor level mattresses and chairs. A shower is available at the end of the hallway too. Customers are left alone in their rooms momentarily before sessions begin.
In the rooms customers prepare for their massages as they wait for their masseuses to return ready to rub. Usually customers strip down to nothing but a towel for an oil massage. Customers receiving Thai massages put on a pair of loose fitting shirts and pants. This is the same for most massage parlors around the world.
The massages performed at Mandarin Thaimassage are done professionally. They may not be the greatest in the world but they are certainly up to par. The women performing the body rubs at Mandarin Thaimassage obviously have experience and know what they are doing.
The women working at Mandarin Thaimassage can speak Thai as would be expected. They also speak German. Although I am not in a position to judge their skills in that language it does seem as if they are fluent. They speak only a limited amount of English but it is more than enough to collect money and guide customers through sessions.
They do not appear to be as cheerful and happy as one may expect from women hailing from the “land of smiles.” That may be due to the colder climate and more stern populace they deal with on a daily basis in Germany. It may also simply be a sign of the times. It seems that smiles are a lot less common in Thailand too nowadays.
In any event the women do not seem to disdain their work. They do laugh and joke around when conditions allow. They also do their work in a way that suggests they are interested in doing a good job and leaving their customers satisfied.
This extends all the way to the end of sessions. At least in oil massage sessions it seems that male customers are offered a happy ending by hand as a standard part of the service. The hand service is performed just as well as the rest of the massages. It is satisfactory and gets the job done without being anything particularly special.
Something that would surprise most massage parlor customers in Thailand is that no haggling or upselling is involved in this process. In fact the hand happy ending finish seems to be included in the regular price. Tips are not requested or expected by the women working at Mandarin Thaimassage. This is fitting in a country like Germany where tipping is much less common than it is in the United States and increasingly Southeast Asia.
After service concludes customers are given the option to use the clean and well stocked shower or simply get dressed as the masseuse leaves to clean up. Customers are given a cup of warm tea before being shown out a back door that leads down the apartment section stairs and back to the street.
Mandarin Thaimassage is a standard Thai massage parlor in Germany. It provides the usual level of service for similar places in the area and also charges the normal rates. It is open and accomodating and the women who work the shop work hard to ensure that customers leave feeling better than they did when they entered. I give it an average score of two-and-a-half stars.
Mandarin Thaimassage. Anhalterstraße 1210963, Kreuzberg, Berlin. Open seven days a week from noon to midnight. Website: http://www.mandarin-thaimassage-berlin.de Telephone: +49 030-2300-3070. Map on website.