Flow House Surfing Bangkok

Posted on December 10, 2013 by koomatzu

Set in the heart of Bangkok’s skyscraper cityscape, the Flow House is a great place to either let out some steam surfing on the FlowRider, or to just simply chill out in the bar to some laid back, dub reggae and rock tunes.

The Layout Of Flow House Bangkok

The Bangkok Flow House complex comprises of two separated artificial water ramps surrounded by a bar and restaurant area. As well as serving food and beers, the Flow House also has a plunge pool, shop and photographer service. The shop sells a good selection of boards, surfer style clothes, bikinis and board shorts while the plunge pool is pretty handy for keeping the kids entertained. As for the photographers, they take sneaky photos of you on the FlowRider which you can buy afterwards from 200 baht each.

The Flow House sports bar alone is a pretty good place to hangout to the music while watching all the action from the balcony – If you’re not keen on the idea of surfing, it makes a good enough visit in Bangkok without actually taking part in the flowboarding. The Flow House plays a really decent selection of cool Californian pop rock and reggae tunes in the background for a chilled out surfer vibe.

Food at the Flow House restaurant is equally pretty good. You can get some real tasty smoothies for 120 baht, healthy Caesar or Greek salad from 140 baht, or an epic beef burger and onion rings for 280 baht.

The Flowboarding Experience

If you love extreme sports like surfing and snowboarding, then chances are you’ll probably love Flow House Bangkok and you’ll also love watching the instructors and regular pros spinning and jumping around on the ramps. Depending on when you visit the Bangkok Flow House, group sizes vary from 1 0r 2 people to a maximum of 8 people. Typical sessions last one hour while you take turns with everyone else in your group.

Flow House instructors are all enthusiastic, friendly, encouraging and pretty much fluent English speakers. They make the flowboarding experience all the more enjoyable when they get visibly excited as they see their students improve through the session too. Beginners start off lying down and kneeling on the board which is quite simple and a lot less painful.

Once you’ve mastered this, which – if it’s a quiet day – is doable within a few goes, you can go on to a standing position, holding on to a rope for added balance. Just expect a lot of whiplash, bruises and aches for the next few days; you might want to plan your visit to Flow House wisely if you’re on holiday in Bangkok!

Good To Know

You can book flowboarding in advance on Facebook or just drop in; I recommend booking in advance as sometimes they have special events on (particularly on Fridays). It get’s very busy with lots of kid’s parties on the weekend so sessions aren’t such good value if you go during this time – you essentially end up paying 750 baht for all of about 8 minutes on the ramp after taking it turns with 7 other people throughout the hour.

Conversely, if it’s just a small group like a pair of you, it’s seriously knackering! You need a lot of stamina to survive half an hour straight of taking a beating from the FlowRider. This will only be a problem for other punoid wimps like myself though.

As for what to wear to the Flow House in Bangkok, the ramp does have shading so you don’t need to worry about sun burn. However it’s still best to cover up with a t-shirt, board shorts or whatever you have in your wardrobe, rather than just wear a bikini or skimpy man trunks; more than anything this is for modesty reasons. 1: you may end up feeling a little underdressed otherwise, this is Thailand afterall, and 2: the waves are seriously rough and you do not wanna be showing everybody what you had for breakfast!

How to get to the Flow House Bangkok

Flow House Bangkok is located in A-Square, a small complex opposite the shopping village K-Village. It’s a little too far to any of the BTS and MRT stations of Bangkok however you can ask a taxi to take you to Sukhumvit Soi 26. A-Square and K-Village are both located on a road just off of Sukhumvit Soi 26 called Soi Ari. Just look out for signs to K-Village or mention K-Village to the taxi driver to know when to stop.

Yoga In Bangkok

Posted on April 26, 2013 by koomatzu

If you want to practise yoga in Bangkok, you’re just in luck! Bangkok has a great range of yoga schools and yoga classes, many of which offer monthly rates for unlimited yoga classes. The cheapest yoga class in Bangkok that I have found so far is Yoga Elements, however Iyengar hot yoga has a great reputation as being a hardcore workout among expats in Bangkok.

Directory of Yoga classes and prices in Bangkok

Yoga Elements Bangkok

Where: Chit lom
Drop-in price: 500 baht
Monthly price: From 2000 baht for 15 x 90 minute sessions
Website: www.yogaelements.com
Review

The Yoga Place Bangkok

Where: Thong Lo
Drop-in price: 350 baht
Monthly price: 3000 baht for 10 x 90 minute classes
Website: www.theyogaplace.in.th

Iyengar Yoga Studio Bangkok

Where: Thong Lo
Drop-in price: 500 baht
Monthly price: 3400 baht unlimited use
Website: www.iyengar-yoga-bangkok.com

Yoga Sutra Thai Bangkok

Where: Chong Nonsi
Drop-in price: 500
Monthly price: From 9000 baht for 3 months unlimited use
Website: www.yogasutrathai.com

Lullaby Yoga Bangkok

Where: Ploenchit & Lumphini
Drop-in price: 550 (200 for first timer)
Monthly price: Around 3500 baht for 15 sessions
Website: www.lullaby-yoga.com

Absolute Yoga Bangkok

Where: Amarin Plaza, Silom Road (BTS Saladaeng), Prom phong, Nonthaburi, Lad phrao (MRT Pha Ho Yothin), Pinklao, Crystal Park
Drop-in price: 650 baht
Monthly price: 4900 baht for 10 classes
Website: www.absoluteyogabangkok.com

YogaFly Bangkok

Where: Pilates Station Prom Phong
Drop-in price: 550 baht
Monthly price: –
Website: www.pilatesstation.co.th

Not interested in yoga in Bangkok? For gyms and their prices in Bangkok, see my Bangkok Fitness Club directory here.

Rumpuree Dance School – Pole Dance Classes In Bangkok

Posted on March 8, 2013 by koomatzu

Rumpuree dance studio Bangkok

Rumpuree is a fitness and dance school in Bangkok with two branches, one situated in Silom and the other at the top of Amarin Plaza, BTS Chit Lom. Pole dancing is a lesson taught at Rumpuree among many others dance classes such as flamenco, hip hop, belly dance, salsa, zumba and, a favourite of mine that I would love to try at some point, swing dance. If you are looking for a pole dance class in Bangkok, choice is quite limited, your only other option being the ‘xxx pole dance’ lesson at some of the California WOW fitness centres. Dance classes at Rumpuree cost 500 baht for an hour or if purchased in 10 session blocks, 4000 baht.

The dance studio at Amarin Plaza is actually relatively small; there is a rather smart, wooden floored reception area complete with leather sofas, sweets and magazines to entertain yourself while waiting for classes. This opens into the changing area, of which there are three curtained booths with ample lockers to keep your belongings safe. The pole dance studio itself is quite cool – two of the walls are covered top to bottom with mirrors (very useful when trying to perfect moves) with another graffiti decorated wall to brighten it up nicely. There are four static poles altogether, with an extra separate pole at the front for demonstration.

Review

Despite there being a huge lacking of pole dance schools in Bangkok, there still don’t seem to be many students who attend classes here, meaning that the classes can be quite small and private. Generally at the times that I have been, pole dance class sizes have ranged from being just me on my own to about six people maximum. Some people might find this a little relieving and less intimidating to know when first starting out.

Also, the poles used in the studio are all static. In case you are new to pole dancing and unfamiliar with this pole dancing term – there are static poles and there are spinning poles, the static poles being harder to use and at times more painful on the skin due to friction. I find that the spin poles tend to just spoil you too much and impede improvement though. If you really want to get good at pole dancing, in my opinion using just the static poles is much better for you in the long run.

Now on to the pole dancing teacher. There are a few different teachers who teach the pole dance classes at Rumpuree but I have only ever had the pleasure of being taught by one of them. When it came to technique, she was very thorough and vigilante to point out any bad habits or mistakes. Pole dance moves were broken up into detailed and specific steps – this is definitely the important to learn many complicated moves pole dancing, however sometimes I found very simple moves could be a little over-complicated by this overthinking and also… less fun. Personally, I generally perform better by just watching and copying without thinking about something too much. And I enjoy it much more too; but then hey I do have really bad pole dance technique apparently.

Most importantly of all for me though, I found the atmosphere at Rumpuree dance studio in Bangkok to be a little cold and unfriendly with no sense of community. The other dance students were very distant, most days nobody speaking a word to eachother throughout the whole of the pole dance lessons. I don’t know if this is just unfortunate and down to those individual people, or if it’s because of the style of teaching not pulling people together and opening them up to eachother. At the pole dance school I went to at home, the teachers tended to encourage students to share poles and spot eachother, making the whole vibe of the pole dance classes much more close-knit and relaxed. I think it’s really important to have a social side; a close, friendly community when taking part in activities like this.

Pros

+ The teacher(s) is very good – particularly observant in reinforcing good technique and habit

+ At 500 baht per lesson, although I think the price is a little steep even for Bangkok, the classes can be very small, meaning more attention and help per student.

Cons

– Lessons tend to neglect fundamental strength and grip conditioning – crucial in buiding a good foundation for advanced pole dance moves

– Not very sociable and not as fun or varied as pole dancing has the potential to be

Clark Hatch Thaniya – A Review

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Happy

Before coming to Thailand we did a little research online regarding good gyms in Bangkok, most of what we found was actually quite off-putting however since coming to Thailand we’ve found a few good gyms so do not be put off if you are having trouble research online before moving.

Back in January 2013 we posted an article listing gym locations and prices in Bangkok as a guide to help people find a gym in Bangkok that best suited their requirement, be it weight training, getting fit, fitness classes and so forth. At the time we had not yet joined a gym, since writing that post we have joined Clark Hatch Thaniya, which is in Sala Daeng, Bangkok and here is our review of the place.

The Gym Equipment at Clark Hatch Thaniya

The equipment in Clark Hatch is all pretty good. There are plenty of treadmills, bikes and cross trainers, assisted weight machines as well as a generous free weight section that is home to two large racks of dumb bells ranging from 5lb through to 70lb. There is also a smaller rack of dumb bells ranging from 1kg to 10 kg.

The weights room also has every bar you will ever need, long bar, short bar, Z bar … you will also find some great frames to help you deadlift, squat and chest press.

Benches; also lots, I’ve never had to weight for a bench to become free. That being said, there are no good angled benches – They do have a type of bench that angles however its not flexible enough – I struggle to get a good angle for dumb bell chest presses without moving more of the weight than I would like to my shoulders.

Only downside to the gym area is that there is no air conditioning, just fans. For weight training, the fans seem to be just about right though for cardio the lack of air conditioning really makes it harder. Clark Hatch is not the cheapest gym in Bangkok, air con doesn’t seem much to ask.

The Swimming Pool at Clark Hatch Thaniya

This is a real bonus. Clark Hatch have a restaurant on the pool side and sitting by the pool at the end of my work out, drinking a protein shake makes training at Clark Hatch a really enjoyable experience.

The swimming pool is big enough to exercise and has a pleasant decking area for snoozing. I’ve never really seen the pool with more than 1, maximum 2 people in, which is great.

The restaurant has a range of Thai dishes for a reasonable price. Protein shakes will cost you 100 Baht, which may seem a little high however protein in Thailand still seems like a sellers market. Also, back in England I’ve never had a protein shake anywhere near as tasty as these’s bad boys at Clark Hatch.

Does it Get Busy as Clark Hatch Thaniya?

We tend to go in the week and weekends anywhere between 12:00 and 16:00 and it’s never really busy. I believe it gets a little busier in the evenings as most gyms do.

The Boxing Gym and Clark Hatch Thaniya

On the floor below the main gym is Clark Hatch boxing gym. It spans the whole of the gym area and has bags, pads and other gear. You are free to use the boxing gym alone when classes are not happening or you can join the Thai Boxing class at Clark Hatch for free. In fact, there are a heap of classes at Clark Hatch such as Yoga, Fitball and so forth. They are all free for members.

The Facilities at Clark Hatch Thaniya

The changing rooms and showers are good. Enough room, spacious lockers (bring your own pad lock) and the showers kept clean and offer complimentary shampoo and shower gel.

There is also a Steam Room. The steam room in the male changing room is in serious need of restoration. Big gaps under the door mean it gets cold quickly and when the steam clears, you can see the walls are cracked and stained yellow. The lights do not work that well if at all. Either because the mold and rust has won or the bulbs are gone, either way – The steam room seriously needs attention. That being said, I use the steam room around three times a week, I’m just not that fussy.

Free Gym Clothes!

Now this is a really nice plus. I’ve never seen a gym do this before. Each time you come you are offered optional free gym clothes.. shorts, shirt or vest and shocks (Towel as well, of course). At first I thought this was a bit of an odd concept, but not having to carry dirty clothes around with you is great. You can come to the gym with nothing but your member ship card, work out, have a steam, have a shower and walk out in fresh clothes. Cool. (Some of their gym clothes could be chucked out now though I think, some are super new and others are super old).

Friendly, Helpful Staff

The staff here are very friendly and welcoming and will help without hesitation if you need it. Many of the staff can provide personal training too, though I’ve not taken this up so I’m unable to pass comment.

How Much does Clark Hatch Thaniya Cost?

You can pay daily (500 bath), monthly (3500 baht), every 6 months (12,500 baht) or annually (21,600 baht). We did not haggle but I bet you could trim a little off, if you were that way inclined.

Click here to see our post on prices of other Gyms in Bangkok.

Pros

Loads of gear, not overly busy, friendly staff and customers, great roof top swimming pool.

Cons

No air con in the gym, steam room is gross.

The Verdict

I love this place and am going to seriously miss it when I leave Thailand. I look forward to going to the gym thanks to this place, which is half of the battle.

Gyms In Bangkok

Posted on January 21, 2013 by koomatzu

Fitness Clubs & Prices In Bangkok

It’s seriously a pain in the ass trying to find out the prices of gym memberships in Thailand! So I have put together a list of gyms in Bangkok along with membership prices and costs for comparison. Some of the costs below may not be so accurate as prices can vary at some of the bigger fitness clubs in Bangkok, it seems it is the norm that most of these gyms require negotiation over the price.

Costs also vary depending on the length of membership contract. I will be constantly updating and confirming the Fitness Club information provided here, but in the meantime please do feel free to submit any Bangkok gym prices or gym reviews – it would be much appreciated!

N.B. For information on high protein gym supplements, check out our page Protein tips in Bangkok

Powerzone Fitness Club

Where: Bangkok Dindaeng BTS Sanam Pao
Drop-in price: 150 baht
Weekly price: 400 baht
Monthly price: 1200 baht
Three month membership: 3300 baht
Website: www.sitthi.net/Powerzone.aspx

Powerhouse Gym *

Where: Bangkok Pinklao

Rocky Gym *

Where: Bangkok Ratchatewi

Crossfit Fast Gym *

Where: Bangkok Silom – BTS Chong Nonsi
Price: –
Website: www.crossfitfast.com

Crossfit Bangkok *

Where: Bangkok, Aspire at Asoke
Price: –
Website: www.facebook.com/CrossFitBangkok

California Wow Fitness Club (No longer in business)

Where: Numerous locations
Price: From 12000 baht for a year
Website: www.californiawowx.com

Nows Fitness Club

Where: Bangkok Payatthai, On nut
Monthly Price: 2999 baht
Six Month Membership: 9000 baht
Year Membership: 14400 baht
Website: www.nowsfitness.com

Clark Hatch Fitness Centre

Where: Numerous locations around Bangkok
Drop-in price: 500 baht
Monthly Price: 3350 baht
Six Month Membership: 12500 baht
Year Membership: 21600 baht
Website: www.clarkhatchthailand.com
A review of Clark Hatch Thaniya

Fitness First Fitness Club

Where: Numerous locations around Bangkok
Joining fee: 1600 baht
Price: 2500 baht per month (minimum five month contract)
Website: www.fitnessfirst.co.th

Thai-Japanese Youth Club*

Where: Bangkok Dindaeng
Price: 40 baht per year

The LAB Gym

Where: Bangkok Sukhumvit 31 – BTS Prom Phong
Price: 30,000 baht per six months (group training)
Website: www.tbtlab.com

True Fitness*

Where: Bangkok Chitlom, Asoke
Price: –
Website: www.truefitness.co.th

Lumphini Park Gym*

Where: Bangkok Lumphini Park
Drop-in Price: 35 baht

Tae Chio Cemetery Gym

Where: Bangkok Sathorn (more info here)
Price: Free

*Prices to be confirmed – Sorry, some of these slippery gyms really don’t like to answer emails!

Interested in Yoga classes? See my directory of Yoga studios in Bangkok here.

Yoga Elements Bangkok

Posted on January 19, 2013 by koomatzu

I’ve tried yoga on and off over the years back in my hometown but never really stuck to a yoga class for too long… the last couple of years I mainly followed a Rodney Yee yoga dvd once a week every week to subsidise my other exercise regimes. When I moved to Bangkok, I found Yoga Elements on google – apparently they are rated as the 11th best yoga studio in the world! And as you pay for a set amount of yoga classes per month, it seems you’re much more likely to improve and take part in it a little more seriously and regularly.

About Yoga Elements Bangkok

Yoga Elements is situated in Bangkok, just a 5 minute walk from BTS Chitlom in the Vanissa building just down the road from Central Chitlom shopping mall. The studio itself is very impressive – it’s clean, nicely decorated with amazing views over the city of Bangkok from the actual yoga studio itself – which is definitely a cool environment to do exercise. You are provided with towels and a locker with free use of the showers too which really comes in handy if you want to do some exercise before work or uni etc.

Yoga Elements Review

As for the actual yoga classes, I found them to be a little hit and miss. I found some of the yoga classes to be a little too focused on breathing and relaxation – not particularly much of a workout. Now, I know breath and relaxation are fundamental to yoga but in all honesty, I’m much more interested in the physical side of it, so the classes at Yoga Elements Bangkok just didn’t keep my motivation up.

Cerissa’s classes were very good, and if she taught more lessons there I would have definitely considered sticking with Yoga Elements… I ached the next day after her yoga classes. Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t rate Yoga Elements badly, as I think it is more to do with my own taste that I did not gel with it… but I would recommend that you try elsewhere if you’re just after a more rigorous workout. If you are serious about yoga or the more spiritual side of it, then this Bangkok yoga studio will likely be most awesome for you!

You can purchase your first month of 15 x 90 minute yoga lessons for just 2000 baht which is the cheapest yoga studio in Bangkok I have found so far. You don’t need to book either, just drop in to one of the beginner ‘Elements’ yoga classes 15 minutes before the start – you can check out their website or Facebook page for a schedule or take a look at my guide on yoga in Bangkok.

Where can I buy a yoga mat in Bangkok?

You can pick up a cheap yoga mat in Bangkok for about 300 or 400 baht from most Watsons pharmacies –usually in a container near the till. Otherwise Sports World on Silom Road just off the Saladaeng BTS has a selection of yoga mats between 300 and 1500 baht. For a better quality yoga mat in Bangkok, try Siam Paragon sports section on level 2 – the ones for 960 baht are much better quality and less slippy than the cheaper yoga mats mentioned above… although you can buy budget yoga mats here too.

Joining a Thai Language School

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Happy

If you are planning on staying in Thailand for a while then it’s a good idea to make an effort to learn to speak Thai. Yes you can get by without speaking it, the old western favorite of talking loud, pointing and getting money out generally does the trick. But we are better than that, are we not? Not to mention feeling at home; it’s hard to feel at home in a country when you do not speak the language. If you are planning on staying a while, learn a little Thai – You might enjoy yourself.

Not to mention other benefits learning Thai brings. Such as paying a better price for goods or being allowed to stay in Thailand on an ED visa, providing you study a certain amount of lessons in a year. I will write another post on this topic alone at some point.

Hows does joining a language school in Thailand work?

It’s simple.. Rock up at some schools and say Hello, do you have any information on learning Thai please? If they do not understand you, probably not a good school for you. You can call or email schools before visiting but actually seeing the inside of the school and how the staff act first hand is the best way to tell if the school is right for you.

How do I find a good language school in Thailand?

I like Googlin’ and that’s my preference. Most good schools should have an online presence. It’s always good to go looking for reviews or pictures of Thai language schools online.

Another great source of schools can just be keeping your eye’s open as you walk around. Especially in Bangkok, most of the major streets such as Silon Road and the big shopping centers like Siam Paragon will have companies offering language courses in Thai. If you spot on, you could just go home and hope you find it on Google or walk straight in and see what they have.

How much does a Thai language course cost?

The prices really range depending on what you want. If you want a few lessons a week and to pay as you you go, you could pay only a few dollars a lesson, if you want a full course from a well established school that will help you with an ED visa you could spend any where between a few hundred dollars to a thousand. I believe some universities offer great long term, full time courses.. I’ve not looked into this much, but these generally cost a few thousand USD from what I remember.

My girlfriend and I joined a school called Language Express located in central Bangkok. It was the most expensive we found. It’s for 200 lessons within 1 year, all books included and they help you get an ED visa.

We found cheaper courses offering the same package, but the location of this one is great and their building facilities a great, so we decided a positive environment justifies the cost. It cost us 34,000 Baht in November 2012, which is around £700 or $1100 U.S dollars. I wrote a review of Language Express Bangkok, you can read it here.

Have you attended a language school or Thai course in Thailand? If so, we’ve love to hear your thoughts on what you experienced. Either add a comment to this post or drop us an email if you want to write a full post on here, with full credit of course.

Cheers,
Happy