Koreans Love Lucky Numbers Too! Korean-Owned Korean-Style Massage Shop in Bangkok: Amor 888

To be honest, I always thought the obsession with lucky repeating numbers (like 888) was a uniquely Chinese thing. Growing up, we all wanted QQ numbers with repeating digits, phone numbers with repeating digits, even license plates with repeating digits. Chinese people see these “leopard numbers” as a status symbol. After all, if you see a Wuling Hongguang with four 8s driving down the street, you’d automatically assume the owner must be some rich kid from a landlord family who’s just come to the countryside to experience ordinary life.

Of course, I grew up brainwashed by this same mindset. So the other day while walking around Sukhumvit in Bangkok, I looked up and saw a red sign with “888” on it. There was no way I was going to walk past that — I had to go in and check it out. Once inside, I realized it was a Japanese-style massage parlor. At that moment I thought, “Does getting a massage here give me some kind of emperor-level status and service? Is that why they chose a lucky number?” I immediately assumed the owner must be Chinese and just wanted good luck.

Later when I chatted with the front desk, I found out the owner is actually Korean. Looks like the love for lucky numbers isn’t unique to Chinese people after all. The interior is decorated mainly in gold and red — a very auspicious combination. They even installed an elevator to make it easier for customers to go up and down, unlike some places where you have to climb five floors and are already exhausted before the massage even starts.

Anyway, I definitely had to try it first. Otherwise any review wouldn’t be fair. The owner is Korean and married a Thai wife, which is how they were able to open this shop. As everyone knows, to do business in Thailand you need at least 51% Thai ownership, otherwise you can’t even get a business license. So this setup is nothing unusual. Pretty much anyone doing business in Thailand ends up marrying a local at some point to make things easier. Of course there’s risk involved — if your wife decides to take the whole shop, there’s basically nothing you can do. When a Thai and a foreigner go to court in Thailand, the Thai side is almost always going to win. You didn’t think they would actually judge purely by the law, did you? Hahaha.

But no matter what nationality the owner is, as long as the service is good, the price is reasonable, and the decoration is nice, we don’t really care who’s in charge. A shop that solves your problems is a good shop.

The place has around 15 rooms in total. Some of the staff work part-time rather than full-time, so I hope the brothers can develop the good habit of making reservations. Showing up without booking and then having to wait a long time can really kill the mood. The girl at the front desk has god-tier language skills. While I was there, customers kept coming in — Koreans, Chinese — and she switched seamlessly between four languages. I have no idea how much the owner is paying her, but I almost wanted to come back just to learn English from her.

The 40-minute package starts at 3,000 THB. The rooms are well-equipped and even have individual sauna beds, which is one of their special features. The techniques are professional — they literally massaged me to sleep. When I was leaving, they told me about a promotion and even gave a benefit for my followers: come six times and you can redeem a free 3,500 THB package.

So as for the actual experience, it’s better if the brothers come try it themselves. Finally, I hope everyone can give a like and share. I’ll go step on the paid traps for you guys — just click that free like button for me!

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