Test yourself with Thai boxing in the nation’s capital.
A professionally trained Muay Thai fighter who proceed by the cognomen “ Boy ” is shout out at me . “ Kick ! Double kick ! human knee ! Knee again ! Lean back ! Kick ! Use your hip joint ! Double kick ! ” I gasp for air , struggle to keep up with Boy ’s requirement . A fusillade of early confidence ( good manners of a background knowledge in high school packing ) has eroded into exhaustion , and I ’ve start to get my wires spoil as Boy calls for a knee after a kick , an elbow joint after a jab , in prompt chronological succession .
“ Elbow ! ” he shouts . I plug . He giggle , delighted by the mistake , but in such an inoffensive and jovial manner that I feel he ’s express mirth with me and at me all at once . “ Hehehe , ” he triumph . “ Elbow ! Elbow ! ” And so goes my private Muay Thai breeding session at theFour Seasons Hotel Bangkokat Chao Phraya River — not a triumph , maybe , but certainly an unforgettable experience .
Most hotels do n’t house a full - sizing Muay Thai pack , but most hotels are n’t the Four Seasons Bangkok . It was through world-wide manager Lubosh Barta ’s insisting and association that the hotel came to have the ring , which is situate in the attribute ’s two - tale Urban Wellness Center . The reason ? “ Muay Thai is at the heart and person of many fitness , lifestyle and cultural fundamentals all across Thailand , ” explain the hotel ’s spa director Ben Carter , “ from the belittled of countryside village , to the tight pace environment of the capital Bangkok . ”
Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok
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agree to Carter , the Muay Thai ring itself “ was a custom build by a Thai family in Chiang Mai . ” That same family line ’s operation has grown to produce rings for a multitude of professional competitor , and counts Barta , who ’s spent his career working at sumptuousness hotels in the region , as an other supporter . “ They wanted to say thank you to him for stand them well over 10 yr ago when they were just a little local caller starting out , ” says Carter . Thanks in part to Barta , he says , “ they have grown to be one of the leading ring manufacturers in Asia and around the world . ”
Group Muay Thai classes are usable on a complimentary basis throughout the hebdomad , and guests can also enroll in private sessions , as I did . If you opt for the latter , you may come back to your way the night before your early morning engagement and find that the hotel has bring home the bacon a monogrammed brace of Muay Thai training trunks for the occasion . There ’s no patronage out now , is there ? The trunks will help you seem and feel the part ( of import ! ) , but they wo n’t keep you from flailing helplessly around the ring ( involve me how I know ) .
The training is designed for mass from all walks of life and experience stage , and attract a wide range of hotel guests . “ These session are designed to match each Edgar Albert Guest ’s power , so everyone gets something different from each session , each time , ” Carter says . Most enrollees are Modern to the play and eager to test themselves — both physically and mentally — while enjoy a new experience .
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Muay Thai course and education academic term begin with tutorials about stance and how to throw off the full assortment of biff , elbow and kicks . After that , you climb through the ropes and enter the doughnut for a few rounds with Boy , 2 - minute interval that will leave you speculate how so much physical woe could mayhap be contained within 120 seconds of an activity for which you willingly signed up .
On the burnished side , I excogitate as I nurse my ache and pains over breakfast pizza and congee from the buffet after my session , get my shag kick first thing in the break of day means there ’s nowhere to go today but up .
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For those who crave some recovery time post - Muay Thai , relief is nearby . You could limp or tramp yourself downstairs and into the spa , or direct to the sultry consortium pack of cards , where the 9 - Akka dimension ’s rear patio abuts the river with its constant flow of ferryboat and recollective - tail boats . The peaceful , tree - lined blank dotted with serviced daybeds feels a world removed the clamor of Bangkok , let alone the peril of that Muay Thai hoop .
After all , “ Thai boxing is about equalizer ; it ’s fitness , not fighting , ” Boy says . “ You experience it in your heart . ” And what good way to equilibrate your exertions than to relax by the pool ?
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Most hotels don’t house a full-size Muay Thai ring, but most hotels aren’t the Four Seasons Bangkok.|Photo by Jake Emen
Group Muay Thai classes are available on a complimentary basis, and guests can also enroll in private sessions.|Photo courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok
Muay Thai sessions begin with tutorials about stances and how to throw the full assortment of punches, elbows and kicks.|Photo by Jake Emen
Those who crave some recovery time post-Muay Thai can head to the riverfront pool deck.|Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok
