Thai Business Owner Defends Her Actions After Being Slammed For Putting Up “Disturbing” Sign On Store Front
A business owner based in Sydney, Australia, was surprised at a certain piece of criticism that she received.
The owner, Wannisa Piyatrakul, hails from Southeast Asian country Thailand. They are famous around the globe for their Thai massages, and she brought the local art form to Australia with her.
In January of this year, she was baffled by a comment that the sign on her store front was bothering bystanders. Someone had taken a photo of her writing that they were a “non-sexual” business and posted it on a local Facebook group, calling it “disturbing.”
Since massage parlors sometimes come with a negative stereotype of secretly offering sexual services, Wannisa wanted potential clients to know for certain that she does not offer anything like this.
Since I opened the business, many people are asking for special extra work, and we don’t do it. I don’t want people like that to come in: if I put it out front that we don’t have that service, then they don’t walk in, and they don’t waste my time, it’s better.
— Wannisa Piyatrakul
She defended herself for putting up the sign that they are a non-sexual business, saying that “it’s a normal thing” and that she did not face any problems doing so in the past. With over a decade of experience in the industry, she has never encountered someone else who was offended by her words.
It’s very normal, and it’s a normal thing, and I’ve had a business before, and no one said anything.
— Wannisa Piyatrakul
In the end, she took the sign down as a show of goodwill. She wanted to “make everyone happy” and decided that the best course of action was to reword what she wanted to say in the end.
I’ve been in the massage industry for ten years, I don’t know why guys don’t just go to the places that offer, and it’s very annoying. I don’t want to upset people in Mosman because I have a business here – I took the sign down. I didn’t think. I wanted to protect my business and be upfront. I try to understand them. That’s why I took the sign down, and I’ll put something else and make everyone happy.
— Wannisa Piyatrakul
