Why Thailand’s Tourist Gyms are Worth Checking Out

As someone who's traveled a lot and trained at a countless number of Muay Thai gyms, let me start by clearing up a common misconception: Thailand has some of the cleanest, most modern, and most well-organized gyms in the world!

If you think Thailand is underdeveloped or a 'third world' country, those assumptions will vanish the moment you step into one of the country’s massive, state-of-the-art gyms.

The Tourist Gym Debate

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: the term ‘tourist gym.’ Some people hate it. If someone’s just had an amazing training experience in Thailand, they don’t want to hear that the gym they trained at isn’t ‘legit’ or that another gym is better, or that the gym they went to is a 'tourist gym'.

But here’s the thing—most of the people who argue online about which gym is the best or insist that ‘there’s no such thing as a traditional Muay Thai gym’ haven’t trained at many places or sometimes even more than one place. I’ve been to gyms that fit both categories, and there are some key differences worth noting.

What Tourist Gyms Do Best

First, let’s talk about cleanliness. Many of the tourist gyms in Thailand are cleaner than some 5-star hotels I’ve stayed at! This is one area where tourist gyms shine. They’re usually spotless, and they take hygiene seriously, which is a big plus if you’re training hard every day and want to avoid things like staph infection.

Facilities

In terms of facilities, tourist gyms also lead the way. Whether you’re looking for a well-equipped strength and conditioning area, a dedicated BJJ space, or even yoga classes, tourist gyms often offer way more than just Muay Thai training. They’re set up for cross-training too, so if you’re into MMA, wrestling, or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you’ll have plenty of options.

Services

Tourist gyms also tend to provide extra services you wouldn’t typically find at traditional gyms. Need help with your visa? Airport pickup? Some gyms even have you covered with that. And if you're from an English-speaking country, you’ll appreciate that these gyms often have staff with a much higher level of English, making the whole experience smoother.

Building a Community

For me, one of the biggest perks of training at a tourist gym, especially if it’s your first time in Thailand, is the community they create. You’ll be surrounded by other travelers, some training for fun and others prepping for their next fight.

Sometimes, you’ll be staying in the same accommodation as your training buddies, which means you’ll end up eating together, training together, and hanging out together outside the gym.

If you run into any problems, there’s a good chance one of your new friends has already dealt with the same issue and can help you out.

Some gyms even offer food packages, which can be convenient for certain people (though I wouldn’t personally recommend many of the extra packages tourist gyms sell). But hey, they're additional options for you to choose from.

Rubbing Shoulders with the Pros

Another cool thing about these gyms is that you never know who you might run into. It’s not uncommon to train alongside fighters from organizations like the UFC or ONE Championship, so you might end up sharing the mats with some legit MMA superstars! These tend to be at the more famous MMA gyms in Thailand which are sometimes the ones labeled as tourist gyms.

Easy Access to Other Gyms

Lastly, most of the tourist gyms are located in places like Phuket, where you’ll have easy access to a bunch of other gyms nearby. If you ever want to try out different places, you won’t have to travel far to get a taste of the variety Thailand’s fight scene has to offer.

But before booking your next trip be sure to have a read of my first experience in a Tourist gym!

https://fightlink.app/blog/my-first-experience-of-a-tourist-gym/