Maxine Isaac

Pole in Bangkok used to come with a lot of explaining. Then BLACKPINK’s Lisa slipped a pole routine into her 2021 ‘LALISA’ video and, as Fly Me to the Moon co-founder O remembers it, the explaining got easier. Today, Elegance Pole Studio teaches in English on Sukhumvit Soi 23, Fly Me to the Moon offers pole and aerial classes in Ari and Flare Pole Studio starts newcomers with Pole Virgin near Rama 9. Add rumPUREE’s dance-school approach, sport pole with Voonsen in Lat Phrao and Dream Rotation’s DJ-led pole jams, and there’s more than one way to take your first spin.  We’ve chosen these five studios and one roving pole night with a nervous beginner in mind. Some favour structured courses, others heels and choreography, so choose the approach you actually want to learn. Bring shorts: bare skin helps you grip the pole. Book ahead and check the current timetable and package terms.

When Kamolthip ‘O’ Tangtheintong, co-founder of Fly Me to the Moon Pole & Aerial Studio in Ari, signed up for her first pole dancing class, Bangkok had two pole studios that she knew of and one word for the whole thing. It wasn't ‘fitness’. She wasn’t looking for a new life. She left a job as communications director at Ogilvy Public Relations in 2015 and opened Shaka Grill & Bar, a comfort-food place on Ari Soi 6. Since the restaurant didn't open until lunch, she had her mornings free for the first time in her thirties and had no idea what to do with them. She bought 10 pole classes. Photograph: Fly Me to the Moon Pole & Aerial StudioBangkok ‘I thought it would be easy, a sexy dance,’ O says.  ‘It was totally challenging. You need mental strength and muscle strength, and I didn't do well.’ She only kept going because she’d paid. Then, without noticing, she was hooked. ‘Everyone was so supportive. It was like entering combat together with people you don't know, fighting the same battle. There’s no rival except yourself.’   Photograph: Fly Me to the Moon Pole & Aerial StudioBangkok  Fly Me to the Moon opened in Ari in 2016, founded by three colleagues from the Ogilvy office. For two years, O says, the studio broke even and no more. Facebook ads brought nobody. Students came by word of mouth, two or three to a class, seven on a good day, often with the same concerns. O can still recite them. Am I too old, at 45? Too heavy? Does it matter that I’ve never danced or done any sp

Updated and expanded for September 2026 – Bangkok’s best Pilates studios get a remix to match growing demand. Club Pilates brings its trusted brand to the city, while other studios explore reformer, mat, hot, clinical and hybrid Pilates. Pilates. A workout that, to the uninitiated, looks like a complex, contraption-based workout that only fitness experts can master. And while Pilates does go heavy on the ‘contraptions’, the workout is surprisingly simple, getting into the smaller muscles most workouts miss.  In a nutshell, Pilates is about building strength, stability and control without beating up your joints. Low impact but the results are high. You walk out standing a little taller, moving a little better. For Bangkok, the trend crept in quietly. Physio clinics, a handful of low-key studios, places you’d find out about by word of mouth dominated for a time. Recovery over aesthetics. Small classes, specific clientele, not much to shout about. That's very much not the story now. What started as a niche has become a lot of Bangkokians' non-negotiable. A big player on the workout scene, and something more and more accessible as the trend develops. Reformers fill light-washed rooms across Sukhumvit. Heated classes push past 37°C with playlists that wouldn't feel out of place on a Friday night. Clinical setups run by actual physiotherapists sit alongside high-energy hybrid concepts and bilingual sessions that have opened the door to a whole new crowd. Reformer slots book out day

Getting an ice bath in Bangkok no longer means a bag of 7-Eleven ice and a borrowed bathtub. In a city that bakes at 35C for most of the year, paying to be freezing is now a trend, and new cold-plunge and sauna spots are opening almost everymonth to keep up. Part of it is the global recovery boom – the circulation, the sore muscles, the dopamine hit you can’t argue with once you’ve felt it. But the real pull is social. These places have become somewhere to meet people without a drink in hand: sober, daytime hangs where strangers bond over the shared shock of near-freezing water. Call it contrast therapy, call it the new night out – either way, Bangkok has fallen hard. Most of it hugs along the Sukhumvit line – Nana out to Phra Khanong, thickest around Thonglor – though a couple of spots reward a longer trek. From homegrown independents to slick international players, here’s where to freeze on purpose – in no particular order.

What is it? A pole-only studio near Rama 9, opened in 2023 by a group of pole teachers who wanted to build classes around the styles they loved, including exotic and flow. Complete beginners start in Pole Virgin, with a pole each and foundations to master – climbing, sitting and turning – before moving up. Why we love it: It’s a good fit if you think you need to be strong and flexible before you start: the introductory class is designed to build both. Co-founder Maprang says most students make their first climb between their first and fifth classes, ‘and everyone who gets there is so proud of themselves’. Plenty arrive wanting to try learn spinning pole, where the pole itself turns, then find themselves hooked on exotic, the sensual style danced in heels. Time Out tip: The quoted three-class Pole Virgin pack is B1,350, or B450 a class. Pole Virgin is also listed on ClassPass. Flare Pole Studio, B/F Skyy9 Centre, 554 Asok-Din Daeng Road, Din Daeng. MRT Phra Ram 9, exit 1, then around a 10-minute walk. Quoted rates: drop-in B700; Pole Virgin three-class pack B1,350. Listed hours: Mon-Fri 11am-9.40pm, Sat-Sun 11am-6pm. Confirm the current offer and timetable via LINE or @flarepolestudio. ClassPass bookings are listed for Pole Virgin.

  What is it? A Lat Phrao home studio run by Kru Voonsen, who reached the final of the first season of Thailand’s Got Talent in 2011 and won PCS Asia in Hong Kong 2016. The focus is sport pole: strength, technique and body control, rather than heels-led exotic choreography. Why we love it: She says she has trained many of Bangkok’s instructors, and her small group classes  bring first-timers together with students preparing for competitions, with teaching tailored to each person’s level. Expect explanations of why a trick works as well as how to do it. Group classes last 90 minutes, with a maximum of six students, and can be taught in Thai, English or a mixture of the two.  Time Out tip: She also sells new and pre-loved poles if you want to keep practising at home. Poledance by Voonsen, Lat Phrao Wang Hin. BTS Sena Nikhom or MRT Lat Phrao, with onward transport. Single group class B800; 10 classes B5,500, valid two months. Tue-Fri noon-1.30pm, Tue, Thu and Fri 7.30pm-9pm, and Sat 4pm-5.30pm. Confirm current class times and your place at least 24 hours ahead via LINE @poledancebyvoonsen. Current details at poledancebyvoonsen.com.

What is it? A pole studio on Sukhumvit Soi 23, opened in 2019 by Australian founder Nikki after three years running the original Elegance in Hong Kong. Four- and eight-week courses keep you with the same group, combining tricks and choreography, with the eight-week programme ending in a performance. Why we love it: Classes are taught in English, making it an easy place to start if you don’t speak Thai. The teaching is hands-on, too: when we tried the beginner class, everyone took a solo turn and got a personal note from the teacher. Ours was to stop relying solely on our arms and grip with the backs of our legs. Time Out tip: Start with Beginner Pole Foundation, where the Vanessa and front hook spins are among the moves taught. Courses run in terms, with a fresh timetable each time, so check Instagram before choosing your slot. Elegance Pole Studio, Room 1A26, 1/F, Young Place Shopping Plaza, 118/27 Sukhumvit Soi 23. Drop-ins listed from B700; four-class pack B2,400, valid one month; 10-class pack B5,500, valid two months; eight-week courses listed from B5,500. Ask about the four-week option quoted at B3,200 and confirm the rate for your chosen class. Listed hours: Mon-Fri 3pm-10.30pm, Sat 11am-4.30pm. Tel 095-457-0308. @elegancepolestudiobangkok

What is it? An Ari pole and aerial studio co-founded in 2016 by Kamolthip ‘O’ Tangtheintong, a former communications director at Ogilvy Public Relations, after a 10-class pack bought to fill her free mornings got rather out of hand. A decade on, she puts attendance at around 300 students a week, with roughly seven classes a day. Why we love it: Worried you’re too old, too young, too heavy or too uncoordinated? O remembers those concerns from the studio’s earliest students, 20-odd of whom still train here. At the time of our interview, she said students ranged from 11 to 55, with day jobs from dentist to sex worker. It’s a useful reminder that there’s no single type of person you need to be before trying pole. Time Out tip: New members pay B395 for their first class. Ask for a complete-beginner session and check English-language availability when booking. Fly Me to the Moon, 5/F Baan Yoswadi Building, 34 Phahon Yothin Soi 7 (Soi Ari), Phaya Thai (BTS Ari). First class B395 for new members; 10-class pack B4,100, valid for two months; packs available from five to 35 classes. The October 2026 pole timetable runs as late as 9pm on weekdays and 7pm at weekends; self-practice hours are listed separately. Tel 091-756-4192. Book via LINE or @flymetothemoon_pole_aerial.

What is it? A world dance school founded in 2006 by Busakorn ‘Apple’ Chantaravorameth, where pole shares the timetable with ballet, salsa and more than a dozen other styles. The school says it introduced Thailand’s first structured pole course in 2010. Why we love it: Its Open Class package works across dance styles, so you can spend some hours on ballet for posture and pointed toes, or conditioning for strength, then bring what you’ve learnt back to the pole. Apple started training in New York and brought pole home because, she says, it ‘perfectly combines beautiful artistry with an intense physical challenge’. Time Out tip: A one-hour first-timer trial costs B400. Bring knee pads and ask whether the trial fee can be deducted from a package bought immediately afterwards. rumPUREE, 2/F Jasmine City, Sukhumvit Soi 23 (BTS Asok or MRT Sukhumvit), and 3/F Samyan Mitrtown (MRT Sam Yan). First-timer trial B400 for one hour or B600 for 90 minutes; Open Class packages: six hours B3,000, valid 45 days, or 10 hours B5,000, valid 90 days. Monthly promotions may reduce prices. Listed weekday hours: Mon-Fri 10am-9pm. Weekend class times vary by branch; the Sunday Samyan timetable includes pole until 7pm. Book via LINE @rumpuree or ClassPass; check beginner-class eligibility on the platform and the branch timetable at rumpuree.com. 

What is it? An infrared hot yoga and strength studio on the second floor of Bambini Villa off Sukhumvit 26 that runs hot mat pilates most days, alongside hot hot 60C and 90C yoga, deep yin and red light recovery sessions. Why we love it LŪMA is an infrared yoga studio that happens to run a serious pilates timetable – Infrared Hot Mat Pilates most days, an Inferno 'Burn' class, a 45-minute HIIT Pilates Express and a Mat Pilates Sculpt that ends under the red lights. The teaching is attentive, with proper corrections rather than cueing from the front. Infrared heat here is gentler than a Bikram room, so you can push without wilting and it also suits those looking to pop their infrared cherry. If you do yoga as well as pilates, it's one membership instead of two. Time Out tip Drop-in is B800 a time, but unlimited monthly costs sit at B4,200, making it one of the better-value unlimiteds on this list. Classes are in English and it's a short walk from either Asok or Phrom Phong BTS.   2/F Bambini Villa, 18 Attha Kawi 1 Alley (Sukhumvit 26). Book via ClassPass, momoyoga.com/luma or Instagram @lumabkk.studio

What is it? A hot mat pilates and sculpt studio that opened in Yen Akat in 2025, with 50-minute classes in an infrared-heated room kept at 37-40C and a rooftop ice bath for afterwards. Why we love it The classes are split by body part – Core Inferno, Kiss My Peach for glutes, Upper Aura for arms and back – so you know exactly what you're in for. And, for those in the know, it's the rare-to-find Bangkok mat classes (that look like the ones on your feed) that deliver best: brutal while it's happening, then a strength shows up two days later and keeps you coming back. Add the rooftop ice bath afterwards and the contrast adds even more dimensions: from 40C to shivering in the time it takes to climb into the tub. Time Out tip Classes are B1,290 direct (B1,590 with the ice bath), so try it on ClassPass first or Try out the three-class trial at B1,999. Most packs are shareable, so it's cheaper with a friend. 57/1 Yen Akat Rd, Chong Nonsi. Book via ClassPass or squlptsocial.com. Mon-Fri 8.30am-9pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm

What is it? The private one – a serious, high-spec recovery centre on the third floor off Sukhumvit 32. The ice bath is just the start: it’s backed by a deep menu of infrared sauna, cupping, red-light therapy, leg-compression boots and even a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, the kind you’d normally only find in a hospital. Why we love it: Appointments only. No lounge, no strangers to befriend – just you, a staff member and the focused business of getting cold. ‘What people are looking for here most is privacy,’ says Julien Tanneau, general manager. ‘Most ice baths and saunas do it for the social side; our guests often come here to enjoy a quiet, uninterrupted recovery session.’  They’ll tailor the circuit to your goal – energise, recover or challenge – and walk you through it. Or run your own, working from the sauna down through the plunges to a brutal 2C. Around it you stack whichever recovery add-ons you’re after. A private tune-up, not a social hang. Time Out Tip: It’s booking-only, so reserve your slot ahead – and there’s no shame in starting at 10C and working your way down. 762/9-11 Soi Sukhumvit 32 (third floor), Khlong Toei. Open daily, 8.30am-9pm. Ice bath from B400 (15 minutes), infrared sauna from B300; combined ice bath and sauna B600. Cupping therapy B600; air compression therapy from B300.  Packages and unlimited monthly passes available. Booking recommended.

What is it? An onsen-style garden spot in Ari and a true cold-water curveball. It actually only runs ice baths twice a week, but the daily event is paired with an easier going set of chilled pools – one a bracing 5C, one a gentler 15C – all roomy enough to move around in. Round it out with hot pools (38C and 42C), a sauna, a steam room, a chill-out room and the Yellow Lane restaurant for when you’re done. Why we love it: The cold pool is the clever twist: you get the full cold-shock but with space to, unusually, share it. ‘You’re in up to the neck with room to move, not folded into a small tub half in and half out,’ says community programming manager David Baily. ‘There’s room for other people, which changes it completely – cold water is easier with someone next to you.’ Pair it with the hot pools, sauna and steam for a proper hot-cold circuit. All of it outdoors, under gorgeous trees. It’s mixed-gender, swimwear-on and low-key.  The food, from on-site restaurant Yellow Lane, is a cut above the usual. Time Out Tip: For a guided plunge rather than a solo soak, come for the Thursday ice-bath and breathwork session (7pm-9pm) or the Sunday open session (11am-2pm). 92/2 Soi Phahon Yothin 5, Ari (an Ekkamai branch is opening soon). Day passes go for B500 on weekdays, B750 on weekends. Open daily, 9am-10pm.

What is it? A central plunge-and-sauna club, with branches in Asok and Thonglor, built around the full contrast circuit – ice bath, sauna, steam room and hot tub – plus a ‘RE Dome’ for breathwork, yoga and sound healing and a cafe to refuel afterwards. Why we love it: The Thonglor branch spreads out more than other plunge spots in Bangkok do. There’s greenery everywhere, peppering the area between hot and cold plunge pools, multiple tubs, roomy sauna and steam rooms. There’s even a couch-strewn lounge built for the hang afterwards. A dedicated dome hosts yoga, breathwork and sound healing and there are enough regular events to turn one-off plungers into regulars.  Owner Gavin Tatum built it around ‘doing hard things together’ – breathwork, movement and cold exposure, all to bring people out of their comfort zones. The result is the closest thing Bangkok has to a clubhouse for the cold-water crowd. Time Out Tip: Bolt a RE Dome session onto your circuit and a quick plunge can easily turn into a proper afternoon of breathwork, yoga and sound healing. Asok: 24 Sukhumvit Soi 27. Open daily, 8am-9pm. Thonglor: Market Place Thonglor, 323 Soi Thong Lo 15. Open daily, 8am-9pm. From B750 for a two-hour session, cheaper if part of a package. Book via their app.

What is it? A garden bathhouse out west near Mahidol University, built around a Finnish sauna and a cold plunge you can set anywhere from 3C to 15C, depending on your nerve. Why we love it: Baan rewards the trek out west. It’s built for first-timers: staff walk them through the cold, and you set the plunge to whatever you can stand. For co-founder Matteo K, it’s less about toughness than ‘listening to your body and building confidence over time.’ In real terms, if you can’t brave a freezing ice bath on your first ever plunge, don’t worry. Start where you feel comfortable and learn to enjoy the chill. A place you come to slow down, not to tick off a plunge. Time Out Tip: Build in time to just sit in the garden between rounds – here it’s as much part of the ritual as the sauna and the ice. Add a Thai massage (from B450) to make an afternoon of it. 22/20 Phutthamonthon Sai 2, Thawi Watthana (near Mahidol University). B590, towels and amenities included. Open Thu-Sun, 9am-6pm.

What is it? Bangkok’s homegrown independent, widely credited with kicking off the whole craze – and, by its own reckoning, the city’s first dedicated ice bath and sauna spot. It all starts with a plunge hosted for a stranger met in a cafe: one Lazada tub, ice from two 7-Elevens, five people huddled in a backyard. Over the years, that grew into a weekly Saturday ritual, then a loyal following. Today there are two branches – one of them a rooftop – with a top-class sauna and real ice baths that sit between a nippy 2C to 4C. Why we love it: We’d head straight for the rooftop branch in Khlong Toei – open-air, breezy and best at sunset. Its weekly classes – gym sessions, yoga, calisthenics – are really just an excuse to get talking, and a lot of regulars (and a fair few friendships) start there.  ‘People do want to feel part of something, and to feel better,’ says founder John Layzell. ‘My dream is that when people come to Ice House, they see familiar faces and feel like they belong – and unlike a bar, a place like this can actually make you feel better too.’  There’s an aufguss sauna ritual too (Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7pm), led by aufguss master Gianni Arancio, who works the heat and scented steam to a thumping soundtrack – a night out, basically, with the lights down and the temperature up. Between the classes and the rooftop crowd, it’s little wonder this is where so many Bangkokians first get hooked on the cold. Time Out Tip: Catch the Saturday Offline Club at the Phr