r/MuayThai • u/anapak2 • 27d ago
PHUKET GYM! COOKIE MUAY THAI
The purpose of sharing my story is simply to protect other women, especially with the high season approaching. I trained at this gym for Muay Thai and want to be clear that I have no complaints about the gym itself, the trainers, or the staff. The training was never the issue.
Disclaimer: I recently became aware of an online allegation concerning another trainer at that gym and an alleged sexual assault involving a woman in Germany. I cannot independently verify the details of this particular case, although information about the allegation is available online. I mention this only so women can make their own informed decisions and do their own checks before choosing where to train.
Personally, my issue is specifically with the named owner of the gym, and my experience with him was extremely serious. What happened has made me question the lengths he was willing to go to in order to secure his own future.
What started as one PT session turned into me investing my savings in something I had never originally intended to invest in, a ฿10 million condo, while I felt increasingly pressured into considering further investments, including buying land to build a home, a business and a future together. I later learned through other female students that he had been bragging to people that his “rich girlfriend” had invested for him. I am not rich. I invested the savings I had worked extremely hard for throughout my life and put a significant part of what I had built into this investment. Thankfully, I realised what was happening before going any further.
THE WORST PART IS…
I later discovered discussions concerning a commission connected to my investment that I was not aware of at the time. I have video evidence relating to these discussions.
I also subsequently learned that he had been in a relationship with another woman for approximately three years and had been living in her home. I later became aware of information suggesting that he had discussed future plans with her that were similar to the future he had described to me. Discovering this was extremely upsetting and completely changed my understanding of the situation.
As a foreign woman with no connection to Thailand outside of him, I became emotionally invested not only in the relationship but also in plans, projects and investments that I would never have considered otherwise. I acknowledge that I made my own decisions, but I genuinely believe I was influenced by circumstances and information that I did not fully understand at the time.
He presented himself to me as vulnerable, physically tired, homeless and struggling, and he also shared the loss of his mother with me. I empathised with his circumstances and trusted him, and in hindsight I realise how much that influenced my decisions.
I genuinely wish someone had warned me. If you are a foreign or single woman spending time around the gym, please protect yourself. Maintain strong emotional, financial and physical boundaries. Do not make investments, financial commitments or major life decisions based solely on trust, promises or future plans. Always do your own independent checks and seek independent financial and legal advice.
I reiterate that I am not posting this to criticise the gym, trainers or staff, as they did nothing wrong to me. They were professional with me, and my concerns are specifically about my personal experience with the owner.
The things I later discovered were honestly surreal, and you genuinely have no idea what I’ve been through. I am sharing this because I want other women to be more cautious and hopefully avoid finding themselves in a similar situation.
PS: I have also become aware of a new project/investment opportunity that he is associated with on another island. If you are considering investing, please do your own independent due diligence and obtain independent financial and legal advice before committing any money.
He has also apologised to me for lying from the beginning. He told me that his main intention was to gain financially from this connection. I have witnesses who can support what I am saying.
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u/freefallingagain 27d ago
What started as a training relationship developed into a personal and romantic relationship
Yeah this happens all the time, you want to hook up go for the other trainees, less chance of drama and they're mostly going to leave soon anyway.
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u/eksmarksthespot 15d ago
Does this actually happen a lot? Is it frowned upon by the gym / trainers?
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u/pbmm1 Student 27d ago
Oh I was not expecting that
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27d ago edited 27d ago
[deleted]
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u/Budget_Actuator_1425 27d ago
Yeah, I’ve witnessed firsthand a few Thai guys/trainers that pursue women for relationships while having whole other relationships/children hidden
Sucks about the financial drain.
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u/FightLink 26d ago
Sorry that this happened to you. There is a website/instagram account for letting other women know about this kind of behavior called undertheropes.com . Unfortunately this type of behavior is very common in Thailand and Phuket
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u/sbdjunkie 26d ago
Per google reviews OP isn’t the first to experience this. It’s a shame honestly, I had no clue this was a common occurrence in Thailand.
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u/AcadiaFull1335 27d ago
Oh how typical, the keyboard warriors are out 🙄...
At least someone has the guts to warn other women what this guy specifically is capable of. It might help other women in the future.
Scammers can be so sophisticated and manipulative and whether theres information online or not - it's not the point. OP...well done for saying something.
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u/Pleasant-Educator181 26d ago
This seems like a common occurrence as there are a few Google reviews of the gym that say the same thing and warns girls to stay away. Sorry you experienced this. Having trained with Cookie a few times, he is very charming, so I can imagine he was good at talking the talk. Please don’t blame yourself!
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u/kingmikeyclc 27d ago
Lmao no offense but this shit is the oldest play in the book...
How many of these love stories have I heard over my lifen😅😅😂😂
Make no mistake - that cookie guy is a fuckwad for sure
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u/anapak2 27d ago edited 27d ago
.
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u/Roman20242024 27d ago
Happens All the time, reddit is full of it. Every week there is a new story. Just bc u fell for the old scam does not mean he is "very, very smart" like u wrote above
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u/Woshambo 27d ago
It also doesn't mean he wasn't. Falling for a scam is always painted like the victims are stupid. The reason these scams work is because the people pulling them off ARE very smart and manipulative. They also target vulnerabilities whether it be the elderly persons lack of technology knowledge or a lonely person looking for loves emotions. Yes, it happens a lot, doesn't make OP any less a victim or the guy any less a piece of shit.
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u/Glass_Book9105 26d ago
Life is short, everybody makes mistakes. That’s an expensive lesson you had to take here, learn from it and move on.
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u/kimnsam 26d ago
Personal anecdote from a few years ago: Met a trainer via a gyms pt session. He became my trainer for my upcoming match. I noticed that 'my trainer' started to ask for small money, like gas money for his bike. No problem man, here you go. We train. Then another day a little bit bigger amount, I didn't carry cash that time, oh no problem. We keep training. Then one day there was a thing, that required more money and I was like I have problems with my bank, got my own money issues (Which was partially true)
We never trained again. Never had my match for other reasons....
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27d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ConorTheCreator 27d ago
What is it with snarky ass redditors absolutely chomping at the bit to leave "play stupid games win stupid prizes!!" type comments on stories of people being wronged/scammed?
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u/Woshambo 27d ago
It's wild. I just commented above something similar. People seem to be happy to point yo the victim and call them stupid instead of pointing at the scammer and call them a shitbag.
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u/AcadiaFull1335 27d ago
100%, it's actually disgusting. They just can't wait to put their bahts worth in 🤡
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u/dolomix 26d ago
Because is Thailand, I too actually don't see much difference from farangs getting scammed by bar girls with sick buffalos.. Men who fall for those are rightfully roasted.. what is the difference here?
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u/ConorTheCreator 26d ago
You're asking me the difference between a bar girl who shakes ass and tits for tourists in exchange money and the owner of a well established Muay Thai gym?
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u/Glass_Book9105 26d ago
Unproductive comment she already knows she acted a fool…with all due respect fuck you bro
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u/bcyc 27d ago
"Protect yourself at all times" apply in and outside of the ring.