Unplugged:Â Ciao Andrea, not that you need much introduction but please explain who you are for the readers that may not know.
AS: Ok, my name is Andrea Signorini, I was born and raised in Italy, I’m 43 years young and I’ve spent pretty much all my entire adult life living here in this beautiful country. I own Jomtien Sauna and when you don’t find me there, you’ll likely find me on the BJJ mats.
Unplugged: Anyone who has been around Pattaya for any length of time knows who you are and generally respects your opinions. How do you explain your notoriety?
AS: A few things can explain that. First of all, nobody works harder or longer than me daily. I have no days off. My day starts when people in this town go to sleep. I wake up to start my brutal days naturally at 4.45 am. Between training, teaching and the sauna, I am non stop till 8 pm, every day of the week. Because of this insane work ethic, I’ve been an overachiever my whole life. But I always keep myself grounded, humble and hungry to do more.
People love that, I can see this from their body language. When they first meet me, they might be a bit scared having known me only from social networks or urban legends, but then, when they finally get to know me in real life, they see that I’m just one of them, a normal guy who just wants to be the best at what he does and he’s ready to work harder than anybody to reach that goal. People get inspired and they want to follow me. The only side effect of being with me then is that I will convince you that you are the best and your only limits are the ones you impose on yourself.
Unplugged:Â Your sauna is a fan favourite place for many people even though you are off the beaten path and slightly hidden, how were you able to get the customers to come to you?
AS: It is because of my maniacal approach to everything I do. Jomtien Sauna has the only 100% authentic Finnish sauna in town. Entirely built with poreless, imported Finnish wood, powered with 2 imported Finnish heaters with Finnish stones and we are the only sauna place where you have the total guarantee of having the sauna room running at 120 degrees every single day of the year from the opening time of 9 am to the closing time of 9 pm. The steam room too is massive and we use no chemicals in there, freshly chopped herbs are put every hour in the vaporizer and then our swimming pools, my pride, with the best, crystal clear water you will ever see in a swimming pool. We also have a cryotherapy pool with freezing cold water, the best tool for physical regeneration. Add to all of the above-listed things, our great food, freshly prepared with the best ingredients, no msg, palm oil or any poisons normally used in town are used here, we use only the best and freshest ingredients, all homemade and delicious plus the beautiful atmosphere of the place itself. Every day you can see all the major business owners of this town, world-class fighters and athletes, UFC guys, elite grapplers, K-1 and Boxing world champions, here enjoying themselves. It is the place where you want to be.
Unplugged:Â It is clear to see that you put a lot of pride and heart into your business, it must have been heartbreaking to have to shut down over this virus.
AS:Â I take a lot of pride in being a good, very contributive citizen to society. I follow the Thai Law, not the gossips in the streets or on social media. I was never ordered to close the place, I chose to do it myself and I will immediately reopen it as soon as the situation gets better and of course if the law will allow me to do that.
Unplugged:Â You are often referred to as one of the most positive-minded individuals in town, how are you and your family handling being stuck at home?
AS: We are taking it as a vacation, my wife hasn’t had any time off in years, she needs some rest and having our little sauna paradise all to ourselves is like a dream. We’re enjoying it, sauna and swimming every day for us and our daughter and just spending quality time together and trying to make the most out of this situation.
Unplugged:Â I know that you are the first-ever Pattaya homegrown Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and you’ve basically been fighting your whole life in many different combat sports, are you still training at home during all of this?
AS:Â I keep a year-round, very high, very unhealthy pace, my own training regime borders insanity, I train from 2 to 3 times a day, Monday to Friday and I also teach. This takes a tremendous toll on the body and on the nervous system. I never stop, not even when I’m injured so I’m using these days as a chance to recover and regenerate. So no, I’m not training now, just lots of sauna, swim and stretching. Once the gym reopens I will be like new, all my chronic inflammations are already almost all healed, life is good.
Unplugged: We know behind every great company is a great staff. How are your staff doing during this? Have they, like many other Thais, returned home to the villages?
AS:Â I have 22 people on salary. They’re all here, nobody went back to the village, they didn’t have to, I’m taking good care of all of them, they’re family to me.
Unplugged:Â Your sauna is more than a place to relax, it’s also a place to be during the UFC. 19th April there’s a big main card on the UFC 249. Do you have a favourite?
AS:Â KhabibÂ
It’s time for the speed question round, are you ready?
Unplugged:Â Sauna or gym? Â
AS:Â Both
Unplugged:Â Bryan Flowers or your wife?Â
AS:Â Â Oh god…
Unplugged:Â George Saint Pierre or Royce Gracie?
AS:Â Royce
Unplugged:Â Brazilian jiu-jitsu or Muay Thai?
AS:Â BJJ
If you haven’t experienced Jomtien Sauna for yourself yet, follow them on Facebook HERE to stay informed on the latest happenings and stay tuned for reopening dates as soon as they become available! For more information contact Andrea Sinyorini on his social media directly! Look forward to seeing you all out at the pools when they open back up!
Interested in chatting with us about your business, life or ideas? Message us today at PattayaUnplugged@gmail.com. New content is always welcome.