Muay Thai Gyms on Soi Taied, Phuket: History, Gyms and Where to Train

Soi Taied is a narrow road of about 1.5 km in Chalong, in the south of Phuket, and Muay Thai camps, fight gyms and fitness centres line almost its whole length. Most people know it simply as "Fitness Street". This guide covers how a quiet lane through rubber plantations became Thailand's best-known training street, the gyms that are open on and around it today, and how to train and stay there with Book Fitness Retreats.

Quick facts

• Where: Chalong, southern Phuket. The soi runs between Chao Fa Road West and Chao Fa Road East, close to Wat Chalong, with the road up to the Big Buddha on Nakkerd Hill a few minutes away.
• Names: Soi Taied, Soi Ta-iad, Soi Ta Iad, Soi Taiad and Ta-Eiad Road are all the same street. Nicknames include Fitness Street, Fight Street and Muay Thai Street.
• Best known for: Tiger Muay Thai, which opened in the 2000s and started the street's growth, and Ludus, the newest and largest training complex on the strip.
• Train and stay with us: see all our listings on the Soi Ta-iad Fitness Street destination page.

A short history of Soi Taied

Before the gyms: rubber trees and a village lane

Until the early 2000s Soi Taied was an ordinary local road in Chalong, lined with rubber plots and food stalls. In August 2024 Thailand's then Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, described it in exactly those terms: "Soi Ta-iad used to be a road of rubber plantations. Locals have turned them into hotels, eateries, shops and laundries."

Tiger Muay Thai starts it all

The change began with Tiger Muay Thai. American William McNamara took over a small one-ring gym so he could keep training with his Muay Thai coach, Kru Phet, and the camp grew from a couple of rings, some bags and a thatched roof. Sources disagree on the exact year: Wikipedia and the local guide On The Soi give 2003, while ONE Championship's history of the gym gives 2005. What they agree on is that Tiger was the first business to grow on the soi and the first gym to bring Muay Thai tourism there in numbers.

Retreats in Soi Ta-iad Fitness Street you can book

Soi Ta Iad, Chalong, Phuket, Thailand · 7 to 28 nights

Ultimate Fitness Thailand Camp, Powered by Ludus: Fitness & Muay Thai at the LUDUS Hotel, Phuket (7 to 28 Nights)

• ✓ Airport pick-up on arrival (return transfer to the airport on request)
• ✓ Your room at the LUDUS Hotel: private, or twin share for less
• ✓ Three meals a day from the Standard Plus menu
• ✓ Unlimited group fitness classes (regular timetable, or a dedicated …

From US$2,090

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Soi Ta Iad, Chalong, Phuket, Thailand

1 Month at Ludus Phuket with a Room at Marina House

From ฿95,550

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Soi Ta Iad, Chalong, Phuket, Thailand · 5 days to 4 weeks (5–28 nights), start any day

Ludus Phuket Training Stay with a Room at The Blue Hotel (5 Days to 4 Weeks)

• ✓ 5 to 28 nights at The Blue Hotel in your chosen room, room only, wi…
• ✓ Ludus VIP access for your stay: the gym, the functional training zo…
• ✓ Booking and support from Book Fitness Retreats, from enquiry to arr…

From US$1,220

See dates & prices →

Retreat	Where	Length	From
Ultimate Fitness Thailand Camp, Powered by Ludus: Fitness & Muay Thai at the LUDUS Hotel, Phuket (7 to 28 Nights)	Soi Ta Iad, Chalong, Phuket, Thailand	7 to 28 nights	US$2,090
1 Month at Ludus Phuket with a Room at Marina House	Soi Ta Iad, Chalong, Phuket, Thailand		฿95,550
Ludus Phuket Training Stay with a Room at The Blue Hotel (5 Days to 4 Weeks)	Soi Ta Iad, Chalong, Phuket, Thailand	5 days to 4 weeks (5–28 nights), start any day	US$1,220

Tiger did two things that were unusual at the time. It added mixed martial arts and grappling alongside Muay Thai, which few Thai camps offered then. And it marketed itself to foreigners online, with an English-language website, an early Muay Thai YouTube channel and a Facebook page. As one long-time coach told ONE Championship, "Tiger is the reason the entire community exists."

The gyms and businesses that followed

Once foreign trainees arrived, other camps and businesses followed them. Family-run Muay Thai camps such as Dragon Muay Thai, one of the original gyms on the street, took in visitors. CrossFit arrived with Unit 27, described locally as the first official CrossFit box on the island. Fitness camps such as Titan Fitness Camp built programmes for people who wanted to lose weight or get fit rather than fight. Around them came the things trainees need: guesthouses and resorts, meal-prep kitchens and healthy cafés, massage shops, laundries, supplement stores and Muay Thai gear shops.

In 2015 Tiger Muay Thai was sold to a group of Thai businessmen. The new owners rebuilt and expanded the camp to more than 9,000 square metres, with several boxing rings, a pro-size MMA cage and an upgraded strength and conditioning area, and the gym's managing director has called that renovation the turning point. Tiger also opened a second Chalong site, Tiger Muay Thai Beachside, in 2019.

After COVID: the street gets busier and bigger

Since Thailand reopened to visitors after the pandemic, the street has kept growing, and two government moves have encouraged longer training stays. In early 2024 the government backed a scheme for special 90-day "Muay Thai visa" stays, and in July 2024 it launched the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), which lists Muay Thai courses among the activities that qualify for long stays of up to 180 days per entry.

The growth has been visible on the street itself. In February 2024 Tiger Muay Thai's managing director asked the authorities for help with traffic on "the small, but busy, street", noting how many boxing and fitness camps now line it. In August 2024 the Prime Minister singled out the soi as Phuket's "Muay Thai Village", saying Tiger alone had more than 100 trainers and more than 80,000 people registered for its courses over the previous year.

New, larger facilities have arrived too. The biggest is Ludus, a 5,000 square metre sports complex on the soi with its own hotel of 55 rooms opening on 1 December 2026. Newer strength gyms built around HYROX and functional training, such as Kong Strength & Conditioning, now sit alongside the traditional Muay Thai camps, and the street now serves people training for HYROX, CrossFit and general fitness as well as fighters.

Muay Thai and fitness gyms on Soi Taied today

These gyms were listed as open on or right beside the soi in local directories and guides checked in October 2026. Timetables and prices change often, so check with the gym before you go.

Muay Thai, MMA and combat sports

• Tiger Muay Thai (7/35 Moo 5, Soi Ta-iad). The street's anchor and Phuket's best-known camp: Muay Thai, MMA, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, yoga and fitness classes, with on-site accommodation and a pool. It trains complete beginners alongside professional fighters. We list Tiger training stays (see below).
• Ludus Sports Complex & Training Camp (10/130 Moo 5, Chalong). The newest and most modern facility on the strip: a 5,000 square metre complex with Muay Thai and boxing twice a day, MMA, wrestling, kickboxing, a dedicated HYROX area, conditioning, spinning, yoga, mobility and Pilates, plus a gym full of new equipment. Its own hotel opens on 1 December 2026. See Ludus Phuket training camps.
• Dragon Muay Thai (10/3 Moo 5, Soi Ta-iad). A Thai-owned, family-run open-air camp among coconut palms, one of the original gyms on the street, focused on technique and known for sending fighters to Bangkok.
• Lions MMA Club (also known as Nova Uniao Phuket). MMA, Muay Thai, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing and wrestling for all levels, led by a 4th-degree BJJ black belt.
• Insee Muay Thai (Soi Song Khun, just off the soi). A large open-sided Muay Thai hall with its own boxing stadium and regular fight nights.
• Apollo Camp. Group and private Muay Thai and Western boxing, with rooms beside the training space.
• Teiwaz Striking. Muay Thai, MMA striking, boxing, K1 and wrestling, with strength work.
• Rattachai Muay Thai. Owned by a three-time Lumpinee Stadium champion; small group classes, private sessions and drop-ins.
• Kru Muay Thai Phuket. A small Muay Thai gym led by a former Rajadamnern champion.
• T&Y Muay Thai. A long-running camp set up by a former professional boxer, covering Muay Thai, ancient boxing, MMA and international boxing.
• Phuket Singha Muay Thai. Traditional Thai boxing in small groups, with gloves and wraps provided.
• Lucky Punch Muay Thai. A newer Muay Thai gym with a ring towards the southern end of the soi.
• Ali's Boxing Gym. A family-run Western boxing gym for all levels, next to Ali's BBQ.

CrossFit, HYROX, strength and fitness camps

• Unit 27 (9/49 Moo 5, Soi Ta-iad). A purpose-built CrossFit and functional fitness facility with coached HYROX, CrossFit and strength classes, athlete training and meal plans.
• Pirate Camp (54/321 Soi Ta-iad). A pirate-themed CrossFit affiliate with coached classes, varied programming and open gym twice a day. See Pirate Camp CrossFit training stays.
• Titan Fitness Camp (22/45 Soi Ta-iad). An all-inclusive fitness and weight-loss camp with an outdoor bootcamp area, an assault course, an air-conditioned indoor gym and on-site accommodation. It sells programme blocks rather than drop-ins.
• Kong Strength & Conditioning. A 600 square metre open-air strength gym with HYROX-style classes, functional training, yoga and Pilates, ice baths and an infrared sauna.
• Superfit. A general gym with strength equipment, free weights, cardio and a smoothie bar.
• Jetts Fitness Chalong (inside Robinson Lifestyle Chalong, at the east end of the soi). A 24-hour gym with a HYROX training area.

For yoga, 5 Elements Hot Yoga and Yoga Connections are on or near the soi. Our guide to the best gyms on Soi Taied covers the strength and CrossFit side in more depth, and our HYROX training camps page lists HYROX camps in Phuket and elsewhere.

Nearby, but not on the walkable strip

• AKA Thailand. A resort-style combat sports camp. It is on Viset Road in Rawai, a short drive south of Soi Taied, not on the soi itself.
• Phuket Top Team. An MMA gym founded in 2012 whose fighters have competed in the UFC and Bellator. Directories give different addresses for it, so confirm its current location before you go.
• Tiger Muay Thai Beachside. Tiger's second Chalong site, opened in 2019.

Train and stay on Soi Taied with Book Fitness Retreats

These are the training stays we list on Soi Taied. Each one puts your training and your room together in one booking, so you arrive with both arranged. Prices depend on dates, room type and season, so check the listing for current "from" prices and availability. You can see them all on our Soi Ta-iad Fitness Street destination page.

Ludus Phuket

• Ludus Phuket training camp at the new Ludus hotel. 1 week, 2 weeks or 1 month. Sleep, eat and train in one place: the new 55-room Ludus hotel sits inside the training complex, with a spa, hammam, saunas, a pool and three restaurants. Includes the full group-class timetable and unlimited gym use, in a private or shared room. Stays start from 1 December 2026, when the hotel opens.
• 1 month at Ludus with a pool-view room at the Signature Phuket Resort. 1 month (30 nights), start any day. A Deluxe King Pool View room or One-Bedroom Pool View Villa on the same street, with Ludus VIP membership (gym, functional zone and group Muay Thai classes) and laundry included.
• 1 month at Ludus with a room at The Fusion Resort. 1 month (30 nights), start any day. A quiet pool resort on the soi, with a choice of a Deluxe Villa bungalow with kitchenette, a Pool Access room or a Pool View room, plus Ludus VIP membership.
• Ludus training stay at The Blue Hotel, 5 days to 4 weeks. 5 days, or 1, 2, 3 or 4 weeks; start any day. The most flexible Ludus option: a Deluxe or Premium Deluxe Double room with a balcony at The Blue Hotel, a couple of minutes' walk from Ludus, with a rooftop infinity pool and a Ludus VIP pass for each day of your stay. We confirm the hotel's live rate for your dates before you pay.
• 1 month at Ludus with a room at Marina House. 1 month (30 nights). Your own room at Marina House, a boutique hotel from the Sugar Marina group built for long training stays, with daily breakfast, unlimited Ludus group classes in every discipline except Reformer Pilates, unlimited gym, a welcome pack and a massage.

Tiger Muay Thai

• Tiger Muay Thai fitness retreat with a room at The Blue Hotel. 7, 10 or 14 days. Training at Tiger Muay Thai with a Deluxe or Premium Deluxe Double room at The Blue Hotel on the soi, rooftop pool and gym access, and an airport pick-up.
• Tiger Muay Thai fitness retreat at the Signature Phuket Resort. 7, 10 or 14 days. Tiger training with a suite, apartment or poolside villa at the Signature Phuket Resort, pool access and airport transfers.
• Tiger Muay Thai 28-day transformation package. 28 days. Four weeks of group training plus 20 personal training sessions (five a week), staying at the Signature Phuket Resort.
• Tiger Muay Thai 8-week weight-loss transformation with the head coach. 8 weeks (56 days). Personal training five times a week, Tiger's training programme, a fitness assessment and follow-up, with a room at the Signature Phuket Resort.

CrossFit on the soi

• Train at Pirate Camp: CrossFit on Soi Ta-iad. Start any day, stay as long as you like. Coached CrossFit classes and open gym at Pirate Camp, with a room at The Blue Hotel or the Signature Phuket Resort.

Practical guide to training on Soi Taied

Where to stay

Stay on the soi itself if you can. It is walkable, but it is hot, narrow in places and busy with scooters, so being a few minutes from your gym makes two sessions a day much easier. Popular options include:

• The Ludus hotel, inside the Ludus complex, from 1 December 2026.
• Signature Phuket Resort, with pool-side villas, suites and an on-site restaurant.
• The Fusion Resort, a quiet pool resort about a minute from Tiger.
• The Blue Hotel, modern rooms with balconies and a rooftop pool.
• Marina House, a boutique hotel built for long training stays.
• Cocoville Phuket and Happy Cottage, simpler mid-range and budget choices on the soi.

For a month or longer, see our long-stay guide to living and training on Soi Taied.

Getting there from Phuket airport

Phuket International Airport is in the north of the island and Soi Taied is in the south, so allow about 45 to 60 minutes by car in light traffic, and longer at peak times. A pre-booked transfer, a metered airport taxi or a ride-hailing app such as Grab is the simplest way to get there with luggage. Some of our packages include an airport pick-up; the listing says which. There is no beach on the soi itself: Chalong Bay, Rawai, Nai Harn and Kata are a short taxi or scooter ride away.

Best time to go

November to April is high season: drier, sunnier weather for outdoor training, but more people in the gyms and higher room rates, so book ahead. May to October is the rainy season: more humid, with sudden showers that often leave the mornings clear, fewer crowds and better value on rooms. Gyms on the soi train all year round.

What a training day looks like

Most camps run two main sessions a day, in the morning and late afternoon, to avoid the midday heat. A typical day:

• Early morning: first session, often a run or conditioning followed by technique, pad work or a class.
• Late morning: a big breakfast at one of the soi's healthy cafés or meal-prep kitchens.
• Middle of the day: rest, work, a massage or recovery. It is usually too hot to train hard.
• Late afternoon: second session: Muay Thai, sparring, strength, CrossFit or HYROX.
• Evening: dinner and an early night. People who are training seriously are usually asleep by ten.

A Muay Thai class usually opens with a skipping or running warm-up and shadow boxing, then moves to technique drills, rounds on the pads with a Thai trainer, bag work and clinch work, and finishes with conditioning and stretching. Beginners are paired with trainers who teach stance, guard and basic strikes, and sparring is optional. For food and recovery on the street, see our guides to eating healthy on Soi Taied and recovery, massage and ice baths near Soi Taied.

What to bring

• Several sets of training clothes (laundry on the soi is cheap and quick), running or training shoes and flip-flops.
• Hand wraps, a small towel and a refillable water bottle. Gloves and shin guards can usually be borrowed or rented, but many people prefer their own. Gear shops on the soi sell everything you need.
• Sunscreen, insect repellent, a light rain jacket from May to October, and a basic first-aid kit for blisters and scrapes.
• Electrolytes. The heat and humidity are the biggest adjustment for most visitors, so drink far more water than you think you need.

What it costs, in general terms

Costs on Soi Taied depend on three things: the gym, the room and how long you stay. Drop-in classes and day passes are the most expensive way to train per session, while weekly and monthly memberships cost much less per day. Rooms range from simple guesthouses to pool villas, and high season (November to April) costs more than the rainy season. Packages that combine training and a room, like the ones above, are usually the simplest way to know your total cost in advance. Check each listing for current prices for your dates.

Soi Taied FAQs

Is it Soi Taied, Soi Ta-iad or Soi Ta Iad?

All of them. They are different English spellings of the same Thai street name, and you will also see Soi Taiad and Ta-Eiad Road on signs and addresses. Locally it is often just called Fitness Street.

Where exactly is Soi Taied?

In Chalong, in the south of Phuket island. It runs between Chao Fa Road West and Chao Fa Road East, near Wat Chalong, with Robinson Lifestyle Chalong shopping mall at its eastern end.

Why is it called Fitness Street?

Because the road is lined with Muay Thai camps, MMA gyms, CrossFit boxes, strength gyms, fitness camps, yoga studios and the cafés, massage shops and hotels that serve the people training there.

Can complete beginners train Muay Thai on Soi Taied?

Yes. Most camps on the soi, including Tiger Muay Thai and Ludus, run classes for beginners alongside sessions for experienced fighters, and sparring is optional. Tell your trainers it is your first time and build up gradually in the heat.

How long should I stay?

One week is enough to learn the basics and get a feel for the street. Two weeks to a month is when most people see real changes in fitness and technique. Our Soi Taied packages run from 5 days to 8 weeks.

Do I need a special visa to train Muay Thai in Thailand?

Many nationalities can enter visa-free for a short stay. For longer training stays, Thailand's Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) lists Muay Thai courses as a qualifying activity and allows stays of up to 180 days per entry. Visa rules change often, so check your local Thai embassy's website before you book.

Is Soi Taied only for Muay Thai?

No. Muay Thai is what made it famous, but the street now has CrossFit boxes, HYROX training, strength gyms, weight-loss bootcamps, yoga and Pilates, so it suits anyone who wants a training-focused holiday.

Ready to train on Fitness Street? Browse every Soi Ta-iad training camp and retreat, or start with our complete guide to Soi Taied, Phuket.