"There are actually quite many Singapore Airlines (SIA) girls working in the KTVs."

That's not something you'd expect to hear, especially when recent discussions on KTV hostesses here are focused on the growing Covid-19 cluster and the colour of their passports instead.

Amy*, a local KTV hostess in her 30s, recently sat down with AsiaOne for an interview and claimed that it's now more common to see SIA girls juggling two jobs — being an air stewardess and a KTV hostess.

The Singapore Girl

Amy, who started working in a KTV in January, said she was introduced to the industry by a friend. What immediately struck her was the presence of "SIA girls" in the KTV lounges.

She noticed that these girls are treated as prized commodities by both KTV owners and patrons alike.

For one, the Singapore Girl doesn't share the same waiting area as the other hostesses. 

"Inside the KTV, there are two waiting areas. One is for 'normal' Singaporean girls and the other one is all for the 'SIA stewardess'. They'll be very clear about this," Amy said.

She went on to mention that the "SIA girls" have "rates that are usually higher than normal Singaporean girls."

With the premium rates come higher expectations.

Amy added: "If the customer chooses an 'SIA stewardess', that means she'd have to maintain her standards. Similar to what she usually does as an air stewardess."

On top of that, the "SIA girl" is also expected to hold her liquor better than other KTV hostesses.

AsiaOne couldn’t independently verify that the hostesses are flight attendants with Singapore Airlines.

0 to over 100 Singaporean hostesses

Ladies working in KTV lounges come from a plethora of countries including Singapore, but the Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese girls aged between 18 and 40 form the bulk of hostesses in the KTVs here, Amy said.

She has also seen a rise in the number of local hostesses at one particular KTV lounge as of late, adding: "Since the beginning of this year, the number of Singaporean hostesses has grown from zero to over 100."

This spike in numbers could be due to the lure of high earnings in a short period of time, she suggested. 

A hostess can make between $300 and $500 per night from drinking with customers for three to four hours, but things do get physical in the rooms.

Depending on the customer's behaviour, a hostess' acceptance of his advances may range "from kissing to hugging, maybe touching each other to stripping," Amy shared.

A hostess' earnings for the night can go up to $1,000 if she "wants to go further to earn the extra tips" by offering "discreet services" outside KTVs.

Another method of stacking money fast is for a hostess to be a butterfly within the KTV lounge. This means that they will try to go to as many rooms and entertain as many customers as possible in one night.

Amy said: "The butterfly is usually done by the foreign hostesses. Usually, the local hostesses are more conservative and prefer to sit in the same room for the whole night."

As for Amy herself, she told AsiaOne that she has two children to take care of at home.

That's why the single mum felt that "being a hostess is a good job [for her] because the timings are flexible and the working hours are shorter."

Being a hostess is simply her doing her job, Amy said.

"You cannot control what other people think. As long as you feel that you are doing something decent, it's good enough."

Seeking happiness from unhappy marriages

Customers, on the other hand, do not seek money. Chances are, they have that in abundance.

While they usually spend at least $800 at a KTV lounge, Amy has seen instances where customers spend up to $7,000 to book one of the bigger rooms for the night.

Given how expensive a night out at the KTV is, it's no surprise that regular patrons are "bosses of companies or entrepreneurs running their own businesses."

Visiting the KTVs offers customers an escape from reality, Amy suggested.

"They probably don't have a very good relationship at home and they tend to seek happiness in the KTVs."

As nightlife outlets remain closed from March last year, many of these men have sought company at some KTV lounges that are operating illegally by pivoting the business to offering food and drinks.

With the inside knowledge, Amy shared how simple it was for a KTV lounge to continue operating as per normal.

"They turned themselves into somewhat of a bistro. If you visit the KTV, it became compulsory to order two staple food from the menu but the operations were still the same, you just needed to order the food," she said.

This eventually led to a Covid-19 cluster that emerged in July.

As a Vietnamese hostess was the first to test positive for the coronavirus, much of the blame was directed to fellow hostesses but Amy thinks it isn't fair.

"Everyone, including the hostesses and the customers, is responsible for the cluster. I still feel that this is something that can happen anywhere and not only at a KTV."

*Not her real name

ALSO READ: Irresponsible behaviour of KTV cluster not the reason for return to P2HA: Ong Ye Kung

amierul@asiaone.com

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