For some middle-aged and older people, working as companions offers more than just an income: it brings conversation, social connection and a renewed sense of purpose.
For “Uncle Nat” in Nakhon Ratchasima province, more than 80% of his customers are people who feel bored or lonely and want someone to accompany them for a day.
Some ask him to drive them to another province, visit a temple or walk around a shopping centre. Others simply want someone to eat with and talk to.
Nat holds a public driving licence and has undergone a criminal background check. His service costs 900 baht for three hours or 2,200 baht for eight hours.
“Renting an uncle is an honest occupation. I don’t sell my appearance. I sell friendliness, listening without judging, photographs and encouragement,” he said.
One customer aged over 60 said the arrangement had given her companionship and made everyday activities easier. She does not enjoy driving, so she invites Nat to drive, share a meal and chat.
“Having Uncle Nat as a friend means I don’t feel depressed,” the customer said.
The service is not limited to men. In Hat Yai, Songkhla, a “rent an aunt” service offers companionship, driving and outings.
One customer hired a woman named Nonni for an hour to accompany her to a funeral. When she could not attend, she asked Nonni to take a donation envelope to the ceremony instead.
The service costs 399 baht an hour. “I did what the customer instructed me to do, and I got paid for an hour’s service,” Nonni said. “Boy! I really like this job,” she said.
Loneliness behind the trend
The growing interest in such services comes as Thailand’s ageing population changes the way people live and maintain relationships.
According to the National Statistical Office, about 1.8 million people aged 60 and above live alone, or about 12.9% of the country’s older population of 14 million people. The number continues to rise.
Dr Supanan Janeteerawong, a psychiatrist at Pranangklao Hospital, said senior companionship services could help reduce loneliness as long as they were not linked to illegal activity or fraud.
Thailand has many communication applications that allow people to contact friends and relatives, she said, but online communication cannot replace face-to-face interaction.
People who hire an older companion may want someone mature with whom they can share stories or seek advice.
“They have not chosen to share their own story or problem with their relatives because of poor connections within the family,” Dr Supanan said.
Some may also feel more comfortable speaking to someone they believe will not pass their personal stories to others.
“If relationships in the family are strong enough, this kind of business would not exist,” she said.
The appeal, therefore, is not necessarily that customers have no family.
It may reflect the reality that family relationships can be complicated, geographically distant or emotionally disconnected.
Paying for companionship
Prof Chalidaporn Songsamphan, a Thammasat University political science professor, places the trend within a broader phenomenon she calls “purchasing intimacy” — paying for emotional connection and companionship.
The concept is not new. Similar forms of commercialised companionship have existed in countries such as Japan and China.
Many older people have spent decades working and living independently, Prof Chalidaporn said, making it understandable that some want to remain active rather than withdraw from society after retirement.
The important question, she said, should not simply be whether kindness or companionship can be commercialised, but how risks are managed.
People who spend time with hired companions can be emotionally vulnerable, while providers also face risks when meeting strangers. Clear boundaries and safeguards are therefore essential.
Technology is also changing how people seek emotional support. Some now turn to artificial intelligence because it is readily available and responds quickly, Prof Chalidaporn said.
But AI cannot provide the same form of physical human presence as a companion sitting beside someone over a meal, accompanying them to an appointment or driving them somewhere.
When friendship becomes work
The emergence of these services raises questions about where friendship ends and paid work begins.
For customers, the arrangement provides something that may be difficult to obtain elsewhere: a person willing to listen without the expectations and obligations that can accompany family relationships.
For older workers, it can provide income while allowing them to use the skills and experience accumulated during their working lives.
One example is Supaporn Asadamongkoln, 58, a JoyLife member who has completed a successful assignment as a mentor.
She was hired by a medical practitioner for a four-hour session costing 750 baht.
Drawing on two decades of experience in the media, Ms Supaporn coached him on communication techniques, pitching stories to introduce products, and developing a personal brand suited to his profession, personality and social media presence.
For her, the experience shows how senior rental services can create a two-way exchange, allowing older people to share their expertise while continuing to learn and grow themselves.
Prof Chalidaporn said the trend should not automatically be viewed through a moral lens. The more pressing issue is whether people involved understand the boundaries and risks.
Boundaries matter
The services have rules designed to keep companionship separate from other forms of commercial intimacy.
JoyLife, for example, prohibits romantic arrangements and assignments in private spaces. Requests are screened before companions, most of them retirees, accept them, said Nattakarn Denwanichakorn, JoyLife’s CEO and founder.
“Every booking isn’t just a service transaction — it is a collective effort to build a society where the elderly remain valued, hold active roles, and pass down their life experience to younger generations,” she said.
The service also aims to bridge generational divides through shared learning and mutual respect, allowing older people to remain socially engaged with dignity, she said.
The independent “rent an uncle” service has similar safeguards, prohibiting romantic relationships and gambling. Customers must be at least 18 and pay in advance. Such measures reflect the nature of the business: strangers enter paid relationships that can involve personal conversations, travel and spending extended periods together.
But the services also point to a broader reality of ageing in Thailand. Loneliness is not necessarily solved by having relatives. Someone can have children, siblings or friends and still lack a person available to share an ordinary afternoon.
That may be the most revealing aspect of the “rent an uncle” and “rent an aunt” phenomenon. What people are paying for is often not a novelty, but something simple: a driver when they do not want to drive, company when they do not want to eat alone, someone to accompany them to a temple or funeral, or simply another person willing to listen.
For the older people providing the service, the exchange can offer something beyond income — a reason to remain socially connected, active and involved in everyday life.