DivineMadman

Anonymous Testing Thai Red Cross offers anonymous testing for HIV and STDs. I don't know if Pulse Clinic does, but they seem pretty "woke", so one could check there as well. SWING is an excellent support/health group for the gay & trans sex workers. I don't know if they provide testing for customers or the general public, but they could be another source. On/Off Use. As I understand it, going on/off PrEP is fine, as long as you follow the guidelines. This means always getting tested - for HIV and kidney function - before starting/resuming and getting tested again when you stop. Again, just to point out, PrEP can fuck up your kidneys if they are not healthy and kidney health has nothing to do with your sexual escapades. So you can't really make a judgment about the state of your kidneys on your own. So proper testing for HIV and kidney function, etc., is essential. [I follow this particular regimen myself.] It is not a drug that should treated like a recreational viagra. Do Not Let the Perfect be the Enemy of the Good PrEP is important and useful. It does not protect against STDs and it doesn't promise 100% protection against HIV. I am pretty sure, however, that the health professionals who work with sex workers in Thailand (and elsewhere), strongly advocate PrEP for those who are eligible. When I read posts here sometimes the "oh it's imperfect" seems to drown out how good and important it is. The organizations that provide free PrEp and support to sex workers such as SWING, and Pulse for those who pay, and Thai Red Cross for anyone, make regular periodic testing a part of their PrEP programs. There are bound to be exceptions, of course, but these guys/gals are actively taking care of their health. Having a discussion with your guy about PrEP and where he goes for PrEP and testing is a perfectly fine thing to do. Because I have had the unpleasant task of accompanying an acquaintance to be tested for HIV where the results were positive, I almost always end up talking about PrEP with working guys I get to know. In my non-statistically valid sample of Hornet guys in Bangkok, identifying as "Negative on PrEP" does not mean they will necessarily bareback. (applause!).

Bye bye.

Guys - VCK is a brothel. So is Prince. (For that matter, so is Bangkok Massage, Myhero, etc., etc., etc.). So are most of the other shops we discuss. They don't provide much training, don't advertise as having trained-and-licensed masseurs. You might fid a guy who gives good or great "legit" massages, but that's all upside. Don't go in expecting it. These places offer erotic/sensual "massages" for relaxation and foreplay, plus sexual services. That's all that you or I can realistically expect at these places. That's what you get for the advertised price. If you go with those reasonable expectations and understandings you will more likely than not have a good time. Asnstudent has it right. There are other shops that advertise or try to distinguish themselves more on massage skills, or that don't so much hire the pretty boys so maybe the massages might be a tad bit better. If that's more important, then don't go to VCK, Prince, etc. It's really that easy. If you don't like the cost - don't go. Go elsewhere. And be happy. Asnstudent also has it right that 9:30 meeting means 9:30, not 9:35.

Thank you for your great report. I hope you had a good time. It's a good reminder that there are always good and less good parts of any trip and you -- and GoldMember -- have exactly the right attitude: don't let the minor hiccups interfere with your overall enjoyment of the trip. (Also I secretly enjoy that your posts are driving some of the forum money police apoplectic.)

Yes, thanks. Brilliant! Should be required reading for all visitors to BKK.

Just to be clear - at Arena the minimum tip includes just what they say: massage with masseur naked, HJ & showering together; however, the masseurs there are available for more, you just have to agree to pay them more. For full services (sucking/fucking) the cost ends up being roughly the same as any of the other big shops. It's like a no-frill airline. If you want more pay. For me, if I'm tired, bored, whatever - sometimes a simple HJ is the perfect end to the massage. Other times, and depending on the guy involved, of course more acrobatic activities are involved. Sometimes at a place like Prime where the normal rule is no hanky-panky so I'm not really expecting anything anyway, if the masseur says he wants to give me a HJ, I'll even politely decline. (!). It's just how I feel and what I'm looking for from each experience.

No one can say "it's too much." Arena has been around for along time with many many repeat customers. People who think it's too much than they want to pay should not go there. I really like that Arena is so up-front about what the minimum includes: massage, naked showering together and HJ.

In my limited experience, "papa-san" is not used in massage places and as a general rule they don't particularly like/appreciate being called "mamasan" (it's a tad bit demeaning). "Manager" will do fine. At Prince - for a while anyway - they even studiously referred to the masseurs as "mister" and not "boy," although obviously they never got insulted or bothered if a customer said "boy."

Great report! It's easy to get to Chakra/VClub by BTS to Ari and then a short walk or mocy ride. Also lots of fun good places to eat in the neighborhood.

Sorry for the frustration. Most (probably 80%?) of the guys at Prince probably identify as "straight." So women customers wouldn't surprise me. I used to be a big and vocal fan of Prince from shortly after it opened. (I think the shop that used be there was named GQ???). Over the past few years I think the management side of things there has declined. It's just a poorly run operation. I went there in-person once and booked someone for the next day, but when I got there the guy was with another customer. I think there are lots of examples of Prince not honoring "bookings." Also I think the "management doesn't really give a damn" attitude lets the masseurs be a little less diligent and maybe play more games with the getting the customer out the door as fast as possible so they can get back into the rotation for the next customer. Having said that there are some great guys at Prince. Up to you. But I've stopped going there. Tipping a manager under the circumstances you described is generous in the extreme. Perhaps that is the only way to get good service at Prince. Loving your reports, BTW

Thanks for the report and as always look forward to upcoming installments. I love that you didn't let the bad management at Prince get in the way of your good time. You're an inspiration!

I hate (sort of) being a broken record, but don't forget "Chill Out Boy" on Patpong 1. It's been open a few months now. Patpong 1 won't have the fun views of any of the Soi T places, but Chill Out is pretty nice and gay. give it some time and support and who knows? Chill Out

It sounds like your trip is off to a good start. Continue to have fun and thank you for sharing your experience. I do hope forum members' views on prices don't become a shadow/unintended travel companions for you. Have fun. It's even possible to write reports without detailing every cost. But of course that's up to you. Outcalls from shops are certainly more expensive, but also more convenient, and at least the price includes tip. 3,500-4,000 isn't surprising at all for one of the places far out from Silom. Personally. I'm a bit surprised Sanctuary Spa even did an outcall. I doubt they do many and the shop probably just quoted as big a number as he could think of. Your money. Spend it as you wish. Some people spend as much on drinks or guys from Moonlight or Jupiter, and that's ok. If your masseur from DM Spa gave you his Line ID then feel free to contact him directly. Many of the guys there work at other shops as well, so it's not like their "exclusive." I wouldn't worry about it.

Line ID DMspa666 works fine.

It appears that AEC has added a couple of women to their roster -- and not apparently ladyboy-type women, but I will not be investigating that particular question. I don't know if that will change the overall mood of the joint. But FYI. AEC Facebook

I hear that Hot Male(s) may be staying open until the end of the month, so there's still a reason to cross Surawong..

FYI BKK'ers - Tonight (Tuesday) is last call for the shops on the "left" side - Dream Boys, Maxi's and the Hot Males. The only one I'm actually certain of is Maxi's, but I think they were all closing up on the same night. Sic transit that ladyboy diva, Gloria Mundi.

I enjoy Songkran in Bangkok. Lot's of fun. It's ok that it's not for everyone.

I have the same recollection about Candle T being adamantly legit, but I've been there a few times over the past few years and each time I got a good professional HJ happy ending, but I wasn't expecting or looking for rambunctious sex. Sanctuary Spa by A used to be only legit as well, but fortunately no longer.

I think perhaps "see" means sex? VCK is for sex plus erotic foreplay called "massage". Ganymede in my experience has been massages plus quite good sex. But I've previously posted at length about Ganymede. One correction - Ganymede has two bathrooms. There are two floors of massage rooms and one bathroom at the end of the hall on each floor. The top-most floor's bathroom is a very small rainshower enclosure. The other bathroom has a large tub and shower with flexible shower head. Depending on who your masseur is he may wash you down before and/or after the massage.

LOL - I'm one of those guys who enjoys Songkran and all the water games. To each his own. I'm not a particular fan of Prince, but just because the little bed there is against the wall doesn't necessarily mean you can't get a halfway decent erotic massage. Over the years I've had some fantastic massages there. It all depends on the guy. Some can use the small space to their advantage and add to the erotic body contact. I've had guys at some shopw who only-trained where there were traditional mats on the floor, so the gave the whole massage up on the massage table with me - 5555. But I don't go to Prince or any of the other brothel-type places expecting a Wat Pho-trained masseur. I think once i had a guy there who did move a bit too quickly to start giving me a blow-job and I said slow down, we have lots of time and he did just that and the whole thing turned out to be a very nice experience. I think they almost always come up short on the 90 minute massages, but not wildly more than other places, in my experience. I usually make it to Urban Male at least once a year. I've never had the bad experience that you had. Very sorry to hear it didn't work out for you there. Overall I think it's a bit pricey but in my experience, the massages are ok and the sex has been fine and not rushed, but that can be just that I've been lucky and I've picked guys who have a thing for daddy or particularly poor eyesight. LOL I've never had a rushed experience there, but I tend to book 90 minute massages there. Again, sorry to hear you had bad experiences.

Normally the regular lineup guys at any gogo bar are covered by the "no photography" rule, so their privacy is protected and photos don't get posted. The "star" models are obviously plastered all over the ads, and a few of the regular guys are also, so those photos do get shared.

I deliberately didn't put it on my list because I had some less than good experiences there. But truth is I've been thinking of going back to try it again. It's been there forever, so it must be doing something right. Nice home. Pick from photos in a book, but I certainly hope by now that's changed. As I recall big room with massage table. Bathroom/shower in the hall. Go with very low expectations and at least you won't be disappointed. Line ID is hard to find - it's jey99 (not updated all that frequently) Nice place and I'm sure if you luck into an enthusiastic guy who's DTF it would be great.

if you just google "ganymede spa bangkok" you'll get the website that has lots of contact info. Same for VCK or "VCK Cool Space" which is the unfortunate full name for the whole complex that includes the massage/spa and Chakran sauna

On the same closing schedule as Maxi's. the original Dream Boys is still open and putting on a show at 10:00. I did not go, so cannot comment on the quality of the show or numbers of guys. Some of the performers walk to/from the new Dreamboy Paradiso, providing some welcome color as well. 10 April 2019