I offed a boy

[Gaybutton]

I still have no idea why you think that the Bar even in Pattaya should expect that I will buy the Boy a drink.

Because it has always been the expectation. That doesn't mean you, me, or anyone else has to comply with it.

 

Maybe I need to clarify. It is the expectation . . . on the part of the bar. It just so happens I agree with you, but you seem to have interpreted what I wrote to mean that you are obligated to buy the boy a drink. No! You don't have to buy a thing for the boy and sometimes I don't. I'm on your side on this one. I also don't give a rat's ass whether the bar likes it or not. If I want to buy a drink for the boy, I will. If I don't want to, I won't. Simple as that. Anyone who thinks I allow myself to be pressured into buying a drink for the boy doesn't know me very well.

 

However, I make sure of drink prices for the boy before calling him over. If I do call him over I normally go ahead and buy him the drink if, and only if, I think the drink is reasonably priced and I'm also happy with the circumstances. Believe me, the bar isn't going to get me to pay 300 baht to buy a boy a drink. If that's the price, the boy is going to be thirsty. But if it's a boy I like, he'll get a good tip whether I bought him a drink or not.

 

I too get annoyed when I call a boy over and a waiter or mama-san is in my face trying to get me to buy him a drink before the boy has even had a chance to sit down. I tell them I'll let them know if I want to buy a drink for the boy and I shoo them away. If I decide to buy the drink, I call them back. If not, I make sure the boy understands I'm not about to pay 300 baht for him to have a coke he probably doesn't even want. All he wants is the tip that he gets when the customer buys a drink for him. If the bar charges 300 baht for his drink, and gives him only somewhere between 20 to 50 baht for it, they can forget it. So, I make it clear to him he'll have a good tip, but the bar can forget about me buying the drink, especially if they try to pressure me into it.

 

I do the same if they try to pressure me into taking the boy off. If I'm interested in taking him off, I'll call the mama-san or waiter over. But if they're trying to pressure me into it, I don't care how cute and attractive I might find the boy, that's the end of the off right there and I make sure they know it and know why.

[firecat69]

Your point about the girly bars is well taken. However, would you not agree that there is a far larger client pool for such bars than for the gay go-go bars? So I suppose there is a greater chance of their being able to generate more bar sales and more offs. Certainly when a friend and I walked around the Soi Nana area searching for the ladyboy bars and mistakenly looked into a number of other bars by mistake, all were packed.

 

 

Certainly there is a bigger pool of customer but likewise there are 10 times as many bars so it evens out. True some bars have changed management but none have closed for a long time except for Future Boys.

 

I happen to think there is much more money to be made by lowering prices and selling more drinks but these greedy idiots are not very smart. The last time I was in BOYS for the show they had a packed house and I could not find a single boy who was bought a drink or a single customer who re-ordered during the course of the 1 hour show. When you have a 90% profit margin per drink, your bottom line would be far better by dropping prices by 25% and increasing your sales by 50%. And of course the boys would do better also except I don't think they care about the boys.

 

Sooner or later the smell in there was going to force them to close. I am sure you will see someone move in there in the near future after they have torn it apart to find the smell.

[Guest fountainhall]

I happen to think there is much more money to be made by lowering prices and selling more drinks but these greedy idiots are not very smart.

Couldn't agree more! And I agree totally with GB's approach. If I were a mamasan, I'd far rather a customer was honest with me about his expectations, than always being given some of the standard waffle, like "I'm thinking about it". But of course, this is Thailand!

[Guest lvdkeyes]

It has been my experience over the years that gay bars throughout the world overcharge. They have a more captive audience and take advantage of that fact.

[Guest fountainhall]

With nothing planned for this evening, I decided to check out Soi Twilight after a 6-month absence – purely in the interests of research, of course

 

Not wanting to see a show, I arrived at 9:00pm intending to hit a couple of bars before eating at Dick’s Café and then a third. In X Boys, there was just one other customer, although 4 more arrived before I departed. The mama-san is an old friend from the old days of X-treme bar and so I was not subjected to any hassle. The music was not overly loud. I bought the mama-san a drink (mine vodka - which I drank throughout the evening; his a watered down orange juice) and enjoyed chatting about ‘old times’. I counted 12 go-go boys rotating quite quickly (which I like) and 5 coyote dancers, although I was told a few more would “come later”. Even though none danced enthusiastically, I liked the mix of boys and several smiled nicely at me. One medium-tall, handsome guy from Roi-Et with a beautiful face I found very much to my taste. Had I not been at the start of my research – and had the mama-san not told me that he had just started 3 days earlier (I have sometimes had rather boring experiences with guys who are just starting out, as it were) – I would have offed him. I confined myself to giving him a Bt. 100 tip knowing that the next time either he’ll remember me or the mama-san will remind him of me! Drinks: Bt. 220. Overall impression: good value and will definitely go back.

 

On the way up the soi I noticed that Dick’s is closed, with just drinks being served outside. I asked a waiter when it would re-open. Two, maybe three months I was told. In other words, no idea when!

 

My second bar was Classic Boys. What a total disaster! This used to be a sure fire place for smiling twinks. Not any more! Only 7 boys, of which 3 were very chubby – much more suited to Tawan, had it been muscle rather than fat – and 2 were starting to show signs of getting to that state. Not one smile from any boy in the entire 20 minutes. Slow rotation, boring music. Drinks: Bt. 250. Will never go again.

 

I then tried X-Size on the basis that I had read a couple of decent reports. Another old face from X-treme is one of the mama-sans (the long-haired one) and so I had another chat, but did not buy him a drink as there were many people smoking and I told him I therefore would not stay. Best selection of boys with about 25 of different types on stage just before the 10:00pm show. Quick rotation – almost too quick, but I’d rather that than the turgid change-every-three-minutes I have seen in some bars. Several smiled, including a lovely 19-year old from Khon Kaen - gorgeous smile with good english - who came over of his own accord and chatted for a bit. Tipped him Bt. 100 but bought no drink. Drinks: Bt. 230. Will not go back because of the smoking, but may pop in just to check on the Khon Kaen boy!

 

With shows starting and feeling hungry, I abandoned Twilight and walked along Suriwong, my destination Le Meridien where I had a wonderfully crisp and succulent pizza accompanied by a spicey mojito in their coffee shop. En route, I was almost diverted by the sight of a quite beautiful boy stationed outside Purity Massage and Spa. He handed me a leaflet of their services. It’s just one of those mixed sex joints for mostly foot or head and neck massage. But they do have private rooms for whole body massage. I asked the young man if I could get a massage from him, and he said yes. It was a somewhat tentative yes and so I’m pretty sure he’s not gay. Tempting though that was, hunger of a different kind got the better of me. Maybe on another evening I’ll give the massage a try.

 

Following dinner, I headed to Solid. I have always thought this is a bar you either like or loathe. It’s very badly laid out, the go-go dancing is rarely anything more than a bit of a shuffle, and the bar has lost some customers thanks to the owner deciding to shut off the mezzanine level where you could take boys a la Happy Boys in Pattaya. On the other hand, the drinks are cheap at Bt. 120 (down from Bt. 150 in the high season), there is almost no pressure from the mama-san, and the boys can be very good fun. As I entered, the only two customers were departing; so I was on my own. I ordered a drink and called over a boy I had chatted with before. He has a great body, a cute smile and an inviting endowment, but it was only after I bought him a beer that I remembered he has bad breath – always a turn-off. So I invited 2 others who each drank beer, one a really cute 23 year old from Kanchanaburi who was just a bundle of fun, even though he spoke almost zero English. He had me laughing for almost an entire hour. I tipped 2 boys Bt. 100 and the cute one Bt. 300. All seemed happy. I was, and I will go back.

 

I returned home shortly after midnight (I live quite close by). In four bars I had encountered 3 boys I would gladly have offed – and may well do so soon. Drinks were not the Bt. 300 I had expected – do they reduce prices mid-week, I wonder? – and only in X-size did I find the music level bordering on being too loud. But even there, I was able to hold a conversation without much difficulty. My one real surprise was that there were almost no customers in Soi Twilight before the first shows started. I don't recall it being as barren as that before.

 

All in all, though, despite it all having been rather rushed, I felt I had had a good time in two bars which offered value for money – X-Boys and Solid, with only Classic Boys being a thunderous dud. Plus I had that rather lovely unexpected encounter at the massage place. Hopefully I shall have happy dreams tonight

[Gaybutton]

Hopefully I shall have happy dreams tonight

Very good report and I thank you for reinforcing my dislike for every bar in that soi. Based on your descriptions, none of those would be where I would be seeking out an enjoyable evening.

 

For me, when in Bangkok I would rather stick with Saphan Kwai, finding freelancers, going to Babylon, heading out to Saranrom Park, or even grabbing a boy in the Malaysia Hotel's parking lot and gazebo. But as for Soi Twilight, for me it won't even make the list.

 

I remember when those bars used to be fun. What happened?

[Guest]

My second bar was Classic Boys. What a total disaster! This used to be a sure fire place for smiling twinks. Not any more! Only 7 boys, of which 3 were very chubby

 

Oh dear. Looks like my favourite bar in the city gone down the pan. Where's the best place for twinks in BKK now then?

When arriving in BKK after a 12 hour flight, I expect the first night to involve a nice easy visit to a gogo bar with twinks in white trunks.

[ceejay]

Where's the best place for twinks in BKK now then?

You could try Fresh Beach Boys. They had a pretty wide selection the last time I was in there (November) including some very cute twinky types.

[firecat69]

With nothing planned for this evening, I decided to check out Soi Twilight

Yes, the prices do go up on the weekends and to be fair it is only Boys that charges 300 with all the rest at 250 I believe. You were in Solid one day after me and it seems we agree they had a nice group of boys. Do you remember the Boys name or number from Kanchanaburi.??

[Guest fountainhall]

Do you remember the Boys name or number from Kanchanaburi.??

Yes, his name is Golf, but likes to be called Golfie. Sorry did not get his number.

[Guest kjun12]

Which of those is your practice?

I tip the boy but do not buy a drink. That is just over the wall.

[Guest kjun12]

Fountainhall, good report. Thanks!

[Guest]

Considering the Bangkok gogo bars I have visited outside of Soi Duangthawee, all have been poor & I have not returned to any of them.

 

With competition like that, it may be rather easy to organise a pricing cartel within Soi Duangthawee.

[Guest fountainhall]

Considering the Bangkok gogo bars I have visited outside of Soi Duangthawee, all have been poor & I have not returned to any of them.

With competition like that, it may be rather easy to organise a pricing cartel within Soi Duangthawee.

. . . which is one reaons why I suggested earlier for prices being higher - even though I, like others, feel there are better ways of improving business -

 

there is also what you could term an 'exclusivity value' element here