Prices for Short time and Long Time in LOS

[TotallyOz]

I get several PM's every day and this week I have gotten 4 about how much to pay for short times. I usually recommend that people search the forums or give them general suggestions. Here is what I suggest (this is not required but a general suggestion).

 

Bangkok - GoGo Bar: 1500 baht Short time 2500 baht Long Time

Free Lance / Gay Romeo: 1000 baht Short Time 2000 baht Long Time

 

Pattaya - GoGo Bar 1200-1500 Short Time 2500 baht Long Time

Free Lance / Gay Romeo: 800-1000 Short Time 1500-2000 Long Time

 

Some will say that Sunee is cheaper and the prices should be less. Some will say the prices in Bangkok should be paid all over LOS. Some may say the price suggestions above are too much and some too little. It is only a suggestion that I am given when asked.

[Gaybutton]

I'm sure you'll see several responses from others stating what they pay. But something I've never fully understood is why Bangkok boys should be more expensive than anywhere else. Perhaps a few people can give us their thoughts about that as well.

[Guest painai]

I like Tawan boys in Bangkok and they will be very happy with 2000 baht for short time.

[Guest RichLB]

GT, if those are the sums your questioners offer, they can be assured never to disappoint any of the guys. The rule of thumb, as I have understood it, is 1000 baht for short time and 1500 baht for overnight in Pattaya go go bars. Gay Romeo boys are satisfied with far less and often nothing at all.

 

But, I hope you counsel your advisees to simply ask the guy what his expectations are. If he gives the more usual "up to you" answer, then my advice would be to tell him what you intend to offer so he can accept or reject as he sees fit. It also makes your adventure more comfortable for both you and the boy if you can tell him what it is you expect to do once alone. I've found it useful to ask him "What is it you enjoy doing with a farang?" If the answer is the predictable, "I do everything," I gently remind him I did not ask that, but asked what he enjoyed. I find this gives me a far more reliable idea of what to expect.

 

This is also beyond the scope of this thread, but it wouldn't hurt to remind them that the money one "tips" the guy is over and above what else may be offered. If they go out to grab a bite to eat or hit a few bars before going home, the price for these excursions is NOT deducted from the boy's fee. It is the rare gogo boy who finds visiting other bars to oggle other boys enjoyable and if he accompanies the farang, it is for the farang's pleasure, not his. Same same trips to sit down restaurants.

[Guest]

In Pattaya I paid 1000~1200 short time and about 1500 long time, with the odd meal thrown in for the latter. Even at these prices, guys seem very keen to hang around and would phone me back asking for more. I generally pay more than 1000 except where service is "barely acceptable". I would go lower if there was a clear problem with attitude & service.

 

1200 is very affordable for me and if he had a "proper" job working in a 7-11, it would take about 40 hours to earn 1200 -ie I think it's a good deal for him too.

 

A colleague was paying 700~1000 short time for guys from Boystown bars & again they were obviously keen for repeat business.

 

So I could conclude 1000 is fine as a "bog-standard" Pattaya gogo bar tip, with a little more for good service.

[Guest fountainhall]

Bangkok - GoGo Bar: 1500 baht Short time 2500 baht Long Time

Free Lance / Gay Romeo: 1000 baht Short Time 2000 baht Long Time

This is another 'horses for courses' question with a whole variety of possible answers. The advice I usually see on other threads is some 10% - 20% less than GT's. Personally, what I pay depends to a certain extent on the quality of the 'service'. If a boy gives me a really good time, I'm always happy to pay more. Some people may suggest this distorts the market, but in the absence of fixed fees, we surely make our own market.

[Guest cdnmatt]

But something I've never fully understood is why Bangkok boys should be more expensive than anywhere else.

 

Because it costs more to live in Bangkok.

[Guest]

Because it costs more to live in Bangkok.

 

For the western tourist living in a well located gay friendly hotel of a certain standard that's probably the case.

 

For a Thai guy renting or sharing a basic room, is BKK actually more expensive?

One Thai guy I spoke to about this was adamant BKK was cheaper, as he can get a meal for 50 baht there & not in Pattaya.

[Gaybutton]

Because it costs more to live in Bangkok.

Maybe, but I doubt that's how it got started. Bangkok boys seem to average around 500 baht per off more than boys get elsewhere, and that seems to apply only to bar boys. The only higher cost for them in Bangkok that I can think of might be their rooms. And if a higher cost of living in Bangkok really is the reason, then that makes it all the more difficult to explain why freelancers, such as the boys at Saranrom Park, actually ask for much less than boys ask in Pattaya.

 

Of course, the available boys that work places such as Saranrom Park are expecting mostly Thai customers, so they expect Thai prices. In those kinds of areas it's unusual for farang customers to be there at all. Not very many farang venture out to places other than the bars and they know that Thai customers aren't about to give them anything even close to 1500 to 2500 baht, so the standards are lower. Don't forget, a lot of Thai men are gay too and as they age they lose their looks just as farang do. But when was the last time you saw Thai customers in the bars, Bangkok or anywhere else, buying drinks and taking boys off?

[ChristianPFC]

I had a boy from GR in Pattaya (he worked in a bar some years ago, he told me) overnight and tipped him 1500 (in addition to paying all meals, transportation, cinema of course), he seemed very happy as he wrote several SMS the next day (where I am, if I have a boy, if I go home alone).

 

I might add the "go with you for free" fee is 500Baht. I was walking at Jomtien in the early afternoon when a boy from bamboo-bar waved me over and asked if he could go with me for free. I was puzzled about this offer, but given the choice of walking alone or with him I accepted. After some walking at the beach we went to the big Buddha-statue where he explained to me the funtions of the various buildings there. Very interesting. Then in Pattaya I walked back to my hotel and and made several hints that I don't need his company any more but he still followed me. (I just wanted company for some hours in town, obviously he wanted to go to my hotel room for more.) Finally, the penny dropped. I asked him if he needs money to get back and gave him 500 Baht, he asked for one more (100Baht bill) but I declined. Just to check if "I love you so much" was meant seriously I looked back and saw him boarding the next baht-bus, without looking back.

[Gaybutton]

I asked him if he needs money to get back and gave him 500 Baht

My friend, I'm sure you now realize that all you meant to him was 500 baht. Let me see if I've understood this correctly. He asked to go with you, for free. Is that correct? Somehow free turned into 500 baht. You didn't do anything with him other than take him for a walk and then to the Buddha hill. Is that also correct?

 

Where does the 500 baht part come in? Why did you give that much to him if all you were offering was bus or taxi fare to go back where he came from? Did you pay the bar an off fee? I could see that if it was you asking him to go with you, but the way I'm seeing it is that it was the other way around and he virtually imposed himself upon you, just the same as when in a bar and a boy comes, uninvited, to sit with you and then expects a tip.

 

I don't know. Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way, but I see this as him having an afternoon away from the bar, at your expense, without any sex involved at all, and he got 500 baht for it. What you got was 'taken.' That's my opinion, anyway.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

I am not so sure I would say he was taken. He had company, which, apparently, is all he wanted, and he paid 500 baht for it.

[Gaybutton]

I am not so sure I would say he was taken. He had company, which, apparently, is all he wanted, and he paid 500 baht for it.

I would agree with you if ChristianPFC had been the one who had done the asking. But it was the boy who approached, asked, and said he wanted to go for free. If that isn't what he meant, then he shouldn't have said it. ChristianPFC, as far as I can tell from his post, wasn't even looking for company. I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but if it had been me the boy would have gotten taxi fare to go back and that's it.

[kokopelli]

I am not so sure I would say he was taken. He had company, which, apparently, is all he wanted, and he paid 500 baht for it.

Agree with you lvdkeyes. Nothing is free in Thailand. Christian did the right thing. Easy to pass judgement on others when not directly involved in the situation.

[Guest RichLB]

Geez, it's not like we're talking about the National Debt here. It seems to me ChritianPFC was free to pay nothing if he chose to, but he spent an enjoyable time with the kid and from what I can tell felt good giving him a few baht. Why spoil a nice memory of a nice walk for a few baht? Good for you, ChristianPFC. That 500 baht meant far more to the guy, I bet, than it does to you.

[ChristianPFC]

He was sitting with friends in the Bamboo bar in Jomtien and I was walking towards the beach and they waved to me and as I read that Bamboo bar is one of the gay venues in Jomtien I went to have a chat. No customers in the bar, no off-fee. I was naive, why not let him come with me for free? Finally, he turned out helpfull as I didn't know how to get to the Buddha hill, so all I had to do is to tell him where I would like to go and he got two motorbike taxis to get us there. Then I asked him to take me to Sunee (as I haven't been there before and wanted to check it out at daylight before going there at night), and from there I went to my hotel in Boyztown. I made several hints that I now know the way can go alone now but he didn't leave me. Finally, the penny dropped that he was wating for a tip. To avoid discussion of what "go for free" means and disappointment I gave him 500 Baht and his reactions showed me that this was what he was waiting for. I consider the afternoon and the money well spent. During all my web-reading about gay Thailand I never came across "go for free".

[Gaybutton]

During all my web-reading about gay Thailand I never came across "go for free".

I'm glad you realize now what the boy was really up to. I agree that the 500 baht figure is not the real issue. To me the issue is farang new to Thailand being taken advantage of and ending up duped. It did work out well for you and that's good and you were lucky. It doesn't always work out that way. To me the issue is the boy told you he wants to go with you "for free" when he really intended from the outset to try to get money out of you.

 

To me, that's being dishonest and although it wasn't much money, it was still an an intentional con job. I don't see the main issue as being 500 baht, 50 baht, or 5000 baht. What matters to me is that this boy tried, successfully, to con you as to his actual intentions.

 

I don't pay to be conned and that's why I'm saying I would have given him taxi fare and nothing more.

 

The only place I know in Pattaya where you're not expected to hand over cash is at the Sansuk Sauna. If a boy tells me he wants to go with me "for free" (which never happens anyway), my most likely response would be, "Sorry, I can't afford free."

[Guest fountainhall]

He was sitting with friends in the Bamboo bar in Jomtien and . . . and they waved to me and as I read that Bamboo bar is one of the gay venues in Jomtien I went to have a chat. No customers in the bar, no off-fee.

I have never offed from Bamboo Bar but was with a friend who did back in February. There definitely was an off fee then.

[pong]

perhaps this may explain a little:

1,when that boy told he was 'free''-he most likely meant, there was no OFF to pay.

2.according to the law on minimum wage of the Thai govmt-BKK is more expensive as Cholburi (the district with Pattaya in)-some 10/15 bt or so/day. For me it would seem it hardly matters-personally I think that BKK-due to being a giant city with an enormous number of very low-paid workers and persons scraping by on a daytoday basis-offers more cheap bargains-even more as an average Isan provincial town. You can get very low priced ''rooms'' by the month-but you probably get better value for the same money in Pattaya (but thats the range of around 1000 bt/month). Tipical meals are everywhere-at 25 or 30 bt.

3.keep in mind that such Thai young people are glad to get a fixed job paying some 25/30 bt/hour-but 6 days/week and 10/12 hr. ''working''days.

4.personally I think that expected prices from rental boys reflect the chance of getting that client-those at Saranrom or @gayromeo know for 99% sure to have a punter. In bars its just a matter of wait and see.

5.I do not visit bars very much lately-but the last time I went there were for sure several Thai (yes, I can check the language) clients in HOTmail-and very interested in the offerings of the big c--k parade. And calling them over after it and offering drinks and making a kind of deal. They seemed like modern style katoeys (not the dreadful old-style clothes etc.)

[Guest MonkeySee]

4.personally I think that expected prices from rental boys reflect the chance of getting that client-those at Saranrom or @gayromeo know for 99% sure to have a punter. In bars its just a matter of wait and see.

 

Personally, I think the 99% figure for Saranrom and gayromeo is way too high. No experience on gayromeo, but with the number of Saranrom boys available, I am sure they all do not have a 99% chance for a punter. I have no idea why the park boys are happy with 500 baht and the bar boys need 3 times that?

[Guest joseph44]

Well let me put it this way: If the rates shown by GT were the going rates asked for by the boys, than they wouldn't be offed a lot.

 

Why is a gogo-bar-boy more expensive than a free-lancer?

Why is a BoyzTown boy more expensive than a Sunee boy?

It's all what we make of it.

[Guest]

I have no idea why the park boys are happy with 500 baht and the bar boys need 3 times that?

 

It's not a case of bar boys needing 3 times that, rather a case of what the market will bear and what has become normal.

A tourist who has already spend hundreds of pounds flying to Thailand and paying for hotels is generally going to be prepared to pay for meeting his date in a bar, rather than a few dark streets.

[MrBill]

To me the issue is farang new to Thailand being taken advantage of and ending up duped. It did work out well for you and that's good and you were lucky...

 

To me, that's being dishonest and although it wasn't much money, it was still an an intentional con job. I don't see the main issue as being 500 baht, 50 baht, or 5000 baht. What matters to me is that this boy tried, successfully, to con you as to his actual intentions.

 

I'm inclined to agree with Associate. I, too, am guessing the boy meant no off fee. I have to constantly remind myself that even though a boy may speak English relatively well, I doubt he appreciates Western cultural context.

 

I liken this to here in the USA (or anywhere for that matter) when a bellman comes up and asks, "Can I take your bags, sir?" or when I take advantage of "free valet parking", even though both of those are theoretically free services offered, I know the bellman or valet will expect a tip and don't think of it as a con job. If he was an honest kid, and provided useful information, I would consider him an entrapreneur!

 

Just another point of view

[Gaybutton]

If he was an honest kid, and provided useful information, I would consider him an entrapreneur!

If those of you who believe it was a matter of misinterpretation think "go with you free" meant no off fee instead of an intentional con job, then that's the first time I've ever heard of a bar boy having the authority to waive a bar's off fees.

 

I don't buy the idea that it was a matter of cultural difference, misunderstanding, mistranslation, or anything else other than the boy knowing exactly what he was saying. I've lived here long enough and have seen far too much to be making excuses for the boy when these kinds of things happen.

 

Obviously, we can't know positively just what the boy's intentions really were, but my experience tells me that "go with you free" means the boy is speaking for himself, not the bar.

[Guest mlomker]

that's the first time I've ever heard of a bar boy having the authority to waive a bar's off fees.

 

My guess is that he didn't work at the bar...either a freelancer or just a friend of some guys that do work at the bar. A lot of these guys know each other. I've been led around from bar to massage place and been introduced to friends of the guy that I'm with many times.