Tawan/The One report

[Tawan Forever]

 

I discovered this forum when Tawan Bar closed and I was looking for info.

I have since been lurking, but having just returned from my latest BKK stay felt I should report for those with any concerns about our beloved bar.

Firstly I have visited BKK twice a year, every year since 2013. I stay for 1 week and spend most nights in Tawan (as it will always be known to me)

I don’t bother with any other bar as I am into big muscle only!

 

On my first visits to Tawan 11 years ago, in the original venue across the road, there was a DJ who provided cheeky sound effects to what the guys were doing on the stage, along with quips and comment throughout the show.

This made it all so much more lively and fun than what it has become. The shows themselves were far more hardcore and sexual. They could certainly revive some of these features today.

 

Fast forward to my visit last week, 3 nights in the bar.

I am happy to report it is the same beast that she has been of recent years. if not of it's former glory.

On night one the boys were few and not the greatest quality, but there were 2 I would consider my type.

The crowd was very small, I did have concerns for its future.

The 2nd and 3rd nights the place was packed with boys, there were 3-4 that would work for me, and it was a full crowd. A much brighter picture all round!

 

There were enough different body types to appeal to all tastes, several off season bodybuilder types for me to choose from

Thankfully the guys are still as friendly and welcoming as ever, it does help that I have a muscled build (yes that is me in my avatar) and they never fail to swarm around me and give me extra attention!

 

As much as I love the place it does have many faults, all easily fixed, and would make it a far better experience:

 

- The new manager is too pushy, trying to get you to drink more, and insisting ion a 150B tip each round just for bringing them.Also demanding tips during parts of the show quite forcefully.

On one night I watched uncomfortably as he plied a young obviously drunk customer with more drinks, trying over and over to force boys onto the customer, as well as himself.

This guy needed to be sent home and instead he was getting his wallet siphoned.

 

- The boys looking bored on stage, faces stuck in phones  pre and after show, this does nothing to generate interest or enthusiasm.

Phones should be banned on stage! Give the boys something to do, if they have a skill or hobby it would be great seeing them doing it on stage.

Solving a Rubik’s Cube, jumping rope, dribbling a ball, doing a few dumbbell curls…. anything but standing there bored!

(the guy next to me asked if this was the show when they were up there with faces in phones!)

 

- Get rid of the drag from the show… this is not the right venue or audience for drag, we are there to see MEN!

 

- The shows need to be more hardcore (if allowed) 

Although I did have a laugh during the “BDSM” show when one was whipping the other with a thick foam tube, it made a hell of a noise, but certainly delivers no pain…yet 2 separate guys left covering their eyes in horror, bless em

And bring back the cheeky DJ with the fun commentary through the show.

 

- Advertising… ZERO! This is crazy, particularly after the reopening!

If anyone knows the management and can speak fluently PLEASE get them off their ass and do some publicity!

Twitter, Insta, Facebook, Tic Tok, ad noisome are all free. Tawan Bar has a page on each, all have been neglected for years, They need to get a few posts up a few times a month. 

They have been open 20+ years and no one I talk to in Australia knows they exist! On top of that every local I spoke to while there thought it was still closed and were shocked led when I said Id been going every night!

 

This bar has the potential to be so much more successful with just a few tweaks… It remains my favourite bar and I hope to see it thrive into the future!

 

[Verchiele]

Thanks for the report. Did you end up offing anyone or just window shopping and enjoying the show? 

[Tawan Forever]

5 hours ago, Verchiele said:

Thanks for the report. Did you end up offing anyone or just window shopping and enjoying the show? 

I had a little too much "fun" during the days, but went to the bar to support them and just enjoy the view... there were 2 guys I was tempted to off (and try to find the stamina) and was on the verge of taking one, but someone else snapped him up first. I was kind of relieved  

[a-447]

Bar owners in Thailand tend to stick to what they know, regardless of whether or not it works.

If it doesn't work, they try to solve the problem by simply raising prices.

From my experience, creativity is not their strong point.

[vinapu]

11 hours ago, Tawan Forever said:

 

 

- The new manager is too pushy, trying to get you to drink more, and insisting ion a 150B tip each round just for bringing them.Also demanding tips during parts of the show quite forcefully.

On one night I watched uncomfortably as he plied a young obviously drunk customer with more drinks, trying over and over to force boys onto the customer, as well as himself.

 

my observations are similar, part I did not like the most was mamasan inserting himself uninvited into discussion about off and tip which ultimately ended as very unsatisfactory and poor value for the money for me .

I agree that goys there are still friendly but bar after re-opening seems to lose direction of what it wants to be. Constant asking for tips after each number in the show will make it once-per-trip bar for me  if they don't mitigate their ways.

[macaroni21]

I think it was mentioned a few weeks ago that the bar had been sold to a new (woman) owner. This, if true, might account for the name change, but also the utterly clueless way they go about running a business. The previous owner was an obviously gay man; he probably understood his customers and set operational policies accordingly.

Even so, it was interesting you reported on a busy bar two nights out of three. 

It was also unusually busy at a twink bar: Fresh Boy, when I visited recently. See my report at https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/

[Verchiele]

7 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

I think it was mentioned a few weeks ago that the bar had been sold to a new (woman) owner. This, if true, might account for the name change, but also the utterly clueless way they go about running a business. The previous owner was an obviously gay man; he probably understood his customers and set operational policies accordingly.

Even so, it was interesting you reported on a busy bar two nights out of three. 

It was also unusually busy at a twink bar: Fresh Boy, when I visited recently. See my report at https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/

Always a pleasure to read your post! I dont recall last time you offed anyone from bar so presumably you dont think its good value say compared to SK or worth trouble.

which bar you think is worth going these days for entertainment value (less drag, more boys) I have listed these but may not have time to go to all: Dreamboy, Jupiter, moonlight, hotmale, freshboy (twink), banana club

 

[jason1975]

Expect lots of tourists from China during Golden Week holiday 1st October to 7th October!

[macaroni21]

5 hours ago, Verchiele said:

I dont recall last time you offed anyone from bar

It's true that I off someone from a bar only about once in 4 or 5 bar visits. Even when I do, I often won't write about it. Firstly, there is not a lot I want to say about sex in the room. Secondly, it's not what my blog is intended for. You may have noticed that even when sex follows a massage, the massage visit report doesn't include any description of the gymnastics (outside editorial policy,😉). Thirdly, the majority of my visits to Bangkok are work-related, which means that I don't stay in the Silom area and I have to get up at "normal" hours in the morning. Taking a bar boy at 11pm would be impractical compared to booking a 6pm or 7pm massage. Fourthly, it is 50 - 100% costlier to get a bar boy than a massage, for no assurance of better performance.

Even if I am not on a work trip and therefore have the luxury of time, the years have had an impact. Whereas I could happily do a massage-plus in the day followed by off'd-boy in the night, I don't have the energy or interest to keep up with such a pace anymore. Once a day is now enough.

Moreover, over the years I have acquired a short list of bar boys and massage boys whom I contact directly to come to my room. If it's a bar boy and during evening hours, I'd still have to pay the off fee, but I wouldn't have taken him from a bar (at least, not directly), which means I don't have to pay 500 baht for drinks and be pestered by mamasans. I do not write about such come-to-my-hotel appointments. Because they are "regulars" - even if not that frequent - the sessions I have with them are generally more satisfying.

In this respect, I actually have 2 Tawan guys on that shortlist, compared to just one from Fresh Boy (and last I heard, he's not even working there anymore), plus a growing number from other bars and massage places. There have been trips to Bangkok where I don't visit the bars at all; between massage visits and shortlisted boys coming to my hotel, I am busy enough. 

All these factors considered, offing a boy from a bar is indeed becoming a rarity. Nowadays, the main value I get from visitng a bar is to find fresh new faces once in a while, and if they perform well, they get added to the shortlist.

[macaroni21]

3 hours ago, jason1975 said:

Expect lots of tourists from China during Golden Week holiday 1st October to 7th October!

And lots from Taiwan around October 10th.

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, macaroni21 said:

Even if I am not on a work trip and therefore have the luxury of time, the years have had an impact. Whereas I could happily do a massage-plus in the day followed by off'd-boy in the night, I don't have the energy or interest to keep up with such a pace anymore. Once a day is now enough.

Wow @macaroni21, thanks for sharing with us some personal things about your private life.  You are one of my favorites here in this forum and I always look forward to what you write and your point of view.

What I quoted above is so true - just wait until you retire where you will have lots of "luxury of time" on your hands. 

Furthermore, if you will chose LOS as your retirement destination - you will find that occasionally other forum members who visit LOS for their vacations will contact you to participate in their vacation activities (which I generally truly enjoy), but, they will be in "vacation mode" where they tend to be in an accelerated do everything possible mode, and many will want:

• 2 or more of XXX types of interactions per day - and I often find myself hard-pressed to do a second XXX activity due to my age, and my satisfaction with one good one per day - resulting in me being a party pooper and declining their invitation to go on the hunt for a 2nd or 3rd XXX activity,
• financial constraints as a retiree (those who visit us here in LOS are in vacation mode with special extra vacation financing) while we are on a fixed pension budget,
• alcohol tolerance (often those in vacation mode want to drink all night long - and that just kills my sex drive and any possible hope of sexual performance).

@macaroni21 - have you given thought about where you would like to retire to?

Will we have the fortune of having you here in LOS full time ?

[Patanawet]

On 9/27/2024 at 10:19 AM, a-447 said:

Bar owners in Thailand tend to stick to what they know, regardless of whether or not it works.

If it doesn't work, they try to solve the problem by simply raising prices.

From my experience, creativity is not their strong point.

'twas ever thus.  Interesting to know if any investigations have been done to see the validity of this practice.

[Kiwi306]

Last year there were full-on sex shows at Tawan. Maybe the sex police put pressure on the bars.

As with Tawan Forever, Tawan was the only bar I visited during my recent holiday in Thailand. I much prefer the muscular builds. And I stayed at Quarter Silom for a few nights, as it was only a hop, step and jump away.

Tawan Forever, I wonder if you ever visited Muscle Factory in On Nut, which is a magnet for many bodybuilders who visit Bangkok.

[macaroni21]

@Kiwi306 don't keep us on tenterhooks 😲 tell us more about Muscle Factory. What kind of place is it? A bar? A sauna? A naked waiter fine dining restaurant? A car wash? Where exactly in On Nut?

[macaroni21]

@bkkmfj2648 I have tried retirement, for all of nine months. Was so bored, I was going insane. Got back into work though on a lighter schedule since i can now afford to be choosier about the consulting projects I take on.

I don't particularly like Thailand 😳 as a country or society. Many things annoy me while I am there. It's mostly just its sex scene I would come back for, so even if I am fully retired, it's better to visit, say 3 times a year, than to live there. If I lived there, I fear I might either break the bank or get bored with the sex scene. Or, more likely, both.

As our wise @vinapu once said, the trouble with living in Thailand is that you can't visit.

[bkkmfj2648]

1 hour ago, macaroni21 said:

If I lived there, I fear I might either break the bank or get bored with the sex scene.

and after living here now for 2 years as a new retiree - I can DEFINITELY agree with your above statement.

[Tawan Forever]

5 hours ago, Kiwi306 said:

Last year there were full-on sex shows at Tawan. Maybe the sex police put pressure on the bars.

As with Tawan Forever, Tawan was the only bar I visited during my recent holiday in Thailand. I much prefer the muscular builds. And I stayed at Quarter Silom for a few nights, as it was only a hop, step and jump away.

Tawan Forever, I wonder if you ever visited Muscle Factory in On Nut, which is a magnet for many bodybuilders who visit Bangkok.

They still do the "first to cum" bit, which I could do without, but zero penetration, including orally.

Silom Serene Boutique Hotel is another great stay, just across the street at the other end of the lane Tawan is on. Nice pool. very well equip gym, wear what you want

Yes, Muscle Factory is a must for those into hardcore workouts amongst the fellow big boys!

I sweat it out there a few times per visit.... and I mean SWEAT as it is completely without air conditioning! As a soft westerner I could not do daily workouts there, but the viewing is great!

 

[Keithambrose]

8 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Wow @macaroni21, thanks for sharing with us some personal things about your private life.  You are one of my favorites here in this forum and I always look forward to what you write and your point of view.

What I quoted above is so true - just wait until you retire where you will have lots of "luxury of time" on your hands. 

Furthermore, if you will chose LOS as your retirement destination - you will find that occasionally other forum members who visit LOS for their vacations will contact you to participate in their vacation activities (which I generally truly enjoy), but, they will be in "vacation mode" where they tend to be in an accelerated do everything possible mode, and many will want:

• 2 or more of XXX types of interactions per day - and I often find myself hard-pressed to do a second XXX activity due to my age, and my satisfaction with one good one per day - resulting in me being a party pooper and declining their invitation to go on the hunt for a 2nd or 3rd XXX activity,
• financial constraints as a retiree (those who visit us here in LOS are in vacation mode with special extra vacation financing) while we are on a fixed pension budget,
• alcohol tolerance (often those in vacation mode want to drink all night long - and that just kills my sex drive and any possible hope of sexual performance).

@macaroni21 - have you given thought about where you would like to retire to?

Will we have the fortune of having you here in LOS full time ?

All good points! I am down to one XXX activity a day, if I am lucky! As a top it's more of a problem,  though I am happy with a sexy massage, where the masseur, or 2 masseurs, cum!

[jason1975]

1 hour ago, Keithambrose said:

All good points! I am down to one XXX activity a day, if I am lucky! As a top it's more of a problem,  though I am happy with a sexy massage, where the masseur, or 2 masseurs, cum!

When you come across 2 masseurs who give excellent 4 hands massage, please let me know!

[Keithambrose]

6 hours ago, jason1975 said:

When you come across 2 masseurs who give excellent 4 hands massage, please let me know!

That is my aim, if I succeed, I will let you know!

[Artemis24]

I love tawan boys. So friendly and nice.
 

maybe arrange for them to bring me out of Bangkok to explore. 

[Kiwi306]

21 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

@Kiwi306 don't keep us on tenterhooks 😲 tell us more about Muscle Factory. What kind of place is it? A bar? A sauna? A naked waiter fine dining restaurant? A car wash? Where exactly in On Nut?

Hey, macaroni21, I'm really sorry to tell you that it's just a hardcore gym, which is down on Sukhumvit 56 and is a fairly long walk from On Nut BTS. As mentioned, there is no air-conditioning, just overhead fans. Lots of guys to ogle at in between workout sets.

[jamiebee]

 

On 9/26/2024 at 7:40 PM, Tawan Forever said:

 

Fast forward to my visit last week, 3 nights in the bar.

I am happy to report it is the same beast that she has been of recent years. if not of it's former glory.

On night one the boys were few and not the greatest quality, but there were 2 I would consider my type.

The crowd was very small, I did have concerns for its future.

The 2nd and 3rd nights the place was packed with boys, there were 3-4 that would work for me, and it was a full crowd. A much brighter picture all round!

 

There were enough different body types to appeal to all tastes, several off season bodybuilder types for me to choose from

Thankfully the guys are still as friendly and welcoming as ever, it does help that I have a muscled build (yes that is me in my avatar) and they never fail to swarm around me and give me extra attention!

 

 

Now I'm getting excited for my planned trip April next year 😆😆😆. It sucks that during my visit Tawan was still closed earlier this year 😑.

[macaroni21]

On 9/29/2024 at 4:54 PM, Kiwi306 said:

Hey, macaroni21, I'm really sorry to tell you that it's just a hardcore gym, which is down on Sukhumvit 56 and is a fairly long walk from On Nut BTS. As mentioned, there is no air-conditioning, just overhead fans. Lots of guys to ogle at in between workout sets.

Oh, not for me then. I'm no muscle worshipper. Thanks, anyway.

[macaroni21]

8 hours ago, jamiebee said:

 planned trip April next year   It sucks that during my visit Tawan was still closed earlier this year

Time to go to church, go to confession and pray hard 😁The way the bars change, no one can be sure it'll still be there.