Marc308

This raft of new(ish) massage places (including Jey Spa, Klover, History, Senso, Prime, ...) are becoming quite imbedded in gay culture in Bangkok it seems. Overall from what I have seen the "talent" has gone way up, although I must say that doesn't necessarily mean "massage" prowess, which seems to be more and more an afterthought at these places. The prices are high but, as the messages above also attest, seem to be worth the expenditure. I can confirm that as well from my experience. I haven't left disappointed so far. Of course the day will cum I"m sure... The other side of the coin are the shops in Saphan Kwai which are decidedly cheaper (total expenditure maybe 60% of the HiSo ones). But you can get a good bang for your buck.

You are right OD, the term "MB" seems to be a rather new euphemism. These days the apps make it easier to spot MBs from "non-MBs", thank goodness. I have to admit more than once assuming an app profile was a MB when I then had to sheepishly apologize to him for making that assumption. Now it seems the lines are more clear cut.

Well massage appointments do bear some resemblance to a colonoscopy, no? and cum to think about it, they bear some resemblance to the dentist too! In fact I once did fly halfway around the globe to go to the (old) A-Bomb and when arriving I found only 3 "veteran" boys there. Give me appointments anytime over that hit-n-miss experience. I've had very good results in the past few weeks at Jey Spa and 15M in Bangkok. Quality of service at both establishments exceeded expectations. The first a little pricey but decadent and refined. The second much more barebones where the service is the star.

Speaking of the apps, I've noticed more and more straight or married or "discreet" guys on the apps these days (compared to a year ago when I was last here). Some are deep in the closet. More Middle Eastern guys also who want to play. More Indians too. Bangladeshis and way more Africans (many from Madagascar) than ever before. Fewer and fewer Thai guys, the ones who remain are almost exclusively from rural Isaan. Definitely more Myanmar guys too. In summary, interestingly, the scene today looks more like the United Nations than a map of Thailand.

Those off-fees are ridiculous. I'd rather my money go to the working boys not to the mafia and BIBs. I walked by BT two evenings ago and BT Soi 3 (BBB's soi) was dark, the big sign at the entrance to the soi was off, and I could see very little if any activity. There is NO reason I would step foot in that soi (sorry Vinapu, chacun á son goût!) but this is the past of Pattaya certainly not its future. It's future will be appointed massages, the apps and, as always, sweet unexpected chance meeting serendipity.

Christian is right. There are some gems hidden waiting for you to discover. But using the apps can be a real pain in the ... with their incessant and inconvenient breaks in conversation and their repetition. Of course they are hoping you'll break down and pay for the paid option, but some of them (e.g. Grindr) has completely outragenous prices.

There is a solution. It is called rub-a-dub-dub with lots of shampoo, soap and then mouthwash and deodorant. And do remember, it is the Thais that often remark about us smelly falang who can't seem to keep from sweating and smelling. For me my biggest complaint is with smokers. The smoke permeates their hair, their clothes, and no matter how much mouthwash they use I can still smell it on their breath. As for Indians' availability, I see more and more South Asian profiles on the apps -- with Bengalis seeming to be the biggest contingent at the moment. Hooray1

Noticing your nick (msclwrshp), you might want to seek out shops which specialize in more muscular guys. Let me put it this way, JS boys tend to be "classy" hunks, where as some of the shops in Saphan Kwai (for example 15M massage) tend to have more "rough" hunks, if you get my drift. Of course any specific recommendation is fraught with possible disaster as human taste varies too widely, right?

Gosh Shonen, I must say I was taken aback by your comment, sorry, brother. Gosh if I could have a prime porterhouse steak and a Hot Fudge Sundae every day I think I would soon tire from the abundance. I must say I don't share your fantasy because not only would I be fat(ter) than I already am, I'd miss the "hunger pangs" and eager anticipation of the next (possible) great experience.

Oh gosh that is quite a sad story. I think you learned a valuable lesson -- second meetings after months often don't go well. I think what happens if we remember the great experience of the initial meeting, probably enhance it in our minds, and as horniness sets in and time approaches for the next visit, anticipation gets the best of us. We expect something which really can't be delivered. Straight boys are, err, straight, so obviously their emotional attachment is going to different than ours. I don't think you were a cheapskate at all. I just Mr Lao Boy had a different agenda in mind.

Haha, Indeed.

Indeed Keep you are so right. War is so incredibly stupid. I always thought of both Thailand and Cambodia as essentially peace-loving countries at least since the times of Pol Pot. It is interesting how a small border dispute can lead to strife, killings, violence and instability.

Peter, oh no how very sad to see hostilities boil over again.

Gosh Vessey you are right but there is a lot of serendipity involved in many places. My favorite man I found was just standing at the butter counter at Foodmart one fine day. He was great. Of course every time I go to buy "butter" I think of him. The chances for such encounters is great if one tunes their antenna to the right channels... I have a trip coming up soon and thus I am tuning my antenna so reception is improved during my stay there.

Hi everyone, I've been lurking for a while so I've popped back to life here with a long-awaited very-low-season extended visit to Pattaya coming up next month (August). OK so today Iet's talk about "Old" Men and their virtues, hey, I am not talking about myself (although I more than qualify being in my Golden Years!) but rather sweet loveable adorable Thai/Isaan/Burmese/Laotian/Cambodian men who are past (and usually way past) the sunny side of 30yo. I guess I have become the opposite of a twink-seeker. There may be an exception or two but generally I find 20-somethings frighteningly immature and generally uninteresting in the long run. Even more weird I guess is that I prefer guys who are shorter, darker, stronger but not necessarily with the perfect physique. A strong mature guy with some muscle, along perhaps with some love handles from drinking too much beer and eating too much rice, is fine with me. Gay or straight or persuadable. The last thing I have in mind is meeting up with my gay son or (yeegads!) my gay grandson! That's not to say I don't enjoy wiling away an evening at Jomtien Complex, or having a massage at Jey Spa, not at all... it's just really not my true cup-a-tea. Am I alone in this perspective? Peace!

V, I think you are pointing out an interesting phenomenon -- yes, we are likely to be easily "conditioned" based on whether a previous visit ultimately went well. And yes you are right I am sure my/our attitudes have changed over the years. Perhaps now I demand too much of the bars, as they were once an essential meeting place, before the apps and massage places were dominant. Looking back, I don't think I really enjoyed going there (not much of a drinker, definitely not a smoker) and I definitely resented paying the wholesaler mafia, money which would more appropriately have been given to the provider of service. But back then they were a necessary marketplace... that's not the case anymore.

Gosh coming up a composite for the ideal go-go bar is a challenge indeed. My first reaction is to say the ideal composite is the OPPOSITE of (most?) of today's offerings: 1. Comfortable: Seating, lighting, music levels, cleanliness, no smoke. 2. FUN: I think the current bars have lost track of this essential ingredient. FUN to me means a welcoming attitude of mamasans, staff, waiters, owners; maybe a fun show means something with creativity, "surprises", a fun-loving atmosphere which does not focus only on sitting and drinking too much. Maybe offer interesting drinks beside the usual "well" drinks. 3. Sweet After-taste (pun intended?): When you leave the bar do you say to yourself gosh "that was a good time and I look forward to coming back again!"? The rule that seems to be overlooked by way too many bars today is the notion that cultivating return patronage is good business. For me, there is not a single bar which I look forward to going to. I used to like to go to BBB but then the women took it over. I used to like to go to Jupiter until the atmosphere turned surly. I liked going to Babylon, until it unexpectedly closed alas. Now I'm perfectly happy to rely on the apps, chance encounters, repeats from special guys. '

Alas much of the world is going through a severe housing crisis. Local residents are being thrown out of their long-term residences as owners convert their properties to short-term rentals. The crisis is particularly severe here in Hawaii, and critically severe on Maui, after the Lahaina fires. On Maui up to 1/3 of rented residences are either empty or converted to AirBnB-style use. I'm not sure what the answer is. A decent hotel on/near the beach here will likely cost you around $800/night, which to my mind is totally crazy and forces visitors to consider more affordable alternatives, including inducing them to break the law. In Pattaya some of the new buildings are waging a kind of warfare against short-termers. This is especially true of Copacabana, the glitzy newish Jomtien condo where some residents have reported having to sneak into their accommodation.

Hi Panther bro, I know of no specific "special" going on at Bumrungrad or elsewhere at the moment. You usually see the discounts in August, during the lowest point of the low season. That's when the best discounts usually appear. Yes, Bumrungrad is a medical marvel, boasting very high US- and European accreditation and its services overall are excellent, surpassing those of many hospitals in far more advanced countries. The price differential however continues to narrow and I suppose in not too many years they may approach those in Singapore or Dubai. I did want to comment a bit on the efficacy of wellness packages, aka multi-phasic screening: Some years ago, Kaiser-Permanente, the big US-based HMO, did a large-scale study doing screenings each year on nearly half its members, and not doing them on the rest. The results were discouraging: (Symptom-less) cancers were not discovered earlier, cardiovascular events were not predicted earlier, mortality rates were unchanged, etc. The reason? There were way too many false-positive test results: Mysterious spots on the liver or lungs turned out to be birthmarks after being biopsied or, worse operated upon, for example. The key word here though is symptom-less. By all means if you experience even minor symptoms such as tightness in the chest, a drop of blood in the urine or stool, etc. by all means get checked out. But beware of false-negatives. Hope this helps. Marc

Gosh guys 500B is indeed quite a bit of money. I can't get my head (?) around 5,000B for ST. It's unimaginable to me, sorry. 500B is already more than the minimum daily rate that a large percentage of Thai workers earn for a full day of labor. (As of January 1, 2025, the minimum daily wage in Thailand varies by province, ranging from 337 to 400 Thai Baht.) The mamasan at Midnight Cowboy (Saphan Kwai) who I asked for her recommendation once told that "200B was quite a generous tip". Yes it was some years ago of course, but gosh how things change!

Hi Vinapu, Squirrel House is listed at US $39 today. Doesn't look too bad. But yes BBB Inn was definitely cheaper.

I similarly had a British buddy (Peter P) whose end-of-life health bills outraced his British pension and savings quite rapidly. He was quite fine when he came to LOS years ago with a high GPB exchange rate and a reasonable British pension but both of those eroded rapidly. In Peter's case the hospital was actively trying to kick him out as he was dying. Self-insuring is the best (and perhaps only viable option) if you are 70+ 75+ 80+ but always remember that end-of-life care is getting more and more expensive in all countries, including Thailand.

I couldn't agree more. It's a far different scene from LOS with its own pro's and con's. But if you like big horny hairy beasts, you can't beat Delhi. And yes most are free esp guys who had been pressured into marriage and appreciate an outlet. You'll get many offers.

Dear Vinapu, Even though I haven't met you, I do sense your emotional conflict. As you age, life's curveballs come faster and more furiously alas. I'm glad your trip is relieving the pain but frankly it will take more than a therapeutic romp at Arena to clear the air, alas. Life is complicated.

That's a really sad story. Eighteen months of bliss is hard to sever. How would a "banking problem" impact your relationship?