I remember a few more interesting go-go bars from the early 90s; Galaxy (near Suriwong), Spider Man (on Patpong soi 2), and one place called Super Man, or maybe it was Super Boy, an upstairs locatin also in the Suriwong area. That place didn't last a year but it was hot: most boys danced nude. Great scenery!
As sextile and fountainhall noted, the bar boys in those days DID seem to be sweeter and eager to go out of their way to make sure you were happy and satisfied. I was also treated to airport sendoffs, flowers, having a boy dress me, or put my shoes on for me. It may sound silly, but those nice "little touches" did mean a lot. I miss those days, and those types of boys.

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My first 2 bar experiences were definite rip offs. I was completely naive ...about 1990 .....1st visit to BKK on business, staying in Oriental Hotel I asked a taxi to take me to "boy bar" . We went to a back street near Silom Village restaurant...lots of fairy lights outside.....I picked a nice farm boy from Udon, and they charged me BHT 1,200 off fee, (half of which went to the taxi driver waiting outside.) The next nite another taxi took me to a huge run down barn of a place with a stage and about 20 boys. It was somewhere near Lumpini Park....in a field behind high metal railings ..again 1,200 BHT and a smiling taxi driver waiting to take me back.........

the good experiences will follow in next post.....

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Might that bar be Galaxy? I too remember being ripped off by Galaxy which had fairy lights in front and was far down Suriwong, (nearly to Silom Village?). I didn't use a tout or taxi, but was just enchanted by the doorman. Once inside, it was a different story. They got aggressive when I disputed the bill. ended up some 2,000 baht poorer for just one drink.

Another place where I suffered the same treatment was an upstairs go-go bar above the Patpong 2 carpark. Can't remember which year it was, must have been early 1990s. I knew instantly I was in deep shit when they locked the door behind me after I entered.

I haven't heard such tales in the last 10 years... so for those who're thinking the past is always better, here is one aspect of the Bangkok gogo bar scene that seems to have changed for the better.

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The barn-like place sounds exactly like Stockholm, which was on the Lumpinee end of Soi Langsuan.

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Good grief, sloot! THB 2,000 ! What happened after they
locked the door at the other place? I clearly must be
grateful that the first place I went to was the Golden Cock,
where I was treated so well that it was the only
go go bar I frequented for the first few years.

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All these posts bring up those fond memories. My first time in BKK must have been some 20 years ago. I came there with my boyfriend and completely unprepared for what we were to encounter. The first bar we saw was Apollo in Silom Soi 4. We both enjoyed the gogo dancing - until the fuck show started. My friend ran back to the hotel screaming. I stayed and enjoyed the unexpected fun.
Even more exciting was Twighlight in those days. I remember sitting there next to a very small round stage in the middle of the room looking at the bigger stage. After parading on the big stage, boys would come over to this small roundabout right next to the customers who would be alowed to touch their erect members. That was something I hadn't even dreamt of before.
Does anyone remember this set-up in Twighlight? It was the same building as today, but one floor down from the later "new" bar.

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I thought I could rely on you guys to know these dives. Yes Galaxy and Stockholm would have been the places. ....and I remember another large almost pitch black bar above a car park behind Telephone bar (was there once a back way out of the 1st floor of Telephone that went to this bar? ) It was like Sunnee Plaza today....full of teen boys running around like little monkeys....playing with each others dicks in the back rows while on stage I watched fascinated as they did the ...pull 20 metres of ribbon out of the arse ....and arse blow ping pong balls....tricks. My best memories were HArry's BAr ground floor soi 2....it was fitted out in heavy wooden panelling, coloured lights and reminiscent of a Chicago or NY bar...had a small dance area and from about 8.30 pm and great drag shows. You could go for a drink and wait for the approaches from young free lancers who hung out there. There was no off fee, and if you didnt click u went upstairs to a similar bar (Later became Top Man) with dancers and off fee. The boys loved it when I'd take them to the Rome Club show before heading off to a 5 star hotel for our nite of passion. ...hmm they were good times.....

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...but today BKK, and the boys are different...the internet, chat room dating and increasing affluence have changed the scene for-ever. Go to Soi 2 now and apart from DJ, its all upmarket dance club style bars where affluent young Thais hang out, who have no interest in farangs. The banning of under 20 y.o. from even soi 4 has also changed the feel (Thai logic says they can work as hosts and get f**ked at 18 but cant go to a licenced restaurtant until 20.....!)

The next trend (and I can feel it coming) is for more women to invade not only the shows, but DJ and Telephone etc. It'll start with fag hags, then party girls who think gay is cool, and soon we'll have lost our venues.....but hey, I still have fun in BKK and Pattaya and can find boys every nite so I'm not really complaining !

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..and while i"m in nostagia mood, the thing about BKK boys has always been that you pay them after the event...just like a gift rather than a commercial money boy transaction. I've enjoyed over 300 such encounters, and the funny thing is its the boys who are often emotional and ask to see you again...I've had a couple of one year emotional affairs with these boys, but could easily have had had many more. They really can be very sweet and vulnerable, and having seen how many of them live, its not surprising a farang is seen as a very good catch....anyway, that's enough from me!

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I think there is more to this observation than meets the eye, as it were. In many Asian countries where there were social stigmas attached to being gay, it used to be very common for young chinese, japanese, thais etc. to seek out foreigners both for sex and relationships. 25 years ago, foreigner/local partnerships were virtually the norm - especially in Japan. This was far easier than forming relationships with their own countrymen - and of course there were some economic benefits along the line. But I have noticed that as each society has gradually became more affluent (and also more accepting of gays), so younger guys started to seek out other chinese, japanese etc., rather than foreigners. It's only natural, I guess, but maybe it's another reason why we look back on the 'old days' with such nostalgia.

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Fountainhall - an astute observation. As the Asian countries get more and more middle-class, the next generation of farangs who wish to have boys at their feet might have to look to Africa perhaps?

Leopard - What happened after they locked the door as soon as I entered? Well, I immediately demanded that they open the door and let me out, but of course such a demand had no effect whatsoever. Meanwhile a drink that I had not ordered arrived as did a bill. That bill had an outrageous figure for the drink, another outrageous figure for the "show" which consisted of a single boy leaning on a pole, and - wait for it - a third fgure for the "host" who had kept me company.

And who was that host? Why, none other than the heavy-set guy leaning over me right then demanding that I "pay checkbin now".

Altogether, the total was something in the region of 3,500 baht. I tried to argue my way out of it - silly me - and hoped that the other customer in the corner might stand up for me. It soon dawned on me however that that "other customer" was a farang hired by the bar to make the place look real in order to entice more newbies like me to step into the Venus Flytrap. (Or he could have been the owner himself!)

There were 4 guys encircling me and things could have turned really ugly in a second.

Eventually I showed them that all I had on me was, if I remember correctly 2,600 baht, and they promptly reduced the bill to 2,500. I settled and was let out.

I for one, don't have rose-tinted glasses.

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Hi Sloot,

I like your comment, "I for one, don't have rose-tinted glasses. "

I have many nice memories from the last 25 years but i've also had my share of disappointing to nasty experiences. Many years ago I has the exact same experience you describe, and i think it was probably same venue, my guess it that was Galaxy. I was alone, it was quite unpleasand and I was very revealed when the door was unlocked and I very quickly departed the premises.

Since were down this path, I think it's worth a quick mention that there is the other side of this. I'm meaning customers cheating bar boys / promising the world to bar boys and never fulfilling the promises.

My now deceased Thai gay magazine friend told me many stories about this. I recall him mentioning this many years ago, he also mentioned that most of the 7 or 8 magzines which existed at that time regularly ran stories like this.

Unfortunately, this is all part of life, warts and all!

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What a terrific trail, sloot and all. Great to hear about the olden days.

My Diary 13th April 1994
First Time Bangkok

"Exciting evening in Patpong - lots of tourists and too much water throwing but good fun - got myself absolutely soaked again. Despite bad advice from outside my hotel "You like lady?" "No' You like boy?" "Mmm" I went with a tout to Galaxy Bar which I think may be the new in place for those who like young ones. Quite amazing about 25 lads on a bench and two sort of swaying in a bored fashion to frantically loud music - I didn't like the place. The Tout then took me to Twighlight Bar which was incredible...."

Happily for me no 2000 baht a drink - wow that was US$80 in those days.

I was expecting something like that but until this trail never heard of such happening in Bangkok. I expected it to. When I went to a girl go-go bar in Patpong the doorman assured me drinks only 80 baht US$3 but when the bill came it was over 100 so I put down 100 baht and complained and walked out quickly, looking over my shoulder to see if any heavies were coming to break my knees.

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It's fun to hear how many others seem to have started their BKK careers with a taxi ride to Galaxy and a 2000 baht tonic.

I recall feeling like a top-notch negotiator when I got the off fee down to 1500.

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How about the now-defunct saunas from that era? We had Volt, Otoko...what else?

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