Surfcrest
March 17th, 2013, 23:39
I've provided many reviews of past trips I've made to Chak Ran sauna, located in the Ari neighborhood of Bangkok and so once again I paid another visit last night.
The sauna is an easy walk from the Ari BTS Station through one of the nicer neighborhoods of the city. Over the last few years, Soi Ari has seen an influx of a lot of good new restaurants such as the very popular Salt. There are also some rather good street vendors along Ari....except that they close down rather early compared to many other areas of the city. Because they are popular, this is also an excellent area for people watching.
Anyhow, Chak Ran has really picked it up again in terms of the decor in the club send the feel you get once inside. The wooden decks and the hanging vines have been enhanced with the installation of some potted palm trees around the pool and on the decks. The place also feels a lot cleaner than I recall it did with my past visit, except they weren't using the watercress in the stem room anymore....which back then was a nice addition. The music too has alo improved, straying from the western top 40 back to more of a club vibe.
The staff are still a little cold and untalkative, probably because they cater to a mostly Asian clientele who's base clients are probably Thai. One thing I noticed with my past visits were the increase in Non-Thai Asians guests, including Korean, Chinese from Hong Kong and now Chinese mainlanders. Because of this, you hear quite a bit of English spoken to the the. Non-Thais...albeit the mainlanders don't always understand....or choose not to. While the Thais, for the most are in relatively good shape, many of the Chinese are not....flabby tummies, patches of hair on their chests and grossly untrimmed bushes. This was one of my first visits where I found very little of interest or worthy of a second look....except for one.
Last night was naked night in the wet areas where shorts and towels were not allowed once in by the big hot tub (and it was actually hot last night vs the usual luke warm). Some understood that while others needed to be told repeatedly. At about 8:30 PM some guys put on masks and performed a sex show in the main pool, which continued into to the wet areas and in the hot tub. They put a spot light up on the highest deck to highlight the show. As usual, the steam room was pitch black...as was the sauna with minimal lighting in the wet areas. Still there was enough light to see what could be had to know what you were getting into before taking the plunge.
I wasn't interested in the show and so while it was going on, I sat on one of the benches on the upper desk which is when and where I was able to meet someone, after he sat down beside me. I think I was just lucky and was just about to pack it in and go back to the hotel. There are cubicles upstairs in the dimly lit Heart of Darkness area and so if you are going to check someone out or take it a little farther, like I did...this is where you go.
Chak Ran has become almost exclusively sticky now and apart from one other farang (who decided to wear his underwear around and got what looked like no nibbles) I was the only non-Asian in the club.
I mentioned the restaurants in the area earlier as, if you do meet someone inside and want to get to know them better....these and the bars / pubs in the area are on the romantic side.
The admission cost is still quite affordable, at 250 baht. Late afternoon is a good time to go to appreciate the beauty of the club and to catch the afterwork crowd. On the weekend they are open until dawn, but only until 11 during the week. The lockers are located on the 2nd level and there is a small gym and restaurant / bar on the 3rd. The Heart of Darkness is above that and (although I didn't find it with this visit) there is a stunning view outdoors of the city from the 5th level that also has / had a lounge area for intimate discussions.
Chak Ran isn't for everyone and if you aren't either Asian or in decent shape...don't expect much..but it is a beautiful club...still one of the nicest I've seen yet in the world.
Surfcrest┬а
The sauna is an easy walk from the Ari BTS Station through one of the nicer neighborhoods of the city. Over the last few years, Soi Ari has seen an influx of a lot of good new restaurants such as the very popular Salt. There are also some rather good street vendors along Ari....except that they close down rather early compared to many other areas of the city. Because they are popular, this is also an excellent area for people watching.
Anyhow, Chak Ran has really picked it up again in terms of the decor in the club send the feel you get once inside. The wooden decks and the hanging vines have been enhanced with the installation of some potted palm trees around the pool and on the decks. The place also feels a lot cleaner than I recall it did with my past visit, except they weren't using the watercress in the stem room anymore....which back then was a nice addition. The music too has alo improved, straying from the western top 40 back to more of a club vibe.
The staff are still a little cold and untalkative, probably because they cater to a mostly Asian clientele who's base clients are probably Thai. One thing I noticed with my past visits were the increase in Non-Thai Asians guests, including Korean, Chinese from Hong Kong and now Chinese mainlanders. Because of this, you hear quite a bit of English spoken to the the. Non-Thais...albeit the mainlanders don't always understand....or choose not to. While the Thais, for the most are in relatively good shape, many of the Chinese are not....flabby tummies, patches of hair on their chests and grossly untrimmed bushes. This was one of my first visits where I found very little of interest or worthy of a second look....except for one.
Last night was naked night in the wet areas where shorts and towels were not allowed once in by the big hot tub (and it was actually hot last night vs the usual luke warm). Some understood that while others needed to be told repeatedly. At about 8:30 PM some guys put on masks and performed a sex show in the main pool, which continued into to the wet areas and in the hot tub. They put a spot light up on the highest deck to highlight the show. As usual, the steam room was pitch black...as was the sauna with minimal lighting in the wet areas. Still there was enough light to see what could be had to know what you were getting into before taking the plunge.
I wasn't interested in the show and so while it was going on, I sat on one of the benches on the upper desk which is when and where I was able to meet someone, after he sat down beside me. I think I was just lucky and was just about to pack it in and go back to the hotel. There are cubicles upstairs in the dimly lit Heart of Darkness area and so if you are going to check someone out or take it a little farther, like I did...this is where you go.
Chak Ran has become almost exclusively sticky now and apart from one other farang (who decided to wear his underwear around and got what looked like no nibbles) I was the only non-Asian in the club.
I mentioned the restaurants in the area earlier as, if you do meet someone inside and want to get to know them better....these and the bars / pubs in the area are on the romantic side.
The admission cost is still quite affordable, at 250 baht. Late afternoon is a good time to go to appreciate the beauty of the club and to catch the afterwork crowd. On the weekend they are open until dawn, but only until 11 during the week. The lockers are located on the 2nd level and there is a small gym and restaurant / bar on the 3rd. The Heart of Darkness is above that and (although I didn't find it with this visit) there is a stunning view outdoors of the city from the 5th level that also has / had a lounge area for intimate discussions.
Chak Ran isn't for everyone and if you aren't either Asian or in decent shape...don't expect much..but it is a beautiful club...still one of the nicest I've seen yet in the world.
Surfcrest┬а