Kingsway Host/Karaoke bar in Chiangmai

[petr55]

Does anyone here know of this bar in Chiangmai called "Kingsway"?
I cant seem to find the address (in English). Thanks.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/kingswayclub/photos

[Mancs]

Is it this; seems hard to find? 38 Sirintron Rd, Tambon Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand

[petr55]

Not sure. I was hoping a local expat can confirm.
I will find out for sure next time I am in Chiangmai.
Lots of hot guys there. Seems to be like many other karaokes with guys where they entertain men and women.
I suspect they may target women more.
I know some ex-AdamApple guys are working there now.

Not sure if you can off the boys.

[christianpfc]

It's on googlemaps and marked as Gay Bar. But there are no pictures and streetview doesn't look like there is a bar around. I would confirm location by other means before I go.

[BonTong]

It's not listed on our website, usually when that happens there is a good reason why, nuff said!

[AdamKY]

As of June 2019 the location of this bar is / was roughly 50 meters west of where Google maps places it, two sub soi's west of Karn Coffee & Bakery. Look for a four-story red-fronted building on the north side of Sirintron Road. No idea if it is still in business.

https://www.gayguides.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2020_03/359212711_ScreenShot2020-03-09at8_01_13AM.png.ac82f994368ad2bd815950972ade0746 .png

[sglad]

No idea if it is still in business.

It is, at least it was until the mandatory closures due to the corona outbreak. The location is correct; it is on Sirinthorn Road which is off the superhighway. As you approach Maya Mall on the right, Sirinthorn Road is on your left. I don't remember the frontage being red when we went last year but it was after midnight when we got there. I was already a bit tipsy and the soi was pitch dark; but for the lone doorman in front you wouldn't know there was anything there.

The place was packed. All the customers were Thais in their twenties and thirties. About a third were female. Everyone was in groups of three or more. Not a big space so if you're not comfortable with drunk, screeching Thai women, then this might not be a place for you. Usual high tables where they put your drinks and you stand around these tables.* From opening time till 3 AM it was karaoke. After that it turned into a disco. DJ played popular Thai tunes and the occasional English song. It was loud.

There were plenty of boys, mostly Tai-yai and hilltribe. Some were goodlooking and well built. No idea if they spoke English or not as we all spoke Thai. There must have been at least thirty boys on the night we went. How it works is that the boys would all gather on stage on the hour every hour until 3 AM. They had number tags. Unlike similar places we've been to, here the hosts kept their shirts on during the "auction". The mamasan or whatever would ask customers to invite a boy or two or three to their table to sit with and "host" their group for 45 minutes. The price is around 200Bt per host/45 minutes. This is added to your bill. When the hour is up, the boys gather back on stage. You can pick the same boy again if you like him. Anything else (for eg, sex off the premises) would purely be a private arrangement between the customer and the host. After 3 AM, the place turns into a disco but there's hardly any room for any real dancing. The boys are free to roam.

*My friends who went in February 2020 say they've changed the seating at Kingsway. No more high tables which we can wiggle around. Now they've got fixed low-rise banquet-type seating all crammed into each other so that they can pack in more customers. Hardly any leg room. You have to sit - can't move around and clink your glass with other customers.

[sglad]

I received a couple of questions regarding the boys/hosts via PM and I'm going to answer them here for the benefit of anyone who's interested. Firstly, are the boys straight or gay? I'd say most if not all of the boys were straight. Does this mean the boys would gravitate to the female customers? Not necessarily as the boys have their tastes too; probably fair to say that they were drawn to the more attractive female customers, of which there were one or two that night.

Secondly, what is the off fee? As far as I know, there is no off fee as the hosts are required to be on the premises during bar opening hours. Their job is to keep the customers entertained, talk to them, listen to their BS, pour the drinks from the whiskey set and perhaps allow a grope or two. How well they do this depends on their attitude and personality, and the chemistry between them and the customers. When I was there the music was too loud for any kind of conversation and I don't like to shout. If you want sex, then you would have to independently negotiate with the host the activity, the time, the price, the place, etc. The bar doesn't get involved and the hosts can and do say no. Bear in mind that these venues stay open until 4 or 5 AM which means you can only hook up after that!

[BonTong]

Sadly, the fun days of the real "gay" karaokes in Chiang Mai are long gone. Places like The Relax, and the original Barocco. Most of the current places aren't the same at all, except for Route 181 (Ex-Free Guy) which has now gone back to having a show at weekends (or at least had before the shutdown).