Why Did Happy Boys Die?

[Armando]

Rather than extend existing threads, I noticed that Happy Boys was mentioned more than once. I only went a few times, but each time there were several other customers. I'm wondering if anyone knows why the bar closed. I know it was years ago. Was it the location being outside Sunee? Only twinks dancing? It seemed pretty much on the Eros model although far smaller.

[Oliver2]

Location, location, location....one hundred and fifty metres is a huge distance for a Pattaya bar-fly!

I went on a couple of occasions and considered it a cut above other post-2000 go go bars; for one thing, the guys actually danced. Yes, really. And certainly it was a twink-heaven. The downstairs behaviour was more decorous- the upstairs allowed more intimate activities- than that in Eros. And the guys better-looking in my opinion.

It was a unique setup and and so I return to the issue of location for its demise.

[goji]

I always used to visit gogo bars with the intention of offing someone back to my hotel. I may do so in the future, if gogo bars reopen.

Happy Boys opened an upstairs section and the boys seemed quite happy to offer upstairs service, rather than go back to the hotel. The last one I offed from there was very pleasant on the premises, but was a dud once in the hotel room. The last total dud I've had in Pattaya, which is says how good it is in Pattaya, as that's quite a few years ago.
I suspect he couldn't wait to get back to the bar to continue doing quickies on the premises.

I didn't off any one from there again. Perhaps that's a one off experience, but if it were repeated, it would be one reason why the bar did not thrive.
Another would be the underlying decline in the gogo market.

[a447]

And the guys were mainly fem.

I had a regular off from there. His name was Olay and he was the only masculine guy in the bar.

[Chuai-Duai]

I was a regular there for several years. The angled mirror that allowed one to view activities upstairs from downstairs didn’t really work though. Just before it closed the difference between what went on upstairs and down rather relaxed and the fee for upstairs was dropped. But it was a rather lonely walk down the Soi from the other Bars. I have photos taken upstairs of a guy called “Em” but I can’t remember the name of another favourite who had the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a guy.

[francois]

Eventually there were 3 levels to Happy Boys Bar. The 3rd level had individual rooms for offs with the boys, but, I found it disappointing, performance wise. The second level was a lot of fun! My fav boy was a straight guy who loved to kiss! I would be "playing" with him as another lad would be doing me. Those were the days.
I think its demise had something to do with the owner, likely not making enough money.
Drinks were inexpensive and the boys did dance and were friendly.

[Chuai-Duai]

Wasn't the owner the same as "Winner Boys"? I seem to remember something of the sort at the time.

[a447]

I think Happy Boys was owned by Eros.

[cdnmatt]

For some reason, I always thought Happy Boys was owned by Neal, the previous owner of SGT?

[goji]

Here's a recent photo of the premises, Dec 21. Presumably available if anyone would like to make a small fortune (starting with a large fortune).

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[gerefan2]

For some reason, I always thought Happy Boys was owned by Neal, the previous owner of SGT?

Are you thinking of Happy PLACE?

[cdnmatt]

Are you thinking of Happy PLACE?

I have no idea. Didn't Neal own a bar? I've never even heard of a bar called Happy Place.

Isn't Happy Boys that one where the boys wear those loose fitting boxer type shorts, and rotate around the tables every few mins a couple to each table? For some reason, I thought Neal owned that one.

Not sure why, but I never really liked that place. I think it's because I prefer to see all the guys together, chatting and joking with each other a little bit, etc. Instead of being isolated from their peers to stand on an individual table like that.

[gerefan2]

There were 2 bars. Where were you?

Happy BOYS was just outside Sunee Plaza.

Happy PLACE was just outside Boyztown. Owned by BIG Neal.

Your description of boys standing on individual tables indicates you were in Happy BOYS, which was not Neals bar.

[cdnmatt]

Ohhh, that's why I didn't know it. I never really liked BoyzTown. Too commercial for me.

I much preferred the off the cuff sleaze that Sunnee provided, haha.

[Chuai-Duai]

Upstairs at Happy Boys 2010
https://i.postimg.cc/Cx8Gy18z/Happy-Boys.jpg (https://postimg.cc/v4QgfG3s)

[neddy3]

I thought that the owner had previously owned Jungle Boys or Legun as it became. More likely Legun in Sunee.

Not sure of this, and happy (?!) to be corrected.

I understood that Happy Boys closed due to lack of profits (location?) and that the owner returned to Europe.

[Manforallseasons]

I think it died a natural death along with the rest of Sunee.

[Armando]

Location, location, location....one hundred and fifty metres is a huge distance for a Pattaya bar-fly!
I agree the location was not ideal. Indeed it was a few visits before I even knew it existed.

But as it seems to have had a degree of popularity among the few posters here, presumably it had other customers. If the owner did not leave the country, I'd have thought moving the bar into Sunee might surely have increased its clientele. Never been to Winner and so cannot compare. I just know that there was a lot of interaction between the boys in Happy Boys, they did more than a shot-shoe shuffle and actually smiled a lot - so unusual in so many bars - and they were very friendly. Most of all they seemed to be enjoying themselves and it was infectious.

[Dodger]

I think in "normal" times Happy Boys may have survived, but when they first opened Sunee was SOOOOOO HOT that there was very little reason for anyone to stumble outside the Sunee Circle.

[christianpfc]

I went to Happy Boys many times, but for its isolated location it was at the end of my list. I would go to bars within Sunee or Boystown first.


Isn't Happy Boys that one where the boys wear those loose fitting boxer type shorts, and rotate around the tables every few mins a couple to each table? For some reason, I thought Neal owned that one.
That sounds like Krazy Dragon.

[Josan]

"one where the boys wear those loose fitting boxer type shorts, and rotate around the tables every few mins a couple to each table?"

YES, that was Krazy Dragon!

[cdnmatt]

No, not Krazy Dragon, but I do remember that one. It was right in the middle of Sunnee.

You walk down that alley beside Sunnee and upon hitting whatever that next main street was, just on the corner was Happy Boys / Place. Same type of thing as Krazy Dragon, esxcept far smaller, more intimate, and only 2 or 3 boys pe table as the tables were smaller.

Thinking about it, I never really liked either, Krazy Dragon or that Happy Boys / Place. Just didn't like the whole rotating, standing on the table above me thing.

[francois]

No, not Krazy Dragon, but I do remember that one. It was right in the middle of Sunnee.

You walk down that alley beside Sunnee and upon hitting whatever that next main street was, just on the corner was Happy Boys / Place. Same type of thing as Krazy Dragon, esxcept far smaller, more intimate, and only 2 or 3 boys pe table as the tables were smaller.

Thinking about it, I never really liked either, Krazy Dragon or that Happy Boys / Place. Just didn't like the whole rotating, standing on the table above me thing.

Happy Boys was not in Sunee Plaza; it was several blocks away from the gay scene. The boys danced on small podiums and did rotate. Eros Bar was in Sunee and they also danced on low podiums placed around the room; generally one boy/podium.. I cannot speak of Krazy since rarely went there.

[thaiophilus]

You're all correct :)
See this helpful historical map: 12377 (note: east is at the top)

Happy Boys (D) was in Soi Yensabai aka sai 2 soi 18

Krazy (34) was in the north-west corner of Sunee at the Soi VC end,
Eros (16) in the south-east corner at the Yensabai end
All had tabletop performers.

[Manforallseasons]

Krazy was wonderful many years ago before the table top dancing…..before that it was a great sleaze pit with boys in a ring with tables for customers to sit around the ring….use your imagination, yes those were the days! BTW the boys were naked and they were real boys if you wanted the other kind of “boys” Happy Boys would have been for you.

[StevieWonders]

Talking of death and Thailand in the same breath, I see Australian cricketer Shane Warne has had his happy ending in Thailand

[Dodger]

Krazy was wonderful many years ago before the table top dancing.

Agree. The minute they revamped the place under new ownership and installed those small pedestals for dancing Krazy went downhill almost immediately.

That was the very first bar in Sunee that I visited years ago and I thought I was in heaven. 50 boys...every shape and size imaginable...many dancing completely nude as you mentioned, and [Deleted text].

I need a drink!

Some text was deleted under rule 3.2.3.(1).

Jellybean
Moderator

[goji]

50 boys...every shape and size imaginable...many dancing completely nude as you mentioned

These days, complete nudity seems to be reserved for some of the girly bars, whilst the gay gogo bars try to fob the customers off with lads in jeans.

I might have been unlucky with timing, but almost every time I looked inside a gogo bar on the last trip, instead of seeing lads lined up in nice white underwear, they were wearing jeans. Including Nice boys, Fresh Boys, Dream Boys & Hot Male.
Not only that, but whereas the girly bars in Pattaya charge their customers as little as 90 baht for a drink & offer nudity, Nice Boys will take the customers for 200 baht to watch rough boys in Jeans.

I doubt this is down to an entertainment ban, as the one exception to seeing lads wearing jeans was when I looked inside Fresh Boys and saw the "show" in progress, with a lad wearing something like a sari. So they are doing "entertainment". Just not the type I'm interested in. Give me lads in white underwear, or preferably wearing nothing at all.


Someone once pointed out that the off fees in girlie bars are far higher. I have no clue about that, but obviously the gogo bars firstly need to get customers through the door for drinks. Looking at the gay scene, when we can get some very cute lads for zero off fee on Grindr, the gogo bars need to firstly provide some entertainment in return for the elevated drink prices.
If there's no entertainment, why would anyone even stay there ?
They no longer provide value in return for the elevated drink prices.

[StevieWonders]

These days, complete nudity seems to be reserved for some of the girly bars,.How reassuring to see the devotion some of our members show in their research activities

[Dodger]

Not only that, but whereas the girly bars in Pattaya charge their customers as little as 90 baht for a drink & offer nudity, Nice Boys will take the customers for 200 baht to watch rough boys in Jeans.

....And the boys don't even bother launching ping pong balls from their asses either.

What a rip off.

[StevieWonders]

....And the boys don't even bother launching ping pong balls from their asses either.

What a rip off.At least this sort of horror doesn’t await you
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Silom Soi 4

[gerefan2]

At least this sort of horror doesn’t await you
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Silom Soi 4
It can do it Jomtien nowadays.
You’ll see....

[latintopxxx]

...ping pong balls...so boring...its the blow dart balloon act that freaked me out...especially as the balloon was between my knees...

[StevieWonders]

It can do it Jomtien nowadays.
You’ll see....You make it sound so inviting

[Oliver2]

"Ping-pong balls"? Who remembers the arse-trumpet performer from Sawatdee Boys back in the old days? Not content with the fore-mentioned dart-shooting, this large khatoey produced a toy trumpet and regaled us with the latest hits....well, not really...she was no Dizzy Gillespie.

[francois]

...ping pong balls...so boring...its the blow dart balloon act that freaked me out...especially as the balloon was between my knees...

I still remember that act, a classic!

[Oliver2]

Another memory, this time in Bangkok Boys....another huge khatoey, galumphing around the podium releasing a long ribbon from her rectum. And I won't mention the trapeze shows, long since gone.

[colmx]

Don't forget the classic act of pouring a bottle of orange Fanta into the fat katooeys ass... And she then does some "water into wine" type magic and proceeds to fill an empty bottle of coke from her ass!

And of course the ribbon with the razor blades!

[latintopxxx]

...trapeze shows...yes...long gone...occasionally one comeds across a grainy clip on the net ....but unfortunately very few and usually horrendous quality

[Brad the Impala]

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Aren't those the moderators at the AGM?!

[StevieWonders]

Don't forget the classic act of pouring a bottle of orange Fanta into the fat katooeys ass... And she then does some "water into wine" type magic and proceeds to fill an empty bottle of coke from her ass!

And of course the ribbon with the razor blades!Exactly the tasteful sort of act Cameron should have in his Silom Soi 4 bars - where fat katoeys abound

[Marsilius]

I seem to recall that the original owner was a Canadian who only infrequently visited Thailand to check on his "investment". It was certainly a jolly place. Does anyone else own a pair of Happy Boy socks that were sold as souvenirs? Its demise was, as already observed, largely, I suspect, because it was off the beaten track. Even walking a few hundred extra paces to get there from the main Sunee drags was too much for some.

[Jellybean]

. . . Does anyone else own a pair of Happy Boy socks that were sold as souvenirs?

Your question, quoted above, Marsilius, prompted me to check out my sock drawer and right at the back I found four pairs (See photo below). On almost every visit to Happy Boys, in addition to leaving with a cute young man, I would also leave with three or four pairs of socks. From memory, I think they were priced at 100 Baht a pair.

When Happy Boys closed, I replenished my stock at either Patpong market or Silom Road market in Bangkok and still have one unused pair (circled) bought from one of those markets. As well as buying them for my own use, I used to buy them for friends here in the UK who thought they looked rather cute. But despite searching in Patpong market during my last two or three visits I was unable to find any, and wonder if they have stopped producing them.

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[Oliver2]

Proust had his madeleine moment , a taste which always brought back memories; I now have my Happy Boy socks. Happy Boys, Happy Memories.

[francois]

I had forgotten about the socks until Jellybean brought up the topic. Happy Memories.

[dab69]

When Fonzie "jumped the shark"

Wait.
Maybe that was Happy Days...