Bangkok Scene: All Change but Same Same

[JayToff]

Below are some notes on the Patpong / Silom / Suriwong scene from my most recent visit to Bangkok, from mid-August till the end of the first week of September. The scene is definitely lively and on the up, although there is a way to go before it matches the pre-pandemic buzz. Much has changed, but much remains the same. More importantly, though, are several big changes to come.


PATPONG

There are currently three male a go-go bars operating on Patpong 2: Dream Boy, Fresh Boys and Hot Male. Along with the Midnight Bar and Red Dragon beer bars at street level, the Suriwong end of Patpong 2 has certainly come back to life. Crowds were decent and the number of boys available makes it easy to find someone, regardless of what your taste might be. What has clearly changed though, is the kind of customer to be found in the bars right now. A lot of the customers in the Patpong 2 bars were younger Asian guys travelling in groups of friends, often including women. These are people who come to watch the shows and may invite a boy down to join them for a drink, I don’t think I saw any of them actually off anyone. Also interesting was the number of straight Indian couples coming to watch the shows. That wasn’t something that I noticed pre-pandemic. While the Patpong 2 scene is limpid compared to what it was before the pandemic, it might be about to receive a shot in the arm, with Patpong 2 set to see a major change.


Dream Boy: Dream Boy continues to offer the biggest line-up of boys among any of the Bangkok bars, with around 50 boys in their crew at the moment. A good many of those are to be found on stage on weekends, with even week nights regularly featuring 25 or more boys. The quality of the line-up doesn’t hold a candle to what the bar used to offer during its Soi Twilight days, but it isn’t a great challenge to find someone who will match your taste, whatever your taste might actually be. Customer numbers fluctuated considerably over the course of my several visits, with the late night show on weekends seeming to draw the biggest crowds. Young Asians constituted the biggest contingent, but Dream Boy continues to attract a notable number of farang customers as well.

Mercifully, the katoey factor has declined visibly at the bar. A single katoey was prominent during the show, doing a comedic lip synch routine. Otherwise, the twice-nightly show now features a line-up of a go-go dancers, a big cock show, a choreographed strip dance routine with a trio of boys, and a fuck show with not one, but two simultaneously copulating couples engaging in athletic and acrobatic sex on stage before descending into the crowd. If you’re looking for an old school Bangkok fuck show, Dream Boy is the place to catch it; indeed Dream Boy is now the only place to catch it. The DNA of the old Boys of Bangkok is alive and well in this bar. It might not feature the sort of six car pile-ups sometimes seen in the old BoB, but this is as close as it gets.

For a bar that was once known for having the best line-up to be found anywhere, Dream Boy has gone through a period of clear decline since moving to Patpong. The smaller venue simply could not hold the number of customers, nor the facilities, needed to support the large stable of boys that they had on Soi Twilight, leading to the departure of many of their more popular boys. Added to that was the number of boys who chose to leave the industry during the pandemic. That period of decline now looks set for a reverse though…

In the biggest shake-up in the boy bar world over the last three years, Dream Boy has taken-over the huge Lucky Boys venue and is set to open there "before the 7th of October." The Dream Boy sign has already gone up at the new site.

12748


The venue’s interior is being refurbished, with Lucky’s katoey rococo fantasy décor being chucked out and the interior redone in Dream Boy’s signature black, chrome and mirrors theme.

12749

The new venue will comfortably be able to seat nearly 200 people.

12750


The current Dream Boy venue will be closed down following the move, with their Dream Boy Paradiso annexe already permanently closed. That, at least, is the plan, according to management; but this is Thailand and until the move actually happens, I shall remain only sceptically optimistic about them hitting their schedule.

In preparation, the bar has gone on a big recruitment drive in order to rebuild its famous “more than 100 boys” stable and, apparently, the have had a slew of applications from new boys looking to enter the industry. Amidst all the optimism though, the fly in the ointment has been their ending their famous “Only Thai Boys” policy, with a number of Cambodians now to be found in the bar. Management says that their focus will remain on recruiting Thai boys, however. The reboot of Dream Boy could be a catalyst for the scene on Patpong 2. If they are able to replicate anything close to their success on Soi Twilight, the Bangkok scene is about to get a shot in the arm and the prospect of their iconic neon sign returning to lord it over the soi gives me reason to start planning my next trip.

First drinks are priced at 450 baht (500 baht for cocktails). Boys' drinks are 400 baht. Off fees are 500 baht. Guys are mostly in jeans and bare-chested.

Hot Male now has about 15 boys on the books and between 10 to 15 on rotation every night. On all my visits, the boys clearly outnumbered the customers. Hot Male was still good fun though. This is the only completely katoey-free bar in Bangkok and the shows aren’t bad either. There were several decently choreographed dance numbers and a big cock show. Missing was their famous fuck show. When asked, Mamasan informed me that they had done away with it because “boss don’t like fuck show”. Really? “Since when?”, I was tempted to ask. Hot Male was practically the home of the fuck show. Alas, no longer, it would seem.

The line-up here is a mix of more muscled guys along with a few slightly raffish looking slimmer guys and the crew is mixed Thai and Cambodian. Twink lovers should look elsewhere, but the bar offers a number of well-muscled gay guys who are willing to bottom. Perhaps that is something that they ought to be advertising more aggressively, along with the absence of katoeys. Hot Male’s location counts against it in-terms of attracting walk-in traffic and they really do need to do a better job of marketing their offerings. Guys were mostly in jeans, when they were in anything at all. In a nice touch, the DJ is offable at the end of the night. Drinks, both yours and the boys’ are 400 baht. Off fees are 500 baht.


Fresh Boys remains a bastion of the Viet Cong. Their choice of Vietnamese bar boys, the style of their shows and the continued inclusion of Chinese in their commentary, despite the current absence of Mainland customers, makes clear that they have no intentions of changing anything to accommodate the current reality. Fresh Boys remains focused on attracting Chinese customers. This isn’t a bar that has ever excited me, but it continues to draw reasonable customer numbers and that can only be a good thing. Guys are in white shorts and there must have been about 15 of them visible when I popped-in shortly before show time. There were considerably fewer when I came for the late show on another occasion. Fuck shows, with a single couple, are available nightly, but they don’t generate anything close to the electricity of the Dream Boy bang show though. Drink prices have risen to 400 baht.


A couple of strange things have been written about the origin and ownership of Screw Boy and Lucky Boys over on the GT forum, leading to odd speculation about their future prospects. Screw Boy, for the record, is owned by the King’s Group, which controls most of the top girlie bars on Patpong 1, as well as the largest katoey bar in Patpong. At the current time, they have only reopened their flagship King’s Castle and King’s Castle 1 bars. Whether they will now consolidate their operations in just a few top properties or resume their wider business remains to be seen. Screw Boy’s fate remains in limbo at the moment. Lucky Boys, which was a merger of the X-Group Bars and Classic Boys is now permanently gone. According to the mamasan at Dream Boy, Lucky has no plans to reopen at a new location. Still, given the length of time that its owners spent in the industry and the ample availability of space, I wouldn’t rule-out something new emerging on the scene from that quarter. That may just be wishful thinking though.


SILOM SOI 4 (SOI KATOEY)

Soi 4 is not really my playground. Apart from Jupiter, there is little that holds my interest in the street. Still, a number of strolls along the soi show that it has made a strong recovery with good crowds on most nights.


Jupiter: If one bar has, genuinely, benefited from the anticipated influx of attractive men post-Covid, it is Jupiter. This bar has long had some of the best looking boys in the business and the current line-up is even more impressive than what they had prior to the pandemic. In the long-running contest between Jupiter and Dream Boy over which bar had the best boys, the crown is for now, clearly, on Jupiter’s head; and I say that as someone who continues to favour Dream Boy. Perhaps that will change with the reboot of Dream Boy next month; but for now Jupiter really has no rival in the handsome stakes. Unsurprisingly, Jupiter remains busy, with many of its boys booked for days in advance. The crowd still includes a large number of women and they still offer the slickest, least revealing shows in Bangkok. Their line-up remains heavily skewed towards Cambodians and management’s firm control over its migrant labour force ensures that those lads remain in great shape. Their boy parade alternates between having the guys in black briefs and in black jeans. Drinks are still 400 baht and off fees remain 500 baht.


Banana Boys turned-out to be one of the more pleasant surprises of this trip. Banana is, in fact, the relocated, original, Fresh Boys from Soi Twilight – a bar from which I never had any particular desire to off anyone or to spend more than half a minute in. The line-up here is mostly of smaller-sized guys who run the gamut from actual twinks, to a few pocket Hercules types, to a number of short, fat individuals. This is by no means the best line-up in Bangkok, but it was not bereft of possibilities. Having wandered in on a Sunday night, mid-way through their show, one was treated to a suck show, a rather impressive big cock show and a line-up of three ugly, lip-synching, drag queens. There was also a shower stall on stage, but if they had a shower show that night, I missed it. There were perhaps 15 to 20 guys in white shorts working when I wondered in on the final Sunday in August.

What gave the bar a fun vibe was the crowd. With their relocation to Soi 4, they are attracting a more casual, mixed Soi 4 crowd of gay men, straight couples and girls on a night out. Watching the reactions of the first-timers in the crowd to the shenanigans on stage was at least as amusing as what was happening on stage itself. Drinks are priced at 350 baht and at 250 baht for the boy drinks, making this the cheapest of the mainstream bars. Banana isn’t my cup of tea; but as an unplanned, one-off, alternative night out, it was pleasant enough. Note that the a go-go has moved to the ground floor from its previous first floor location.

Banana officially closes at 1:00 a.m. but the bar now offers a sort-of late night speakeasy on the top floor. Upstairs is a small disco that opens once the downstairs a go-go officially closes and it remains open until very late. The crowd in this little after-hours bar was mostly young Asians, with a couple of older farang who had, obviously, bought and brought their own company. It wasn’t my scene and I only stayed for a while to survey; but for those who want to stay out late but don’t want to go to Soi 2, this is now an option. Just walk into the seemingly-closed Banana Bar and straight-up to the top floor.

Continued below...

[JayToff]

Continued from above...

SOI TANTAWAN

Much has changed on Soi Tantawan (Silom Soi 6), with none of the bars being exactly what they were before the pandemic. Yet, at the same time, it is all still same-same on this more dubious side of the scene, with some venues gone but not gone…

Tawan: If Jupiter is now ascendant, the sun is also rising. Tawan now offers the best line-up that it has had for years, with some of their guys looking like they stepped straight out of its heyday, including several major prize-winning bodybuilders. There is no shortage of hard bodies in this bar at the moment. At the end of August they had 30 guys on their official roster and they have continued to add top-notch talent to their stable. Admittedly, the bar still has its share of over-the-hill guys, including the pair who do the bang show.

12763
Tawan has been giving-out branded hand sanitisers to customers.

Tawan’s shows remain pretty much what the bar has long been known for: flexing shows, katoey lip-synching (featuring the most attractive katoey to be seen in any of the bars), a big cock show with the guys descending into the crowd and offering a chance to grope and feel, a bang show and their famous chuck wow show. The much smaller stage in the current venue also sees more of the action taking place at ground level. Tawan still offers a day time massage service. They have a couple of massage rooms on the upper floor which double as short-time rooms at night.

As previously noted, Tawan has moved to a smaller venue across the soi from its old location. According to the owner, it was not lack of business that prompted the move but, rather, the owner of the old building has not renewed the leases on the several contiguous properties that he owns. Redevelopment is coming to that section of soi 6, it would seem. Far from being a blow to Tawan though, the move seems to have shocked the owner out of his complacency and he has gone on a recruitment drive and says that he is looking for a suitable larger venue.

The biggest change in the bar has not been its halving in size but in the lighting within. The old bar offered many dark corners, allowing ample opportunities for dubious deeds. By contrast, the new bar is brightly lit, with all shenanigans visible to everyone. The other big change has been on prices. Tawan has always been the most expensive of the bars, with guys frequently quoting a thousand or more above what you would expect to pay in any of the other bars. No longer, though. Prices elsewhere have headed upwards while prices at Tawan have stood still or drifted down. One of their prize winners quoted 2,500, while even one of their two top stars quoted 3,000. Then again, on one occasion when I was there a lusty old farang offed two of the Tawan studs and took them upstairs, before staggering down 40 minutes later, having tipped them 4,000 each. This place still moves to its own rhythm…

What hasn’t changed though, are the attitudes. Tawan remains a friendly place. The lack of a mamasan system here continues to be one of its major advantages, with their free-range guys circulating around the bar and coming-up to introduce themselves. Discussing what the guys in Tawan wear would be pointless, given that the answer has always been “very little” or “nothing at all.” That hasn’t changed. No sign of black jeans here. The bar was also full or close to full on most nights that I visited. Not that it takes many people to fill the new venue. Tawan’s fan base has remained loyal and there were a couple of nights when it was absolutely packed though. More importantly, people continue to spend real money at this bar.

Drinks cost 400 baht each and off fees remain 500 baht. Tawan is on the up.

The New Twilight Bar is a welcome addition to the Bangkok scene. The bar is located directly opposite Nature Boy on Soi Anuman Ratchathon, which branches off from Soi Tarntawan at the junction where the Mango Tree restaurant is located. The bar is sleek, spacious and well laid-out, with comfortable seating, a large central stage and a large LED screen behind the stage. The owner is Chinese and the bar is targeted at Mainland Chinese. For now though, in the absence of the Chinese, they are focused on building-up their crew and working on their shows. The biggest negative in this place is that smoking is permitted; but that is only to be expected given their mainland Chinese target market.

Most boys are on the decent looking, lean-muscled, masculine side. Total numbers are still relatively small, but they are actively recruiting, with their crew being a mix of Thais and lads from neighbouring countries. The twink quotient is provided by the waiters, who are also offable – at least in theory. The mamasans are a younger bunch than you find elsewhere and actually quite pleasant, rather than overly in your face.

The place is still fining its footing and the rough edges give it its own appeal. Boys are generally in jeans, except at show time. The bar is clearly aiming for a more sophisticated type of show along the lines of Jupiter and Moonlight, but they still have some way to go with their new recruits occasionally out of step with the choreography on stage. Mercifully, there is a low katoey factor in New Twilight, with a ladyboy only prominent during some of the choreographed dance numbers. As with Jupiter and Moonlight, the shows feature no nudity. The highlight of the show is a crew of very handsome young B-Boys with an impressive routine. The B-Boys are not offable, although they are available to join you for a drink in the bar.
Considering the number of drinks that I bought in this place, it is somewhat galling that I can’t remember whether they were priced at 350 baht or 400. 350 baht comes to mind, though. Off fees are 500 baht and the mamasans have tablets that state the tip for boy as 2.500 for short time and 5,000 baht for long time.

The Sleaze Bars: Of the three, old, sleaze bars on the soi – the Golden Cock, Nature Boy and Super A – there is also somewhat to be reported. As previously noted, the Golden Cock is now operating from the Nature Boy premises, with signage for both the Golden Cock and Nature Boy still at that venue. A number of guys from the old GC are to be found in that bar. Their presence has done away with the need for Nature Boy to constantly dredge-up waifs from who knows where to populate their bar. The Golden Cock / Nature Boy combo has now done away with any pretentions of being an a go-go and is now, supposedly, a karaoke bar that is open all night. On my first visit, there was one boy in the bar (ex-GC) and on my second visit at 1:00 a.m. on a different night, a grand total of three. To be fair to them though, there were considerably more guys hanging around the bar on an occasion when I did not stop and go in. The old katoey concierge from Super A (referred to by some as “the long-haired boy”) is now the doorman at Nature Boy. He informed me that Super A is to reopen sometime in September. If anyone ought to know, it would be him, but seeing is believing though. He also informed me that the Golden Cock will not be returning to its old digs as that building has now been leased by the Chinese owner of the New Twilight.

Further down towards the Silom end of Soi Tantawan, the dubious massage parlours are operating as normal, with their boys sitting outside. For those looking for a genuine and genuinely good Thai massage, on the other hand, Prime Massage is still the best option. Reservations are highly recommended as slots are often almost fully-booked, despite Prime extending across three, separate, buildings. At 400 baht for a 90 minute Thai massage and a minimum tip of 100 baht for the masseur, it’s an absolute steal.


SOI THANIYA 2

Soi Thaniya 2’s association with Bangkok’s gay nightlife goes back to the 1960s, when the original Twilight Bar stood at the entrance to the Soi and the Surawong Hotel provided a place to do the deed. On this trip I found an additional reason to visit the soi.

Surawong Café: Just opposite Moonlight is the newly-opened Surawong Café, which offers Western and Thai fare. It is co-owned by a genuinely sweet divorcee and her business partner, who was formerly a chef at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit. The pizza was excellent and the service was good, and they are open for lunch and dinner. Commenting on their somewhat hidden location, I suggested that they might do better on Patpong 2. She shared that apart from the higher rent in Patpong being a deterrent, the dreadful night market is set to return in December. Whether that will actually happen remains to be seen; but if it does it will crimp any hope of a real revival in nightlife on Patpong 1. Good food available here at decent prices and a nice alternative to Soi 4.

Moonlight: A couple of weekend trips to Moonlight show that the bar is doing well. Arriving rather early on a Friday night, the mamasan informed me that they had 24 boys on rotation that night. Their total line-up is now somewhere around 26 or 27 boys, excluding their overhyped “models”. Including those, the Moonlight crew now stands at perhaps 33 or 34 boys. Barring the models, their line-up is largely Cambodian. Thai faces are in short supply here. Most of the guys in the bar are in good shape and offs would seem to be reasonably common, with a separate late-night visit seeing a considerably reduced number of boys left in the bar. The crowd was almost exclusively Asian and decent for a Friday night. Unlike Jupiter, though, Moonlight has yet to see attendance return to pre-pandemic levels. The shows are also less elaborate than they were pre-pandemic and completely lacking in erotic content. Guys are mostly in dark jeans or trousers, with some in singlets and some bare-chested. The cover charge, including first drink is 400 baht. After midnight, second drinks are 250 baht. “Drink for boy” is 400 baht.

SOI 2 SILOM

I generally avoid the death trap that is Soi 2 but did stop-by on a Thursday night to see the state of things. DJ Station was quiet but the bar diagonal to it was packed with nerdy young East Asians and their female friends “dancing” to crap Korean music. The big change is the absence of working boys heading to Soi 2 in search of customers once the a go go bars close. Without the older farang or Southeast Asians who are willing to pay, there is little incentive for them to be there. Whether that makes the vibe on soi 2 more or less fun right now is a matter of opinion. I personally couldn’t care less. People on the soi were having a good time and that’s what matters. Bangkok is swinging again.

[davidmelba]

Absolutely wonderful report! I wish one of the Pattaya guys could do a report like this on Boystown and Jomtien

[christianpfc]

Thank you very much for the report and the background information. I had a look some weeks ago but didn't make it into any of the bars because numbers of boys were low, none clearly my type, still mostly too much clothing (I don't pay gogo prices to see boys in jeans or even shorts).


Off fees are 500 baht and the mamasans have tablets that state the tip for boy as 2.500 for short time and 5,000 baht for long time.
Was there an indication if those prices are fixed or serve as a basis for negotiation? In Toy Boys Pattaya, mamasan showed me a price list 1500 for short time, but mentioned that some boys will go for 1000.

[latintopxxx]

hi Jay, many thanks forn an excellent report, much appreciated.

[maump]

Thank you for the info!!! I wish my memory was good enough to give me a good comparison. I did not spend much time in BKK, I was there on busisness. I remember screw boys and golden cock, I went there only to find and off boys. did not explore or hangout. Walk in, diet coke, ask momesan who bottoms, pick and go.

[puwe]

Thank you for the Great Report. It would help me for my Thailand/Vietnam Trip in November/December.

[christianpfc]

I had a look yesterday around 9 pm. Bars ranged from empty (New Twilight not a single boy on stage, staff invited me for a drink, to wait for their show) to full (Tawan, the only bar with boys in underwear, but none my type). Fresh Boys, Hotmale, Banana Bar up to 10 boys on stage, but in short or long trousers. All ladybars that I could see through door ladies in underwear. I won't pay for a drink to see boys in shorts or long trousers, and I told all of them (staff in the bars) so.

[JayToff]

I had a look yesterday around 9 pm. Bars ranged from empty (New Twilight not a single boy on stage, staff invited me for a drink, to wait for their show) to full (Tawan, the only bar with boys in underwear, but none my type). Fresh Boys, Hotmale, Banana Bar up to 10 boys on stage, but in short or long trousers. All ladybars that I could see through door ladies in underwear. I won't pay for a drink to see boys in shorts or long trousers, and I told all of them (staff in the bars) so.

Sounds about right. Considering that most of the crowd right now is there for shows, most bars are probably going to be fairly empty until about showtime. Nice to hear that Tawan had another packed night. As far as putting boys back into briefs goes, one can hope; but I am not holding my breath.


Was there an indication if those prices are fixed or serve as a basis for negotiation? In Toy Boys Pattaya, mamasan showed me a price list 1500 for short time, but mentioned that some boys will go for 1000.

There is probably room for you to make an offer. When the boy confirmed that he wanted to go with me I asked him how much he was expecting. He said that he wasn't sure what the price was and he would check with the mamasan. 2,500 wasn't a number that he was fixated on. I could probably just have made him an offer instead of asking. He might not have accepted the lower offer, but I doubt that he would have taken offence. Given the currently low customer numbers at New Twilight, offs aren't happening frequently and guys might be more amenable but that may change with the arrival of their targeted Chinese customers. I was fine with the price quoted, though. The vibe was good and I was enjoying his company and I wasn't going to spoil it by haggling over 500 baht. I will note that the 2,500 baht for short-time that the mamasans have on their tablets now is down from the 3,000 baht that they had on their tablets in June. A degree of reality seems to have crept into the owner's expectations.


hi Jay, many thanks forn an excellent report, much appreciated.
Thank you.

[dpforever]

Is it possible to book someone from say Jupiter online (in advance)? Tried facebook messenger but it seems no one responds despite their account being active with almost daily posts

[Dodger]

Fantastic Report Jay.

Best I've ever read on any forum.

Much appreciated.

[billyhouston]

When I passed Super A on Sunday afternoon there was work going on, with 'fairy lights' in evidence. When I looked in Nature Boy on Sunday evening there were no boys at all there.... just the doorman.

[dpforever]

This was posted on Jupiter's facebook:

สอบถามรายละเอียด� �ด้ที่
นุ๊ก : 089-1456278
หนึ่ง : 088-6170887
ติ : 087-7811912
เอ็กซ์ : 081-2082455
เจี๊ยบ : 086-4943826

Anyone knows what does it mean? :confused:

[Armando]

Great report, many thanks.

Like some others, i am into twinks and I want to see the boys in the flesh. As long as they wear jeans and shorts, like christianpfc I am not interested. Once they return to underwear or some other skimpy pants I'll return

As for New Twilight, it is clearly breaking the government's rules by permitting smoking inside. I hate a smoky bar. I'd really like to see it once it is properly up and running but only if smoking is banned. By allowing smoking, the owner should get ready for raids by the b in b.

[christianpfc]

This was posted on Jupiter's facebook:
[Thai language removed to avoid text cut off]
Anyone knows what does it mean? :confused:

"You can ask for details at" and list of names and phone numbers of staff (cut off in original post, but appears when I quote).

Smoking inside gogo bars! I didn't consider this, and the issue did not arise during my recce. Unless I spot really hot boys, if I see or smell smoke during my first view (I never walk into a bar and take a seat, I take a few seconds in the door to asses if it's worth spending my time and money in that place), I will leave and tell staff the reason.

[Jellybean]

Several posts unrelated to the topic have been moved within Sawatdee Gay Thailand forum and given the new title, Why is it only Thailand has male go-go bars?

To contribute to the new topic, please click on the following link:
https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showthread.php?22933-Why-is-it-only-Thailand-has-male-go-go-bars

[Armando]

Smoking inside gogo bars! I didn't consider this, and the issue did not arise during my recce. Unless I spot really hot boys, if I see or smell smoke during my first view (I never walk into a bar and take a seat, I take a few seconds in the door to asses if it's worth spending my time and money in that place), I will leave and tell staff the reason.
Years ago when Solid Bar was still in existence and a friend and I were reasonably regular visitors, on one evening I was pissed off that one farang was at a table monopolising the 6 cutest guys. All were smoking. Expecting the party to break up, we stayed. Eventually I went over to the farang to ask if they would kindly cease smoking and pointed out the two large NO SMOKING signs in the bar. They all put out their cigarettes. Within moments the farang came over to our table and my friend was concerened that he might be about to start a fight. It turned out he was the co-owner. Politely he stated I had been correct about no smoking, but if he banned smoking the bar would be closed within a month as nearly all his customers smoked.

[JayToff]

I zipped into Bangkok on Friday, the 30th of September for an extended weekend, flying out on Tuesday, almost exactly a month after I was last in Bangkok. Walking through the usual spots, my impression is that things have continued to pick-up, with several changes to the scene over the last month, and with more to come.


ON PATPONG 2

Dream Boy has now opened at its new location in the old Lucky Boys venue. In a shocker for Thailand, that put their opening a full week ahead of their initial target date. They had their soft launch on Saturday, the 1st of October, with an official launch planned for a later date.

The bar now has entrances both from the old up-the-stairs Lucky Boys entrance on Patpong 2 and a ground-floor entrance on the soi which connects Patpong 1 and Patpong 2, which was once known as Soi Bat Boat after a now long-gone restaurant.

12799
View from Patpong 1

12800
View from Patpong 2

The interior of new venue is impressive enough with, by far, the most comfortable seating in any of the bars. Their stage is huge, which allowed them to have much of their stable on view at the same during the boy parade. Despite the size of the bar, the place was almost full on Saturday and that was despite the heavy downpour that night. If they can keep attracting crowds like that, they won’t be looking back.

12797


There were about 50 boys on stage on Saturday night, with quite a few new faces to be seen. As visible in the picture of the interior above, guys are now in white shorts, rather than jeans. Mamasan informed me that they now have a total of about 80 boys in their line-up. Given that several of the guys that I remember from their old, downstairs, venue were not to be seen in the bar on Saturday, I can imagine that there are quite a few more in their stable than were present in the bar that night. 80 seems believable. The quality of the line-up has definitely improved as well, although there is still a long way to go before they approach what they had on Soi Twilight. There is also now a very visible Cambodian presence in this place, along with a few Vietnamese guys. I asked the Thai owner about this and he insists that they are working on rebuilding their line-up of Thai boys and this is a stop-gap measure to meet demand. Time will tell.

The current, Thai, owner was previously the manager of Dream Boy on Soi Twilight, having worked under the old German for a long time The German himself still maintains an interest in the bar and continues to act as an advisor, so there is a clear idea on the standard to be aimed for. The acts are, currently, largely the same as what you saw in the previous venue with the addition of a new katoey who is actually a pretty good dancer. I am not a big fan of katoey shows, but credit to her, where it is due. If we are going to have katoeys, I would rather have one who can actually dance and entertain than yet another lip-syncing Beyonce wannabe.

In passing, it’s interesting to note that the new venue has been in use as a go go bar for decades. In the 1980s it was the Blue Hawaii a go go, then becoming the famous Super Queen a go go bar from 1990 till 2010. Super Queen, contrary to what its name might suggest, was an all-female bar. Lucky Boys took over the long-vacant venue in 2019, with Dream Boy opening there on 01.10.2020.


ON SILOM SOI 4 (SOI KATOEY)


12801

#Bipolar: Soi 4 is set to see a new venue open next month. It will appropriately enough, be called #Bipolar. It is located right at the mouth of the soi, where the Nakarat Massage previously was. The format is to be a lounge, with electronic dance music (EDM) and ladyboy cabaret shows. That is according to the concierge at the downstairs Silver Sands. With the impending arrival of yet another ladyboy venue, Soi 4 seems determined to regain its reputation as Soi Katoey.


Jupiter: More hard cock was to be seen at Jupiter on Sunday night than I ever remember seeing pre-Covid. It is all woven into the shows, rather than as standalone items, but you get a lot more now than you did with just that brief flash at the end of the show before the pandemic. Jupiter has made an obvious concession to these still trying times. The bar was about one-third or more full on Sunday night with the usual complement of Asians and girls. A trip to Jupiter’s lavatory also brought home that I might be viewing the pre-Covid period through rose-coloured lenses. I, honestly, had no recollection of Jupiter’s loo being such a dump; or perhaps they just let things slip during their long, pandemic-induced closure.


ON SOI TANTAWAN (SOI 6 SILOM)

Super A is, literally, the last bar that I expected to see crawling out of its crypt; but it has, indeed, returned to the night games. When, during my previous visit from August to September, the katoey concierge who has been there for ages told me that they were planning on reopening in September, I was rather sceptical that it would; but re-open it did on the 27th of September. It is now under new ownership but the place is still a dump. On Friday night, it had four guys in the bar; three were fully-dressed and the fourth, the oldest, was bare-chested. The handful of patrons were all Thai and had bought bottles. Individual drinks are 200 bath each, both for customers and for boys. Super A is where it was.

12802


The Golden Cock: As I noted in the earlier post above, the katoey concierge had mentioned that the owner of the New Twilight Bar had taken-over the old GC venue. A stroll down the soi confirms that. with signage on the outside of the old Golden Cock saying that it to provide parking for New Twilight. A similar sign was on the outside of the building to the left of the old GC. Any hopes that the Golden Cock was going to return to its old digs can be permanently set aside. The Golden Cock had been at that location from the time that it opened in 1987 until it moved into the Nature Boys venue in September 2020.

12803

12804

On that note, comments that have appeared elsewhere questioning the judgement of New Twilight’s owner for opening his bar in that, supposedly out of the way, location seem to be misplaced. He obviously has the resources to hold-on until the Mainland Chinese market rebounds. More importantly, the sceptics seem not to realise that the Soi Tantawan area already has a number of higher-end venues catering exclusively to the Chinese market. Up to this point, these have all been straight venues. They go unnoticed by farang because they have no English signage. The location is hardly out-of-the-way to the target Mainland market though and with the demise of Lucky Boys, there is probably a gap in the market for a gay bar aimed squarely at the Mainland Chinese. Time will tell, though.


MISCELLANY

The Electronic Boy: Anyone in the Silom area looking to have their mobile phone, tablet or laptop repaired should consider the boy who sits at the junction of Convent Road and Silom Road. The guy seems able to fix just about anything and does it at a reasonable rate. He’s not dirt cheap but he is definitely cheaper than Pantip or MBK and it will save you the trip. His work is good and he is quite quick as well. If walking towards Silom from Convent, he is usually to be found on the right at the junction. Given the current repaving work there, he sometimes moves a bit further down to the right from the junction and sometimes to the left-hand of the junction. Either way, look for him around the junction of Silom and Convent.

12805


The Surawong Café on Soi Thaniya 2 hasn’t seen much of a pick-up in business since I was last there. Its location definitely counts against it in-terms of attracting walk-in traffic. With the long-running Madrid Tavern on Patpong 1, which was legendary for being the first restaurant in Thailand to serve good pizza, having relocated to Sathorn, the Surawong Café serves the best pizza in the Surawong area by a mile. I do hope that they survive. They currently close on Sunday.

12808

Don Mueang Airport Train: There is now a train service between Don Muang and central Bangkok, with the launch of the Red Line train in August. You can board it at the station just outside the airport terminal. The station is about a five minute walk from the arrival hall and most of that walk is through the air-conditioned parts of Don Mueang. The Red Line runs to the Bang Sue Grand Station that has become the new transport hub for Bangkok. From there you can transfer to the Blue Line, which goes to both Silom and to Sukhumvit which, between them, will probably be where 90% of readers are staying. While taxi fares between Don Mueang and downtown Bangkok are hardly prohibitive, this is a convenient alternative at about a fifth of the cost and no risk of being caught in traffic when you’re rushing for that flight.



Is it possible to book someone from say Jupiter online (in advance)? Tried facebook messenger but it seems no one responds despite their account being active with almost daily posts

I doubt that you are going to be able to make any bookings via bars' social media accounts. You would have to contact the mamasans directly vial LINE or their phone numbers and it would depend on the particular bar and / or whether they know you Hot Male used to allow bookings via their official LINE account, but I have no idea if they still do. No idea about Jupiter.



Fantastic Report Jay.

Best I've ever read on any forum.

Much appreciated.

I can think of several more amusing ones, but thank you Dodger.

[christianpfc]

The Surawong Café on Soi Thaniya 2 hasn’t seen much of a pick-up in business since I was last there. Its location definitely counts against it in-terms of attracting walk-in traffic. With the long-running Madrid Tavern on Patpong 1, which was legendary for being the first restaurant in Thailand to serve good pizza, having relocated to Sathorn, the Surawong Café serves the best pizza in the Surawong area by a mile. I do hope that they survive. They currently close on Sunday.
I will try the pizza at Surawong Cafe. Madrid's is as delicious as before, but the new location (Charoenkrung Soi 49, as shown on google map) is very out of the mainstream. I went there several times, currently closing time is 20.

[JayToff]

For anyone lucky enough to be in Bangkok this weekend, Hot Male is hosting an Isaan dancing event this Sunday night, the 23rd of October. There will be live Mor Lam music and dancing.

12824

The event starts at midnight and ends at 2:00 a.m. Tickets are 400 baht and includes two drinks. Single drinks are still 400 baht before midnight. Given that the event only starts at midnight and that prices are double before then, I can think of no reason to get there before 12:00, unless you're going to turn back into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight. They will be having their regular 10:30 show though. I think that the Isaan dancing would make a nice change from the same-same though. The boys will definitely be having a lot more fun dancing to Mor Lam than to the usual pop crap that they don't actually listen to; and if the boys are having a good time, you probably will too because a happy, tipsy Thai boy is a virtual guarantee of a good time.

12825

Hot Male is located on Soi Patpong 2 and their LINE ID is Hotmaleagogobar
Have fun.

[pong]

Khap khun mahk, for this intensive reports and updates. Makes then 2-3 venues in this scene next to Sliom: Senso Massage, the Prime massage and that sauna on the street parrallel to Silom (that used to punish farang by higher prices?). THat is how I remember and now anticipating the next trip to LOS (Land Of Smiles) in some 3 weeks from now.

[bkkguy]

that sauna on the street parrallel to Silom (that used to punish farang by higher prices?)

glass half full or half empty? most of the discussion I have seen about Sansuk sauna in Pattaya is let the Thai guys in for a really cheap price so there is plenty of talent for the farang to drool over!

[Roger246]

What an excellent report! There is a lot useful information here that I was looking for.

I am planning on visiting Bangkok in mid-January and it looks like it will be a big change from what I remember. Some of the bars were still on Soi Twilight when I was in Bangkok in early 2019.

Does anyone have any more recent updates on the bars though? Have any additional bars opened or have any of them closes recently? Any new places worth checking out?

Also, I just saw on another thread here that the My Hero massage in Sukhumvit is still closed. Does anyone know whether it looks like they will reopen or does it look done for?

[pong]

THis is as recent as it is-and from some short walks around there myself the last weeks (I myself am not a fan of that area at all)-can confirm all places are there-but myself did not go inside one. Screw boys remains closed. I also saw some report about a remodelled soi 2 death trap.
One minor change: the always empty former New Twilight has been renamed and is now THE QUEENS CLUB. From the other forum-a report, I conclude inside remains the same.
New MY hero was re-opened in the same premies as old Hero by the PRINCE-of fairly dubious fame and both remain closed for now. As they hardly aim for Thai clients, the usual Thai boards also do not mention it. Real estate and even more land in that are must be worth many millions, so I guess its fate is uncertain at best.
All along that very touristy and very long road with BTS above of Sukhumvit remian just 2 M2M msg shops: the nine in soi 31, long standing, small, japanese style and recently moved JEY-now in soi 43, with 2 sections-superdeluxe VIP and a normal one to the left-both share the same crew and these are now on thaimassageboy.com. LOng standing Jey=captain himself was hurt on 1 leg and runs the normal place- I visit that shop since he himself even also was on the for hire list. When I was there there was a line-up, what they never did before. THere is no outside sign at all.

[pong]

oh and this is just for the gossip; Jay T did not mention the big *** of Moonylight, named babe. It seems there must be some way to reserve starry guys, as several reports told he was booked already-this can be seen on some badge or so when they do the parade.
Thai boards gossip that babe has an equally perceived as very hensum younger brother, let we simply name him babe2 and he seems to work in some of the mostly TfT=thaiforthai bars along lower Ratchda. But they mostly aim ASEAN and JPN girlies etc so there will not be that big a crowd to hire them I suppose. Really no idea what is true about this. ALT is probably the combo msg/sauna V-club off Phahon north of that Vict. MOnument big traffic circle and bushub.
Best choice of also quite cheap M2M msg shops are now in Sapan Kwai-hardly any Thai working, most are Laos or KHmer or Burmese. Easy to reach on BTS and recommended!
Trains"rot fai: the old style on the ground local trains, also still doing Don MUang-HuaLamPOng for 5 bt in 3d class are there till 19/1/23, when HLP will be mostly closed. The express trains move then finally to that new Aphisit central station-and also use the inthesky rails and these local trains will only start from Rangsit.
Blue BMTA bus A1 or A2 also connects DMK with Silom-but most use them till Mochit BTS/MRT for a change there. Much shorter walk @ DMK

[smcm88]

Hi guys

I'll be heading to Bangkok in 3 weeks and hoping to catch a hot live erotic show with some guys fucking on stage. Jay Toff has a really good overview of some own the venues on offer in his post "Bangkok scene: All Change but Same Same" from back in September which highlights Dream Boys as one of the best.

Just wondering if anyone has any more recent updates or recommendations?

[Andaman!]

Hi guys

I'll be heading to Bangkok in 3 weeks and hoping to catch a hot live erotic show with some guys fucking on stage. Jay Toff has a really good overview of some own the venues on offer in his post "Bangkok scene: All Change but Same Same" from back in September which highlights Dream Boys as one of the best.

Just wondering if anyone has any more recent updates or recommendations?

Yes - big police clampdown in second half November and all fuck shows prohibited since then. Same for Dreamboys, Fresh Boys and Hotmale. Last week I was told likely to be at least 6 months before any attempt to resume. Other than no fuck shows, rest of the acts continue pretty much as before.

[latintopxxx]

i wonder what they have against fuckling...

[smcm88]

Yes - big police clampdown in second half November and all fuck shows prohibited since then. Same for Dreamboys, Fresh Boys and Hotmale. Last week I was told likely to be at least 6 months before any attempt to resume. Other than no fuck shows, rest of the acts continue pretty much as before.

Crikey, that's disappointing... :(

[Armando]

i wonder what they have against fuckling...
Not enough grey notes in the brown envelopes? :eek:

[pong]

Or yet another new hi phu-jaay on top or RTP who holds principles? Perhaps even on hints from higher up in that shiney brand new parlmt-I passed it dozens of times now_ I bet none f you has ever seen it life.
Or-more likely, the TAT got too many complaints and sent an advisory note?
For also a vivid and in his usual style amusing description of what is on offer in these ´show´: :shamelessmack2.wordpress is back again ! He also made a statistic approach on how those gogos fail to attract enough of gay customers who off guys. Easy to find with dr. google.

[Roger246]

THis is as recent as it is-and from some short walks around there myself the last weeks (I myself am not a fan of that area at all)-can confirm all places are there-but myself did not go inside one. Screw boys remains closed. I also saw some report about a remodelled soi 2 death trap.
One minor change: the always empty former New Twilight has been renamed and is now THE QUEENS CLUB. From the other forum-a report, I conclude inside remains the same.
New MY hero was re-opened in the same premies as old Hero by the PRINCE-of fairly dubious fame and both remain closed for now. As they hardly aim for Thai clients, the usual Thai boards also do not mention it. Real estate and even more land in that are must be worth many millions, so I guess its fate is uncertain at best.
All along that very touristy and very long road with BTS above of Sukhumvit remian just 2 M2M msg shops: the nine in soi 31, long standing, small, japanese style and recently moved JEY-now in soi 43, with 2 sections-superdeluxe VIP and a normal one to the left-both share the same crew and these are now on thaimassageboy.com. LOng standing Jey=captain himself was hurt on 1 leg and runs the normal place- I visit that shop since he himself even also was on the for hire list. When I was there there was a line-up, what they never did before. THere is no outside sign at all.

Thank you for the updates. Glad to hear that all those venues are still open. I was looking forward to seeing the New Twilight so hopefully the rebranding doesn't also mean a big change in format, unless it's for the better. The Queen's Club is a strange choice of name for a gay bar though.

Bad news that My Hero is still closed. I had no idea that they were owned by Prince. If that is the case, I doubt that they will be reopening.

II hope that you will be posting more details about your own trip.

[pm49776]

oh and this is just for the gossip; Jay T did not mention the big *** of Moonylight, named babe.

If it's the guy I'm thinking of, I assume you mean his attitude, not his equipment. :rolleyes:

[Keith]

Thank you for the updates. Glad to hear that all those venues are still open. I was looking forward to seeing the New Twilight so hopefully the rebranding doesn't also mean a big change in format, unless it's for the better. The Queen's Club is a strange choice of name for a gay bar though.

Bad news that My Hero is still closed. I had no idea that they were owned by Prince. If that is the case, I doubt that they will be reopening.

II hope that you will be posting more details about your own trip.

I wandered down soi 6 late last night and the Queen's Club was closed and shuttered. Not sure if this permanent, there was noone to ask!

[pong]

Again-now that the 2nd Nw Yr of the year here in TH has come: It seems this renamed QUEENS cl has also folded down and closed-unclear if yes/maybe/temporary, but as often said, this fate seems to struck about any gay place in this building.
From another board I learnt that an open air beer bar just before Screw Boy also has a few (Laos) lads for hire, off is 500 bt too!
The msg shops at the Silom end of soi 6 seem to flourish-impressive big new black&white NINE-10 and big crews in the others. All seem to charge same price.
BTW- old Hero closed, remained closed for a fairly long time and then was taken over by PRince and staffed partly with their own staff, to probably aim at location and reputation, as this far end of soi will not seen many passers-by. At that time a lot of former HERO staff were said to have moved to ARENA-and I can confirm at least a few did, but thats quite long ago by now.
Much further out along Sukhumvit beyond Onnut was reported a quite hidden but high-aspiring (beautiful real young MODels from whatever site or channel-count on 1500 for the shop and at least 1500 for tip. named ZOO Spa. One of the presented guys is named Giraf.
I do for now not have much extra to add, as I am quite satisfied with all these Lao lads and a few KHmer in Sapan Kwai and its much lower prices. It seems there are even more such shops hidden in a few sidesois off Suttisarn, but somehow I guess they all draw from the same big pool of serviceguys.
However, it seems a specific other offer (that may well please even latin a lot) is done by BT. See their presentation (probably dated by now) on gayguides/listings/massage-then after all the Brasil/Colomb places. Their own site/tweet only list daily which guys are supposed to work from that time-a very few from 13/opening, then later on gradually a few more. One is named CHIC.
What wonders me is that these pix show ´soft´ or even ´only soft´ for most and many seem to be B only-quite unusual for these shops. I doubt if there is anyone who knows more, you all probably tell me: go and find out, but thats for now a bit challenge.
Another possible-but unconfirmed shop in Sukhumvit soi 4: named the Masseur, seems related to this BT (shows up when you click further on links from dr. google)-if there is some daring enterprising one among the readers here.

[christianpfc]

A place Zoo spa&onsen is on google maps in Sukhumvit near soi 77/1, but I passed there and didn't see it, neither in the location on google maps nor anywhere nearby on the same side of the road.


However, it seems a specific other offer (that may well please even latin a lot) is done by BT. See their presentation (probably dated by now) on gayguides/listings/massage-then after all the Brasil/Colomb places. Their own site/tweet only list daily which guys are supposed to work from that time-a very few from 13/opening, then later on gradually a few more. One is named CHIC.
A link would be helpful.

[Armando]

Much further out along Sukhumvit beyond Onnut was reported a quite hidden but high-aspiring (beautiful real young MODels from whatever site or channel-count on 1500 for the shop and at least 1500 for tip. named ZOO Spa.
According to info on another site, the tip does not include sex other than perhaps an HJ. So it is expensive. There is a facbook page but it is mostly in Thai.

https://www.facebook.com/zoospaonsen/