Who sets these minimum fees?

[pong]

This is mainly a BKK-topic. Many massage places-and recently also some go-go places, ''suggest'' minimum tip-fees to be paid directly for services rendered by and to the boys. For many of those massage places it makes a little sense- not anyone visiting will grasp how that system works. Its most often 1000 bt if special services are rendered-though its never specified as to what would qualify for that-and thus what not. Never mind, nah.
SOmeone on either this board or another (you know them all, nah?) posted that JUPITER=the go go behind the Suriwong hotel now states a minimum tip of 1500 bt. Now I wonder who would have the idea to do that: the boys themselves would come up after some ''negative'' encounters? The management? And-tongue in cheek-what would happen if you state afters that servcies were not up for it and you ''lot noi''=reduce the price? There is not any contract.

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personally i think it's only fair for establishments to set minimum tips, and it is only fairer for customers to choose where to go or not. let the market rules...i am sure no massage places can survive the B500/700/1000 minimum rule if their services are not up to it. even the most clueless newbie tourist can be cheated once, and i am sure he will be kind enough to inform us in this board or others.

It was me who reported the Jupiter case based on a visit a couple of weeks ago. I've written a fuller account in my blog shamelessmack.wordpress.com.

It was the first time - and I am a kind of Bkk gogo bar regular - that I've encountered a situation where a bar mamasan tells me the expected minimum tip when I did not ask for that information. (And even if I had asked, the answer should have been the customary 1,000). The fact that they went out of their way to inform the customer that 1,500 is expected proves that it is not the norm.

Scoops and I both suspect that it is the mamasans who are getting together to set this new minimum, and we also suspect that the reason they are doing it is to maximise their own earnings, not the boys'. I have known for a while that some mamasans take a cut from the boys earnings, and from scoops' description of Jupiter mamasans (see his comment on my blog), it doesn't sound like they would pass up on such opportunities. In fact, they may be trying to increase their take, and therefore trying to set a higher minimum tip so the boys won't resist it.

In other words, being kind to the boys is no use - the extra you give them goes to the mamasan. Tough love means refusing to off Jupiter boys until mamasans learn a lesson.

Any place that sets a minimum tip of 1500 baht is best ignored.

So do they expect you to pay the MINIMUM 1500 baht tip for poor service & presumably considerably more for good service? Maybe a 1500~2000+ range? I figure a 1000~1500 baht range is more appropriate.

Luckily I consider Jupiter to be one of the worst bars in BKK, so staying away will be no problem.


Congratulations on the excellent blog Macaroni 21. Wish I'd read that prior to visiting KL.

....even the most clueless newbie tourist can be cheated once, and i am sure he will be kind enough to inform us in this board or others.

Let me tell you my one and only experience with Jupitor 3 years ago when I offed a boy there. No minimum tip were mentioned by Mamasun or the boy. I offed this boy short time. He had a stunning good look, and killer smile. Upon entering my hotel room, the boy started having bad attitude, took long shower alone, then just laid on bed like a piece of dead meat. Afterwards, I offered him 1200 baht to leave. He became threatening and demanded more money. I ended up handing him 2500 baht just to get rid of him, which is all the cash I had in my wallet at that time.
So.... be aware, do not off anybody from go-go bars unless you know you are capable of controlling any unpredictable situations.
On the other hand, I never had any problem with sex-massage places like Hero, Body Club, Senso...etc. Most of these places clearly tell you the minimum tip. I may or may not be 100% satisfied with the service. But I have never been rubbed at these places.

....even the most clueless newbie tourist can be cheated once, and i am sure he will be kind enough to inform us in this board or others.

Let me tell you my one and only experience with Jupitor 3 years ago when I offed a boy there. No minimum tip were mentioned by Mamasun or the boy. I offed this boy short time. He had a stunning good look, and killer smile. Upon entering my hotel room, the boy started having bad attitude, took long shower alone, then just laid on bed like a piece of dead meat. Afterwards, I offered him 1200 baht to leave. He became threatening and demanded more money. I ended up handing him 2500 baht just to get rid of him, which is all the cash I had in my wallet at that time.
So.... be aware, do not off anybody from go-go bars unless you know you are capable of controlling any unpredictable situations.
On the other hand, I never had any problem with sex-massage places like Hero, Body Club, Senso...etc. Most of these places clearly tell you the minimum tip. I may or may not be 100% satisfied with the service. But I have never been rubbed at these places.

:angryfire:

This is clearly unacceptable! :angryfire: Though it is easier said than done, I would definitely do more than just giving him all the money in your wallet. Thank you for sharing this horrible experience, and adding up the pushy mamasan and inflated minimum tips, I think everyone should put Jupiter on their ignore list. I have offed guys that are like dead fish in bed and usually I would ask the boy to leave with B300 taxi money before anything happens. But you are right, I have my better experience in sex-massage places than gogo bars.

[Art]

Thai Airways, "smooth as silk", became popular thanks to their quintessentially Thai "Up to you!" policy. Only after touch down the passengers were allowed to contribute to the expenses of the flight in the form of a "tip", a concept well known to the habitu├йs of the Thai go-go bars. Some passengers considered a two euro coin as a generous contribution if the 747 was second-hand and the stewards were oldish.

Just the other day I went to a Thai Airways check-in counter. I was quickly examining my purse to ensure the presence of the traditional two euro coin, when the middle-aged mama-san informed me without being asked about the expected minimum tip. Smiling, I said: тАЬThat must be the discount airfare to Jupiter!тАЭ And I remembered so-so SensoтАЩs papa-san who had mentioned the expected minimum tip for the masseur before we went to the shower.

These guaranteed "tips" may enable our young man from Isaan to take care of the future of the discredited monarchy in the streets of Thailand. A silky revolution? No, but silk is still available in the shops, even red one. And there is hope:

We have dirty water and dirty dishcloths, and yet we manage to get the plates and glasses clean.

[x in pattaya]

On the other hand, I never had any problem with sex-massage places like Hero, Body Club, Senso...etc. Most of these places clearly tell you the minimum tip. I may or may not be 100% satisfied with the service. But I have never been rubbed at these places.

Surely if you go to a massage place you would expect to be rubbed.

Let me tell you my one and only experience with Jupitor 3 years ago when I offed a boy there. No minimum tip were mentioned by Mamasun or the boy. I offed this boy short time. He had a stunning good look, and killer smile. Upon entering my hotel room, the boy started having bad attitude, took long shower alone, then just laid on bed like a piece of dead meat. Afterwards, I offered him 1200 baht to leave. He became threatening and demanded more money. I ended up handing him 2500 baht just to get rid of him, which is all the cash I had in my wallet at that time.
So.... be aware, do not off anybody from go-go bars unless you know you are capable of controlling any unpredictable situations.

Guess he will try that again after being rewarded with 2500 baht.
I would rather physically eject a non-performer from my room, than give him a double tip.

[Shuee]

like you say, there are no contracts, always try to negotiate, the massuer may even settle for 800/900bt? there are street guys who go for 500bt in bkk, thats cheaper then in pattaya!