Babylon New Zone Underground

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Trongpai
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Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by Trongpai »

It opened this evening at 1900. It's been under construction for several months and I have been trying to figure out what it was going to be. There has been a lot of hype and little information other than it's opening night on 28 October. Question were met with it will be something fantastic.

Tonight I was there for the opening of the Zone Underground. It's located in what originally was the disco and then latter two dark mazes. The downstairs maze in recent years after 1900 was the no towel zone and was very popular. The new space is two floors high with those 70's style disco cages. I guess they have coyote boys dancing in the cages and on the ground floor if you can call it dancing. They are not nude and imho not attractive. The lower floor floods with fog or something. There's two platform viewing areas, upstairs and downstairs. The music was loud.

The new nude zone is in an area that has not been open in years unless the house is really packed. There's a counter where you turn in you towel and or speedo and get a claim number. It's a corridor with 15 or so rooms and at the end is a narrow spiral stair case that I remember being there years ago and had been closed off. It goes to a small room with a sling that upon my inspection no one was there. Everyone was watching the dancing boys wondering what it was all about. From the second floor you could hardly see the dancing boys. Everyone was scratching their heads.

The old nude zone was very popular and active. A lot of people liked it. Perhaps this new area will catch on but on opening night it was almost empty and devoid of action.

So, I don't get it. The disco concept did not work when Babylon first opened some 16 years ago. Why to "they" think it will work now? It's a little more glitzy than it was 16 years ago but basically the same thing. Why they call it the Underground, is on the ground floor? I know that the customer base has dramatically changed from when Babylon first opened but I wonder if this new base is going to like this new addition. I will not be going back anytime soon.

On second thought perhaps I did not give it enough time to watch the show, if it was a show. I got quickly disenchanted and left at 1930.

http://www.babylonbangkok.com/
Oliver

Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by Oliver »

Is 1900 going to be the regular opening time?
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Trongpai
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

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The Zone Underground and the new nude zone opens at1900 to closing 2230. The sauna is open 10:30 to 2230.
Different sections open at various times posted on the entry points. Some of those I noticed recently changed slighty but I did not take note.
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by christianpfc »

Thank you for reporting. I live close, but rarely go to Babylon (rather expensive and ratio Thai/Farang unfavorable). Will check some day soon.

Parts of sauna closed is common in many saunas in Bangkok, probably to save time for cleaning and to get a higher concentration of customers in the open part of the sauna.
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by gerefan »

So is the old downstairs (naked) area finished?
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

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gerefan wrote:So is the old downstairs (naked) area finished?
Yes, that is now a disco with coyote dancers.

The new nude zone is really a corridor with private rooms.
It does not have the same vibe. Also, a lot seem to get in with underwear as the towel check is located off to the side.

In my opinion the whole concept does not work. Perhaps it will be reworked in time.
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by Gaybutton »

Trongpai wrote:now a disco with coyote dancers.
That makes it to my "I Don't Get It" list. Who goes to a sauna to end up in a disco?

That idea definitely does not work for me.
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by christianpfc »

I don't get it either, but the disco/karaoke in Farose II sauna (Ramkhamhaeng Soi 21) is busy. It seems many boys go there just for singing, dancing, drinking, and if an opportunity for sex comes up, they go up to a room. Unfortunately, there is no dress code; in the disco/karaoke most are fully dressed, and you can tour the other areas of Farose II fully dressed (except labyrinth and rooms which is now nude area partially enforced).
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by Trongpai »

Last night 25 November 2017 Babylon had its 29th anniversary party. That puts the opening date at Nov 25, 1988. So, I guess back somewhere just after that date I was on Holiday in Thailand (my second trip) and was having a drink at the Telephone Bar, Silom soi 4, and someone was passing out flyers about a new gay sauna called Babylon. I made my way over via a Tuk-Tuk that made several stops on the way to entice me into getting a lady massage and then buy something or another. I eventually got there and there was a line to get in. I might have been the only farang in the sauna and it was very intense. I was hounded and liked it at first and then it got a bit much. I ended up leaving with a nice Thai guy and we went out for dinner and drinks.

I went last night, 29 years later, arriving at 7:30 and there was a line to get in. They were using the extra lockers so there had to be over 800 patrons. Entry was 360B, free beer and snacks. There was some sort of show at the pool with a lot of talking. Then a second show in the inner courtyard with more talking and giving out gifts. There were so many people it was hard to walk around. I heard a lot of Thai being spoken by patrons and that's usual. It seemed that the geriatric farang count was also higher than normal.

The new disco still had Halloween decorations and was pretty much closed. One of the staff told me no one ever uses it and they are going to try something else as soon as they can think of something. The new 'no towel' zone was really active, packed cheek to cheek. Like Sauna R3 there were hired Thai guys in open performances encouraging active participation. I don't know if that's going to be an ongoing event or was just for the Anniversary Party. I suspect it will not be every night. R3 had 4 this month. They call it an O-Party.
http://www.r3sauna.com/

There was a foam party, but the web site did not mention that. One of the staff told me they will be having foam parties about once a month from now on.
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by gerefan »

As a rare visitor ( I’m a Pattaya person) I find the whole place totally confusing. No signs, no information on what’s open or closed etc etc.

Last week I was in there and I eventually found this so called underground zone ...after it was opened ...but there was another staircase to it which was closed off. So you couldn’t actually go down there.

As for the naked area I never found that at all....unless of course that was closed too while I was there ...

The whole place needs a major rethink.

I also went to Saunia Mania just to have a look. Had previously read it is Thai for Thai...well it wast the night I went!!
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