Babylon New Zone Underground

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Trongpai
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by Trongpai »

Perhaps you were too early the no towel zone opens at 7pm. Different sections are opened at different time and there's signs at the entry points to each area. You have to explore. The design was intentional.

This works out good for me as most of the farangs especially the older ones seem to leave before 7pm and Asians arrive from 6pm on.

Timing is everything and patience is necessary.
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by gerefan »

Ah, that explains it. I had to leave for an appointment at 6:45.
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Trongpai
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

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gerefan wrote: 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!!
Is "wast" meant to be wasn't as in it was not Thai for Thai? I would like to hear some details!!

Sauna Mania is same ownership as R3.
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by gerefan »

Apologies...yes it was supposed to say “well it wasn’t”.

I have put it down to a fluke but had two good encounters, one of which turned out to be an all nighter. Rest is secret!
fountainhall

Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

Post by fountainhall »

Trongpai wrote: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 have often wondered when I made my first visit to what I still call the "old" Babylon at the top of the soi. I was visiting Bangkok 5 or 6 times a year in those days and I always thought it was in 1990. But since I liked to try out all the new gay venues, I suspect it probably was some time in 1989. I certainly remember the lines to get in at week-ends and a much larger proportion of young Thais to older farang. Am I wrong in thinking the farang were mostly younger then? Or is that only because I was younger?? I particularly enjoyed having a drink in the top floor bar and watching all the cute guys passing back and forth in their towels! They eventually put a shower area not far from the bar which made it easy to leave one's drink and follow someone going to take a shower who attracted the eye!

After it moved to the larger premises down the soi, I continued to visit for a few years. But for whatever reason I have never liked it as much as the old one. Perhaps that is because the old one was smaller and more intimate. Perhaps because of the Thai/farang ratio. I really don't know. I soon started more regular visits to Chakran where again I enjoyed having a drink and lounging by the pool as boys came down the open stairs opposite. Chakran then usually had a few farang in addition to mostly Thais. I think I may be right in saying Chakran had the first naked zone in Thai saunas. At a certain time on certain evenings, the staff would curtain off the section by the large jacuzzi leaving that pool, the dark steam room and some showers for those without towels. They were fun times before Chakran became largely Thai for Thai/Asian.

It's also years since I was at Heaven near the river end of Silom. That used to be quite cruisy with quite a number of young Thais from the hotels near that area. Has anyone been recently?
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Re: Babylon New Zone Underground

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fountainhall wrote: I think I may be right in saying Chakran had the first naked zone in Thai saunas. .....

It's also years since I was at Heaven near the river end of Silom. That used to be quite cruisy with quite a number of young Thais from the hotels near that area. Has anyone been recently?
Yes, I think you're correct. Chakran was first with the nude zone and then some copied in one way or another off or on depending on the political climate.

My personal experience at Heaven is too dated to be of any use; however, I know a farang in his 50's that comes to Bangkok once a year for a few months, generally in high season. He used to swear by Heaven and spend most of his late afternoons and evening there. He did not like the go-go's, beer bars or social media. I ran into him recently at Babylon and I said to him I thought you were a Heaven Sauna man? He said he was until recently and there's just no one there anymore. He was buying a months pass for Babylon and said at least at Babylon there's patrons.
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