Bar Reports

[Jun]

Thanks for the report SP55 !

I wont be rushing back to the Boyztown agogos but I enjoyed my stay in the two Sunee agogos.

The Toy Boys report is a major disappointment, as that's the one BT bar I like. The bar management need to get a grip here. With the twin offences of boys in jeans and them vacating the stage as soon as the drinks are purchased, most other customers will follow your lead and not return in a hurry.
Rather than pay 240 baht to sit looking at an empty stage, people will go and pay far less to watch boys correctly attired at Winner Boys.
So such malpractice is not sustainable, as Pattaya gogo bars need repeat custom.

I didn't expect much from the other Boyztown bars & you getting as far as the door of certain bars is just like one of my visits.
In the case of A-Bomb, I've never seen any reason to go inside & whilst I have ventured into X-Boys, it's also not my cup of tea.

It's very pleasing to hear Winner Boys is already on form.

[Gaybutton]

The bar management need to get a grip here.

Apparently every one of those bars also need to get a grip. They have had all this time to come up with new approaches and new, innovative ways to attract customers, and yet they seem to be doing things the way they always have - and even long before Covid those practices caused decline and nearly killed them.

Now that the bars are open, if they expected customers to come out in droves, that is simply not happening. I, for one, have not felt an urge to check out any of the bars at all. Those of us living in Thailand have had two years to find boys on the apps since the bars weren't open. I found several who I like very much and often see. I imagine many others have done the same. For us, where does the need for the bars come in? I have zero interest in venturing out for the same crap that had been going on since long before Covid - exorbitantly high drink prices, high off fees, high "tip" demands, going blind on their strobe lights, going deaf on their excessively loud music, aggressive annoying mama-sans, and lady boy shows.

No thank you very much. And bar owners, if after all this is the way you're going to do it, good luck - but you've lost me before I even set foot in any of your bars, and I have a feeling I'm not alone in that. And if that is the case, that is the tragedy of the go-go bar scene. I am truly disappointed that some of these bar owners haven't wised up. Well, it's only been 3 nights so far. Maybe they will improve.

If the bars are to succeed, I believe if nothing else it is going to depend on high numbers of foreign gay farang going to Thailand. The local expat population and a mere smattering of foreign gay holiday makers - I just don't see how that will be enough.

So far, with these bar reports, the only bar that seems worth a visit from me is Sunee Plaza's Winner bar.

[Trongpai]

Continuing with Bangkok reports:

I went last night 3 June 2022 (Friday night) to The New Twilight Bar arriving at 2200. Quite a snazzy joint with a lot of lights and LED screens. There were only 7 guys on stage all fully dressed and on the high end of the masculinity spectrum. 4 waiters a little less masculine in white shirts, suspenders and bow ties. 3 queenly middle aged mamasans in black suits. There were only 10 customer in this very large bar. Two white haired farangs and the rest I guess Thai. Two groups had set ups. All drinks 350, offs 500.

The show started at 10:30. It was cabaret type acts sometimes with a central ladyboy and sometimes just guys. No nudity at all! No sex acts. The best I could describe it would be mildly erotic as now you do get to see the guys without shirts and in skimpy underwear.

I would put the quality of the guys below both Moonlight and Jupiter but they probably don't demand the higher tip prices.

The air was very clean and cool. No smoking. The guys and customers had to step outside to light up.

Music level 90- 95db, too loud.

Across from this bar I noticed that the New Nature Boys was open. Strangely, there was a new small lit sign next to the entrance of Nature, The Golden Cock I don't know if the bars are now the same or is something else going on. There was no one to ask.

I figured the low customers numbers might have had something to do with off and on rain until I went over to Silom soi 4 and it was packed with customers, hundreds, at 2315 and remained so until midnight. I noticed a long line to get in DJ Station.

My guess is The New Twilight Bar will adapt and change to attract customers or perish. I have fond memories of the old Twilight Bar and this is nothing like that. Back in the day it was hard to find a seat in the old Twilight. Given that they had a lot of Chinese signage they might be counting on attracting Chinese tour groups. They will have to park their huge buses on one of the main connecting streets and flag walk them into the bar.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/1098807326979084/

[windwalker]

I was in Toy Boys last night; there were 10 boys on stage and they remained there for the duration of my visit which was about 15-20 minutes with few other customers . My beer drink was 150 Baht perhaps due to a regular customer I was seated with. I found it quite enjoyable.

[Jun]

There were only 7 guys on stage all fully dressed and on the high end of the masculinity spectrum.
Music level 90- 95db, too loud.

Thank you for providing such informative reports Trongpai.
Three failings for this bar, highlighted. At least they have a good policy to prevent smoking.
Nature Boys Golden Cock has had the dual branding since at least January 2021.

Those of us living in Thailand have had two years to find boys on the apps since the bars weren't open. I found several who I like very much and often see. I imagine many others have done the same. For us, where does the need for the bars come in? I have zero interest in venturing out for the same crap that had been going on since long before Covid - exorbitantly high drink prices, high off fees, high "tip" demands, going blind on their strobe lights, going deaf on their excessively loud music, aggressive annoying mama-sans, and lady boy shows.

It's not just the expats.

Some of us tourists have been doing just fine meeting boys from the phone apps in the last couple of years. I did manage a couple of offs from Winner in early 2021, but every other off has been via the apps. The apps work well for me.
So having met the boys on the apps, I’ve been heading out to Jomtien just for socializing. This works quite well.

Now for the gogos. If I go to Toy Boys, with 2 drinks and an off, it’s going to cost me almost 1000 to get the lad out of the door. Then he’s going to say “Toy Boys minimum tip is 1500”, or whatever the 2022 version of that price is. The same lads might ask for 2~300 less on the apps. So going to Toy Boys is costing me double. Which is fine if the experience justifies the extra expense.
If Toy Boys offer a nice range of lads, in skimpy white underwear and on stage, they stand a good chance of getting my business occasionally.
If they have lads in jeans and not on stage, they have zero chance. That's like a poor host bar with gogo prices.
Having read Trongpai’s report, I shall be on my guard next time I visit. They need to be in underwear. Also, if there are customers sat looking at an empty stage, I’ll be walking straight out of the bar.
If the bar continues like that, they will not be in business for long.
Winner Boys is the one bar guaranteed to get my business, at least for some drinks. To get continuing off fees, they need to make sure their behaviour back in the hotel is good enough.

I was in Toy Boys last night; there were 10 boys on stage and they remained there for the duration of my visit which was about 15-20 minutes with few other customers . My beer drink was 150 Baht perhaps due to a regular customer I was seated with. I found it quite enjoyable.

Getting boys on stage is the first step, so good news. What were they wearing ?

[Gaybutton]

Technically not a bar report but . . .
________________________________

Cabaret shows in Pattaya back to life

Alcazar packed for first performance after a two-year pandemic shutdown

4 Jun, 2022

PATTAYA: Cabaret shows have come back to life in this beach town, with all seats at the famed Alcazar theatre fully booked on the night it reopened for the first time in more than two years.

Thais and foreign tourists, particularly Indian nationals, have thronged Pattaya this weekend following the lifting of restrictions on entertainment venues, pubs and bars on June 1 after a lengthy shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Alcazar Cabaret Show theatre, famed worldwide for its lavish shows with colourfully costumed performers and high-tech lighting, was overwhelmed with customers on Friday night.

Alcazar executive Pawin Phettrakul said on Saturday that the theatre had resumed operating under Safety and Health Administration (SHA) measures after having been closed for more than two years.

He said it was beyond his expectations that the theatre would be packed with customers with all seats booked on the first night. Most of the customers were Indian, Vietnamese and South Korean nationals. There were also Thai visitors, he added.

Mr Pawin said he was not hopeful that everything would be better than in pre-pandemic times, but what he wants most is more tourist arrivals in Pattaya a greater variety of venues to draw them besides the beach and natural attractions.

Now, he said, tourists were complaining that there were only a small number of places to visit in the city. Many shops were closed during the Covid outbreak and some might never reopen. If more entertainment venues reopened like before, many tourists would return to Pattaya, he added.

For now, Alcazar Cabaret Show theatre will be open only four days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday — with one show daily at 7pm, he said. If the theatre is warmly received by customers, more shows would be added.

The cabaret’s famously good-looking performers were overjoyed to be back on stage. They said they were very happy to perform again after the pandemic upended their lives and livelihoods for more than two years. Some dancers had to find other jobs to earn a living, such as working as restaurant employees or being self-employed in order to survive.

June 1 also marked the lifting of most restrictions on arrivals from abroad, including quarantine for non-vaccinated visitors, and the streamlining of the Thailand Pass registration system. Tourism was already making a steady recovery but the latest changes are expected to create more momentum.

Story and photos: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ck-to-life

[Gaybutton]

skimpy white underwear

I just received word that is exactly how the boys at Sunee Plaza's Winner bar are clad.

I haven't been there to check it out myself just yet. I actually thought I might go this evening, but since today is a holiday the traffic has been horrendous. Too horrendous for me. I'm planning to go fairly soon, mainly out of curiosity. I might drop by Boyztown too.

Today was the first major traffic jam I have seen in Pattaya since the beginning of the Covid crisis two years ago. Thais are traveling to Pattaya, mostly from Bangkok. Good news for the tourism industry, but probably not good enough just yet. But things are beginning to move in the right direction. I only wish the exchange rates would do the same thing . . .

[windwalker]

Getting boys on stage is the first step, so good news. What were they wearing ?

Jeans or shorts.

[Jun]

Jeans or shorts.

Thank you.
So from what I'm reading.
Toy Boys: Boys in jeans or shorts, drinks 240 baht
Winner Boys: Boys in underwear, drinks from 89 baht

Meanwhile, I'm guessing bar reopening would mean full on stage nudity is again on offer at certain girly bars, 5 minutes away.
Somehow, they managed to charge about 130 baht per drink (pre-covid) and still pay enough tea money to get the kind of dress code I'd like to see in some gay bars.
Walking down Patpong back in February, it was obvious that the girlie gogo bars didn't have any requirement to wear jeans, whilst the boy bars did.

How that massive difference in standards happens, I don't know. Perhaps certain bar owners are well connected, or the tea money is levied per business, with no adjustment for scale ? ie Smaller gay bars can't offer enough tea money.

As for Toy Boys, whilst carefully chosen shorts might just about cut it, such as the ones in the link, I'm guessing we're not that lucky.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32497856591.html

Toy Boys need to be at least down to the underwear for me to be a customer. If a significant proportion of their target market have the same opinion, the bar will not be viable.

[Dodger]

Jeans or shorts.

Thank you.
So from what I'm reading.
Toy Boys: Boys in jeans or shorts, drinks 240 baht
Winner Boys: Boys in underwear, drinks from 89 baht.

Winner wins.

Go Sunee!