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[QUOTE=GentleBoner;1259293]If Thais ranging from waitresses up to high government officials were not making significant money off of it, much more than they could make from the local industry, Cowboy and Pattaya would be shut down and cease to exist.[/QUOTE]By the same reasoning the "local" sex scene would then have ceased to exist long ago already. I am not convinced by your arguments.
[QUOTE=Fon Tok; 1259322]Sorry, but you are wrong on this one. The domestic business is huge compared to the tourist business.
Ever been to Ratchadaphisek Road?
[url]http://www.bangkoksite.com/entertainment/Ratchadapisek.htm[/url]
There are karaoke bars, massage shops, and brothels in just about every Thai city and town. The tourist business is limited to a handful of well lit, well known locales.[/QUOTE]Every town does seem to have karaoke, massage and brothels but that does not mean that large sums of money are being made. If you look at most of the establishments in non-tourist areas (the ones with no English signage) , you will generally see that they do not get very packed. We all also know that locals generally pay significantly less than non-locals, something that strongly impacts the bottom line. For example, if 100 local men pay $10 / girl and non-local men are charged $100 / girl, the volume of local men will be higher but the amount of money made from them will not be.
I doubt that any of us could prove it with hard numbers, short of investing in establishments for locals only and for anyone to have access to the books, but I strongly believe that tourists / ex-pats spend more on the sex trade than locals.
Some local men that I have met (full disclosure I have not talked to that many) told me that they rarely use those places. In contrast I have met expats who claim to go through more than 200 women / year. In cases where a local (someone I befriended and had no financial stake in taking me) has taken me to a brothel or massage place, in only 1 out of the 7 times did they partake and he was only 19 which may have explained it.
[QUOTE=GentleBoner;1259244]In monetary terms, the domestic business doesn't even come close to the money flowing through Nana, Cowboy, Pattaya and Patong, let alone dwarf it.[/QUOTE]You are wrong on this one and Fon Tok is right, the domestic business is way bigger. And older. I read a book about this years ago, I can't remember the stats now but it was something like 90% domestic to 10% tourists. Not even close.
[QUOTE=Chill Out;1259627]You are wrong on this one and Fon Tok is right, the domestic business is way bigger. And older. I read a book about this years ago, I can't remember the stats now but it was something like 90% domestic to 10% tourists. Not even close.[/QUOTE]Correct. The farang scene is nothing compared to the scene for the Thais. There are brothel all over this country.
[QUOTE=Goatscrot;1259635]Correct. The farang scene is nothing compared to the scene for the Thais. There are brothel all over this country.[/QUOTE]They must very un-noticeable to the average farang.
Last night I was walking in the proximity of Soi 22 and noticed a spa massage where only Thai were getting out of it.
So indeed there are!
[QUOTE=Bionicman; 1259651]They must very un-noticeable to the average farang.
Last night I was walking in the proximity of Soi 22 and noticed a spa massage where only Thai were getting out of it.
So indeed there are![/QUOTE]Most farang never get out of the tourist areas. Most Thai places are not in tourist areas.
[QUOTE=Goatscrot;1259669]Most farang never get out of the tourist areas. Most Thai places are not in tourist areas.[/QUOTE]Last week, I was driving on the highway on the perimeter of a small city, Uthomphon Pisai, in Sisaket Province (Isaan). There were 8 or 10 karaoke "lady bars" in about a 1000 meter stretch of highway, and more in the town.
I've traveled all over Thailand. You are never far from a "lady bar," wherever you might go! If you know what to look for, how to act, and speak a little Thai, you can always find sex.
Amazing Thailand.
It's the same all over Asia by the way. In China brothels are freaking everywhere. 99, 9% of them for locals.
Question about opening times: what time do go-gos (Nana & Cowboy) actually open? I've always been after 9PM so I'm not sure. Is there an official time where all girls have to be there to start work? Do they trickle in over a few hours?
[QUOTE=Chill Out;1259756]Question about opening times: what time do go-gos (Nana & Cowboy) actually open? I've always been after 9PM so I'm not sure. Is there an official time where all girls have to be there to start work? Do they trickle in over a few hours?[/QUOTE]I don't know about Nana but on Cowboy the official start for the girls to arrive is about 8PM in the Go go's. You will see a few early arrivals before and the two or three bars that are not Go go's are going all afternoon.
[QUOTE=Amjeck;1259397]Where exactly is this place? How much are the girls?[/QUOTE]I have not been personally, was told about it by a friend who was working in Bangkok, a client took him, he said it was not all that expensive compared to the other thai places on ratchadaphisek, not sure but maybe it was Poseidon?
[QUOTE=Chill Out;1259756]Question about opening times: what time do go-gos (Nana & Cowboy) actually open? I've always been after 9PM so I'm not sure. Is there an official time where all girls have to be there to start work? Do they trickle in over a few hours?[/QUOTE]I would say after 7pm action starts, but probably gets more live after 8pm.
You see the girls already arriving at 5 and 6, some go to the hairdresser, some get their make up, some indulge at the food stalls and all of them say a little prayer to Buddha.
The monks come in the morning, tho'
[QUOTE=Joe Looking; 1259602]Every town does seem to have karaoke, massage and brothels but that does not mean that large sums of money are being made. If you look at most of the establishments in non-tourist areas (the ones with no English signage) , you will generally see that they do not get very packed. We all also know that locals generally pay significantly less than non-locals, something that strongly impacts the bottom line. For example, if 100 local men pay $10 / girl and non-local men are charged $100 / girl, the volume of local men will be higher but the amount of money made from them will not be.
I doubt that any of us could prove it with hard numbers, short of investing in establishments for locals only and for anyone to have access to the books, but I strongly believe that tourists / ex-pats spend more on the sex trade than locals.
Some local men that I have met (full disclosure I have not talked to that many) told me that they rarely use those places. In contrast I have met expats who claim to go through more than 200 women / year. In cases where a local (someone I befriended and had no financial stake in taking me) has taken me to a brothel or massage place, in only 1 out of the 7 times did they partake and he was only 19 which may have explained it.[/QUOTE]I've seen bored hungry girls sitting outside Thai karaoke places all over small towns of Thailand. They weren't doing much working. Thais just don't have the disposable income that farangs on holiday do.
Being known as the world's brothel is an embarrassment for many Thais. Cowboy and Pattaya are allowed to remain open only because they make so much money, which many people have their hand in.
Farangs who tell you vague stories about the secret Thai-only places that only they know about are generally just trying to impress newbies.