What services do these small "businesses" offer?
I have noticed clusters of small businesses in Seoul (usually 6-8 together) that typically have names like "Love," "She," "Amor," etc. These businesses are generally located ground floor in lower income areas, and usually they seem to be open only at night.
Most of the time they prop the door open a couple of inches, and from walking by they don't seem too busy - a few empty booths, dim lighting, and usually a 30-40 year old adjumma standing around inside waiting for a customer.
I assume these are P4P places catering to older, poorer men. I don't think they are da bang (coffee) places cause they only open at night. What services are available in these places? Anybody know? Prices? Do they service foreigners, etc?
My Korean language skills aren't good enough to inquire, unfortunately.
Anma! Anma! Anma! Mansei! Part I
As promised, here are the results of my LRRP to Soellung Station to map out anma locations.
After the previous day's frustration following the worthless directions that located Baek Sung in the vicinity of Star Tower, I decided to begin a new day of recon testing the directions found elsewhere in the Forum for "Call".
They were better but still wrong. After you exit Soellung Station at the most northeasterly access stair (#10), you will find yourself in front of the Bokwang Building. Walk east (the direction you're facing when you exit) along the north side of Teheran-no. You should go to the intersection of the SECOND sidestreet (not the first, as previously reported). You'll know you're at the right place if (as correctly reported earlier) you see the KTF Building across the street to your right on the south side of Teheran-no and a Seven Monkeys Coffee Shop on the opposite corner straight ahead of you. Turn left. Straight ahead about three blocks you should see the opening to a park. If you're looking for "Call", walk down to the second alley on the left and turn left. "Call" is on the right side less than 100 meters in. It's a 5-6 story red brick building with a sort of half tower on the left hand of the front facade. A few more yards on, there is another anma on the left in a sort of granite fortress style building.
I ended up having a session in "Call", which was more than satisfactory, and perhaps I'll report on that later, but for the moment I want to concentrate on the geography, which is quite interesting. For if, instead of turning right to go to Call, one turns right on the first, second or third of the alleyways off the side street, one is transported to a veritable wonderland of anmas. I counted at least twelve in in three very short alleyways. None of which I"ve seen profiled in th forum. Ialso took a bunch of pictures of them, which I'll try to upload when time permits. In the meantime, instead of my earlier suggestion of a group Bukcheong style room salon outing, perhaps we should consider spelunking among the offerings in this treasure trove. Although I suspect we'll need a Korean point man to smooth the way. Are you ready for designation as assistant squad leader, Dizz?
Part 2, dealing with the lay of the land around the Renaissance, and the possible discovery of Baek Sung, follows.
[size=-2][b][u]EDITOR'S NOTE[/u]:[/b] [blue]I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please [url=http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/announcement-reportsofdistinction.php?]Click Here[/url] for more information.[/blue][/size]
Anma! Anma! Anma! Mansei - Part 2 (Renaissance Hotel Vicinity)
After my excursion in the back alleys of Soellung Station and a little R&R at "Call", I headed over to the Renaissance to recon for the much talked about Baek Sung.
I walked from the Seollung Station area more or less due West, meandering a bit, though, as I kept to the parallel side streets and alleys north of Teheran-no. Not really keeping cover, since as the proverbial big-nose, blue eyed round eye, I stand out more back there than along the boulevard, where there's always a sprinkling of weiguk-saram. Just wanted to see what else might be back there; only interesting discovery was a few of the so-called "bikini bars" that have sprung up in the past year or so. None were open in the early afternoon, though, so nothing to report, except that. It took about ten minutes.
For those comng from further afield, and automotively-challenged, your best bets are either Seollung Station or Yeoksam Station on the subway. From Seollung, leave by the most northwesterly exit (sorry, don't know the exit #, but you want a little challenge don; t you? ), and proceed west along the northside of the big boulevard, Teheran-no, a few blocks until you reach the Renaissance Hotel. As I said it's about a ten minute walk, and the Hotel can't be missed.
For those getting off at Yeoksam, do the reverse: exit at the most northeasterly access stairway and walk due east along the northside of Teheran-no until you reach the hotel. It's probably a little closer to Yeosam than Seollung.
When you get to the Hotel go to the side street running north along its west side. For those who are directionally-challenged, look for the Buy the Way convenience store that is on te corner of the side street and Teheran-no.
The usual suspects are all located on the three alleys that run west (left) and generally uphill off the side street. There are at least a dozen or more establishments, and they are that: most are 5-6 story buildings of substantial size.
According to a previous poster, the renowned Baek Sung is on the second alley about a third to halfway up in a Mediterranean-style building. I didn't see anything I would describe as Mediterranean, but there was a building in a sort of pastiche of late Renaissance-eraly Baroque style, with vestigial ironwork balconies tacked onto the windows on the front facade, in the indicated location. If it is indeed the former Baek Song, it's now called Myeong Ka, but the sign (over the door) is in Hangul. The other principal visual features are the main entrance at the lower right hand corner of the building, flanked on the left side by 2 or 3 narrow display windows behind which are mannequins decked out in elaborate feathered gowns, nest to which is the car park with the famous Korean "modesty curtains".
I'll try to post pictures of this and the other facades from the Renaissance and Seollung cachement areas next.
In the meantime, a renewed call for volunteers, including at least one ethnic Korean point man, for a flying squad to systematically check these places out for foreigner-friendliness and nature and quality of services.
[size=-2][b][u]EDITOR'S NOTE[/u]:[/b] [blue]I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please [url=http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/announcement-reportsofdistinction.php?]Click Here[/url] for more information.[/blue][/size]
Another Public Service Announcement - More 5-0 Reports
From today's Korea Times:
[quote]"Ward Offices Step Up Fight Against Brothels
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
A growing number of ward offices are intensifying their campaign to crack down on sex businesses operating ostensibly as massage parlors and other legal entities.
The ward office in Gangnam, where such massage parlors and room salon businesses thrive, said Monday it will form a taskforce to inspect more than 350 suspicious businesses and utilize administrative countermeasures to root them out.
``Those caught selling sex will face harsher punishment, including business suspension and closure,'' a Gangnam ward office official told The Korea Times. ``This cleanup drive will continue indefinitely until such illegal business completely disappear from this town.''
Gangnam has emerged as a major hotbed of prostitution following the police crackdown on Jangan-dong ㅡ a major red-light district in Seoul ㅡ starting November last year, which succeeded in driving most brothels there out of business but eventually motivating them to cluster in the new ``sanctuary'' of Gangnam.
``If necessary, we will cooperate with police and relevant offices,'' the official said.
Other ward offices in Yongsan, Seoul and Suwon City, Gyeonggi Province are also joining in the cleanup campaign."[/QUOTE]Not sure that this is anything particularly new or just the belated appearance in the english language press of more of the story around the arrest of a government official in a room salon a couple weeks ago; the print version of the story specifically referred to an extension of the immediate crackdown on April 16-17 following the incident.
Moreover, the focus of this campaign seems to be on the businesses rather than the SPs and customers; NB the reference to administrative measures designed to suspend business licenses, etc. On the other hand, it probably wouldn't be pleasant to be the guy whose activities provided the evidence of the predicate act that would justify such administrative measures.
Still, no mention from my sources on the ground about any particular bust being in the works; it's remarkable how the word generally gets out to the venues and SPs ahead of time so everyone can go to ground when the actual enforcement action is to take place; the exception seems to be when someone is already in the cross-hairs, and the powers that be are looking for a way to bring down their prey with maximum loss of face.
Anyway, just thought you'd all like to know.
