Thermae's "Golden Days"
[QUOTE=Goatscrot;2920016]Huh? The Japanese were definitely not the first wave in Thermae. [/QUOTE]I echo your opinion. My first visit to the Thermae was is 1986. I recall seeing NO Asians other than the freelancers and employees.
In those days, I stayed in the Sukhumvit wing of the Ambassador Hotel (which burned down years later). At that time there was a great restaurant of huge proportions in the Sukhumvit wing. Great lunch buffet in the daytime; served food with live music and rotating singers at night. AND scores of freelancers sitting at tables by themselves or with colleagues.
One night, I noticed three guys sitting at a table with 3 freelancers. One of the guys, seeing that I was alone, motioned me over. So I joined their table. Turned out that the 3 dudes were Arabs in BKK for biz. One of the guys asked me if I'the been to the Thermae. I did not know of it. He offered to show me and, a bit reluctantly, I followed him along Sukhumvit maybe 100 yards where he turned right into a VERY dark alley. Maybe 40 yards later we were at the back of the building and it was well lit. It was obvious "something" was going on. Past the bathrooms and down the stairs, I can only describe it as a happening place! It reminded me a bit of something out of The Blade Runner. The "eye candy" quotient wasn't what it seems to be these days (if YouTube videos are accurate). I haven't been to the Thermae in maybe 3 decades. Cowboy and Nana are my "go to" venues.
Sam.