Illigals vs. Malioboro (part 1)
i promised earlier a comparison of these establishments, here it is for everyone to comment and react to. this is base on 4 visits and 9 different girls at malioboro, and 6 visits to illigals with 15 girls. i may add that there is a lot being said and written about malioboro, which is very much in the jakarta landscape; but illigals doesn't seem to be so highly regarded. basically it's not regarded at all, and i feel it deserves to. there is some subjectivity in my assessment, i welcome different or dissenting views.
1. surroundings.
access to malioboro is easy, a bit too easy since the entrance is right on the avenue. not the most discreet. besides, the parking is often full, so that you'd have to park nearby and walk up to the front entrance. going out they would ask for a passing taxi to stop while you wait at the entrance or outside.
access to illigals spa is either through the back of the building, ground floor (the front is starbucks and domino pizza) , there you go through the security check for the club. i suppose my condoms show very well on the x-ray machine; i was once asked what was the liquids in my bag: shower gel and shampoo, i don't like to come back home smelling theirs. or you get in directly through the parking building at the back, where there always is enough room. going out you may ask them to call a taxi from the yellow cabs parked in the premises, much more comfortable.
malioboro 1, illigals 2
2. entrance.
malioboro's front desk is a bunch of smiling ladies and tattoed muscle. coming in they would hand over a bracelet with a key (a metal key). then you'd turn right, pass a door, turn left, right again into the locker room, then you follow the same path out but stop 2 yards before the door and take the stairs up, or go ahead to the bathroom. did i loose you? well i'm still regularly lost, i even once came out from the rooms upstairs, wearing the standard shorts, kimono and slippers, took the lift down to lantai 1 and ended up at the front desk.
illigals front desk is a bunch of smiling ladies and sometime older, smiling muscle. they hand over an electronic key, you would turn right from the desk into the way to the locker room, and from there there is only one door into the lounge.
malioboro 0, illigals 1.
3. lounge.
malioboro has two lounges. on the right hand side are supposedly the high-end girls, in a well-lit place divided into two levels. there is a stage at the middle of the upper level, where so far i never saw anything happening, but i guess i had the timing wrong. you don't see much of what's happening or who happens to be at the other level. you may have a glimpse at the line-ups ordered by other patrons, though. but when you ask for a line up the girls are in plain light.
the other lounge, on the left-hand side, is the not so high-end, cheaper girls. it's smokey, more noisy and darker, but it's a corridor shaped room so you don't see much of the girls untill they're brought to you. besides, once you have been in that second lounge (at the latest, i may say) you realize that the high-end girls are not so much better. i'll get more into the girls in part 2. once you have a deal the girls would escort you out of the lounge, by the very busy and well lit stairs.
illigals has one lounge, with u-shaped sofas for the girls and others for the clients. it doesn't take much effort to have a look at who is there waiting for your patronage. the light is scarcer, so more discretion also means a bit less to see in a line up, but frankly i believe they have the right balance there. in the middle of the lounge is a stage with the bubble bath etc, and this is also where they have a live show every hour starting 6. 30 pm. this place is darker, you'd see enough of the dancers but i think it's not enough for a proper line up. once you have a deal the girls would escort you to the room upstairs through a corridor, the stairs being at the back, so you don't meet that many people on the way.
malioboro 1 (well-lit. too well lit) illigals 2 (space planning is more handy)
4. rooms.
malioboro has basically two sorts of rooms, you don't have a choice. some are tiny hotel rooms, with the bath behind a wall, a decent-sized tv set (usual channels plus one celebrating malioboro with gorgeous girls that i never ever saw there). beds are ok, sheets are ok, bathrooms are a bit run-down, light may be scarce. some other rooms are treatment rooms (remember: they are therapist giving you a massage) , with a bed on some sort of stage, an open shower (not so practical) , i twice had a room where the shower was glass-walled. there is no such thing as a mirror (in some rooms a small one next to the sink). these are well lit, unless the girls switch off most lights, which usually they try (and sometimes they have reason for that).
illigals is much newer. all rooms are more or less the same, on the ground floor (massages) or upstairs (kinky business, though all rooms have a sign on the door saying "dilarang berbuat asusila", meaning "behave"). they are large hotel bedrooms, with a large glass-walled bathroom and more secluded toilets, a large tv set (usual channels plus porn on channel 69). the style is a bit of modern marie antoinette (maybe they hired the same decorator as hotel indonesia, if you need a point of comparison) , it's all clean and working well. the light is a bit scarce to my taste, but there is a mirror around the tv in front of you, and another one where you'd store your things, clothes etc. with a little bit of organization you can usually enjoy the show.
malioboro 0 illigals 2.
5. accounting.
on the way out you have to pay for your deeds. illigals accepts all majors credit cards and cash. i once had a problem with one of my cards, but when i took the control of their machine it went through (yes, pakai pin means use the pin, if you don't the damn thing won't work, girl). they give you one bill with drinks, another with the rest, and a recap. this is all easy to read, and hop you pay (remember: smiling muscle is there, plus you still need to walk up to the lift, so you need your legs and all of your bones intact). if you pay by credit card the billing is quite discreet. i once had my bank calling to check whether my card had been misused, and they could find out much from the info on the card billing. i tried back-tracking it for fun, apart from an address nothing pops up.
malioboro also takes major credit cards, i had the same issue with the accounting girl (wearing a trainee badge) not knowing how to handle a credit card, and shying away from asking, which was the wrong reaction. they give you one detailed bill with all non f and b on it (including the precise times of booking, with mistakes sometimes: i don't believe i shagged therapist ckmdl001 (for cionkok model 001, see my field report earlier) one minute only). but they print another bill on a different machine, which is the complement to the real price; so you have to figure out that 200. 000 adds up with the 150. 000 on the official bill to get your girl at 350. 000; and the 1. 300. 000 adds up with the 450. 000 of another girl, and 39. 000 would be your drink; and these 6. 000 i have no idea. this may be more discreet if your pembantu or your wife finds it, but if she finds the other bill she'd find out anyway ("paket sandwich" from malioboro is quite a hint). however the name appearing on your credit card bill is quite discreet.
malioboro 0, illigals 1.
so far the score is malioboro 2, illigals 8.