Sensations A Go Go on Walking Street
Sensations is currently the flavor of the month among Walking Street bars. While many other enclosed bars with girls dancing are empty as churches on a Saturday night, Sensations is packed, literally standing-room-only many evenings. It has only been open since February, so it's too early to draw any conclusions about its long-term success. But it is definitely the hottest new kid on the block.
I've been to Sensations 15 times in the past three weeks and about five times prior to that. It's always been fairly busy, but word seems to be spreading as time goes on and it's filling up regularly now. Satisfied customers return and new ones join the ranks. Clearly, if Sensations can keep up the current level of traffic through the low season, it will be well on the way to success in an extremely competitive market.
What draws the customers is the outstanding line-up of girls. At least 100 girls dance on any given night in 15-minute "shifts" of 10-12 girls on each of two stages. Most, probably 90, are coyotes, meaning they dance in halter tops or T-shirts and shorts. Interspersed with the shifts of coyotes, girls who dance topless or nude also take the stage, but the emphasis is on coyote-style dancing.
Lady for lady, Bacarra is the only bar in town that comes close to matching Sensations in terms of the quality and quantity of the girls. Between shifts, the dancers mingle with the customers and many have girls sitting with them. The girls, whether agency coyotes or regular dancers, are attentive and easy to contact, but there was no pressure to buy them drinks. If you do buy a girl a drink, she'll sit with you for at least 15 minutes before returning to the stage. There's no gulping of drinks and demands for another as in some bars.
The customers at Sensations appear to be a thirsty crowd and the drinks flow fast and furious. The service girls work hard to make sure everyone gets served in a timely fashion. One of the things I liked most about Sensations is the great party atmosphere. The girls and the customers both seem to enjoy themselves. The girls are happy and laughing and the customers pick up on the good vibes. I didn't notice any dour farang types sitting hunched over a draft beer (the bar doesn't sell draft) with an expression that would scare off a pitbull, nor were there any bored and miserable girls wishing they were somewhere else.
The layout is as good as it is in any bar in Pattaya. The seats are comfortable and easily accessible and you have a good view of at least one of the stages no matter where you sit. The ventilation was fine; it wasn't hot or stuffy despite the large number of warm bodies. One night, I ended up sitting next to a smoker. I thought I was going to have to move, but I didn't get the slightest whiff of cigarette smoke. It was going straight up. The owner must have installed one hell of a powerful air extraction system. The music was loud, but not so loud you couldn't carry on a conversation with a girl. I do wish, though, the DJ would turn down the sound a notch or two.
One factor that bodes well for Sensations is the diversity of the customers. As well as traditional farang from West Europe and the English-speaking countries, I've seen Japanese, Koreans and other Asians, including Indians, plus a fair number of Russian couples. I've also noticed several Africans and a few customers of Middle Eastern origin. I got into a conversation one night with a guy sitting next to me. He was from Uruguay of all places. He thought Sensations compared favorably with any go go bar in Bangkok (he works there for a transnational company).
The presence of the Japanese guys is particularly important, as they spend heavily and like to get a early start. If the bar's customer base is bolstered by a crowd of Japanese between 2100 and 2300, it means it has a good chance of staying busy over the whole evening. About the time farang punters start their go go visits, the sons of the Rising Sun are making their bar-fine decisions and want to head back to their hotels. The effect is particularly noticeable in bars like Bacarra and Super Baby, but you can notice it in Sensations as well.
I know some of you won't be enthralled by the price of drinks in Sensations (135B for SML and 150B for lady drinks) and many would balk at the agency coyote concept and 1, 500B bar fines (before midnight, it's 1, 000 after). But that doesn't seem to deter the customers who fill it every evening. Plenty of girls get bar fined every night, especially after midnight. That's the purpose of a high bar fine: to deter customers from taking girls away from the club too early in the evening. I asked the girl I know best there. She is kind of the alpha female among the agency coyote dancers. If all the girls "go" with customers. She said they do, but some, including herself, are selective about their customers.
But it is clear: a guy who is used to sitting with a single glass of discount draft for 90 minutes, then telling a girl he wants to meet her after the club closes but won't pay more than 1, 000 baht, isn't going to have much success in Sensations. To be brutally honest. Money talks, bullshit walks. If your concept of a smart punter is spending little on drinks, swerving the bar fine and low balling the girl, then there are other go go bars which will suit you better. That's the beauty of Pattaya. Something for everyone, no matter what his style or budget.
But if you don't mind paying premium prices for a premium experience, then Sensations is an excellent option and a very positive addition to the Pattaya scene.
Evil
