How a Go-go bar works, and How One Girl gets by
[b]Bottom Line:[/b]
If your lady treats you well, pay her well. The average bargirl is not getting rich, and we should encourage good behavior. A modest amount of Western money is worth a lot to your lady, easy for you, good for her future life. You can help her support herself by[list][*] buying her drinks to help her meet her monthly quota[*] giving her a tip at the bar: 100 baht or whatever if she spends significant time with you but you don't barfine her[*] barfine her if you want to[*] tip her for good service, etc[/list][b]Background[/b]
I have had the good fortune of meeting a bargirl who really likes me, and have spent nine very pleasant long-times with her at ST prices. Over time I have invested a lot in her, especially respect and teaching. I pay fairly, not excessively, treat her to dinner and sometimes massage, and treat her like a friend. As a result I enjoy the best service I have ever had, LT at a price a bit less than ST, and a good friend as well. For example, she offered to leave the bar work to take care of me for free when I was sick during a visit. Her English is good, and I am learning a lot from her.
I wrote this to help the brothers understand a little about how the system works for money in the go-go bar, your part in the system, her part in the system, and how to make it work for both of you. The bar I am talking about is in one of the best-known entertainment sois on Sukumvit, one that has a name not just a number. I can't speak for all, so I'll talk about my lady as an example of what I have found to be the average.
I don't live in Bangkok but have visited a number of times over the past few years. I don't claim to be a local expert, but I have been successful in finding what I want here.
[b]The Bar[/b]
Most bars feature girls wearing scanty clothing, and they close at 0100, which is the law. Some bars go beyond the law with full-nude or sexy shows and stay open until 0200 by paying bribes to the police; these bars have higher prices which pay for the bribes. There is probably a layer of mob involvement, but I am not privy to that.
Visible employees include a mamasan (manager of ladies), people behind the bar, serving ladies who bring drinks and manage your bill (wearing with more clothing), dancing ladies, ladies outside to invite you in, and a man at the door (like a bouncer but smaller). Dancing ladies, serving ladies, and sometimes others wear a badge with a number, and you can ask to hire any of them.
The bar is on the inexpensive side of average in my experience. A beer is 90 baht, bottle of plain water)is 125 baht, lady drink is 90 baht. Bar fine is 500 baht. Other bars charge 600 baht, and one that has a show charges 700 baht for bar fine, and more for drinks. Most ladies ask 1500-2000 for ST.
[b]The Dancing Girl's Contract with the Bar[/b]
My lady is a dancing girl, part of a staff that changes as girls come and go for their own reasons, and for the bar's reasons. She is paid a salary of 10,000 baht per month.
To earn her salary, she must[list][*] work every day of the month, I think from 1800 or 1900 to closing, with two free days off per [u]month[/u]. She can take more days off by paying her own barfine.[*] achieve a quota of 12 barfines paid per month. She pays each missing barfine.[*] achieve a quota of 60 lady drinks per month. For each missing lady drink, she must pay 40 baht.[/list]In the bar, dancing happens in shifts of maybe 20 minutes. When she is not dancing, she can talk to customers or leave the customer area, but it is in her own financial interest to spend time with customers.
[b]The Girl and Her Customer[/b]
My lady says her usual price (in addition to the bar fine) is 2000 ST, 3000 LT, but nearly all customers take ST. She may ask less if she likes a man. She keeps all money paid after the bar fine and drinks. Most ladies are anxious to get customers; the most attractive ones less so.
Agreeing to go with a customer, and which services she will provide, is up to her to some extent. She can and does say "no" at times, but if a customer complains, she can get into trouble, especially if she is a marginal performer for the barfine quota. Lately my lady has been pestered by a farang she thinks is mentally unstable, and he has complained to the management that his repeated invitations have always been rebuffed. The management sides with the customer, and she may have to change bars.
Saying "no" usually involves claiming she has period or is not feeling well, or saying she already has a customer. Considering she must work almost every day, and an average period is 5-6 days, her period is not always a lie. Some men pay a barfine early and come back later, so the customer story may also be true, even when you don't see one.
Thai girls vary a lot in what services they are willing to provide. Mine does not like oral or anal, for example, and provides mainly intercourse with a condom. You should discuss what you want before paying a bar fine and reaching a price agreement.
[i]Hint:[/i] Because she has some choice of customers, you can improve your odds by treating her well:[list][*] presentation - dressing and grooming clean and smart, making eye contact (unless she avoids it), and smiling. This is important for those of us who are not young and hunky. Our advantage is our ability to pay![*] buying her a drink to invite her to talk to you, and take some time to get to know her[*] respect - She's human, treat her nicely. She may not mind if you touch and feel her body in the bar, within reason, such as breasts, legs, ass, but not usually genitals. Pay attention to how she responds and behave accordingly. In negotiating, if you are looking for specific services, ask candidly but politely.[*] tipping, and price negotiation within her (unstated) bounds[*] not being too drunk.[/list][b]The Dancing Girl's Life Outside the Bar[/b]
My lady is from Korat and is Issan. In looks she is 6, or 7 if she is grinning, and 24. She has medium-dark skin which I like but makes her a bit lower-class in Thailand. She is not as poor as some, and has a reasonable Thai education, including good English.
Most ladies I have met in Bangkok need money to support their family, themselves, their education, or to build a nest egg with which to buy a business or land back at home, thus securing a future. Mine needs money for school and enjoys living well, though she does not dress expensively or wear jewelry. Another Issan lady I see is much poorer and sends most of her money to her family.
My lady has an apartment, sometimes by herself, sometimes shared with another dancer, that costs 10,000 baht. She does not eat a lot, and street food is inexpensive, so she pays perhaps 40-100 baht per day. She pays for her own transportation on Skytrain, bus, taxi, tuktuk, etc, so at least 30 baht, more if she has a customer. She pays her own barfine at least 7 days per month because of school requirements. She gets a few tips per month at the bar, ranging 100-500 baht. She also has school expenses including transportation.
My lady enjoys working in the bar - she needs companionship, she likes the music and dancing, staying in her apartment is boring. She will not go with Asian men, does not want a Thai boyfriend, and likes farang, not just because of money. She has 10-12 customers per month, no more than one per evening.
A bargirl's life is not easy, but it pays well in terms of Thai income for about 5-8 years. A smart bargirl is building a future with this income, and with an eye towards someone to support her later. Other reports in the Thailand form suggest that a lady can be supported for about 8000 baht per month, which sounds about right from what I've learned. I'm sure there are many other expenses that I have not listed, but lodging is the biggest.
[b]Summary[/b]
The more jaded mongerers remind us that we are just the lady's paycheck. The more romantic among us notice that despite looking for love in all the wrong places, we occasionally find it, or at least a friend who treats us well, as I have.
As with anything, you get what you pay for. In this case there is both money and respect to be paid. Thailand is one of the few places where I can expect a good experience for reasonable money, and reasonable odds of GFE.
It is in all of our interests to keep it that way. Don't be a cheap Charlie, and don't grossly overpay. Treat your lady like a lady for your sake and all of ours.
[i]If you found this report useful, please consider posting a link in the Reports of Distinction thread for the Thailand forum. I am too modest to do it myself, but not too modest to ask.
If you feel like ripping me, PM me to save face for yourself, and I'll summarize responses without names attached. Since you don't know me, anything you write says more about you than it does about me.[/i]
Great and Accurate Report
[QUOTE=Steve Naive][b]Bottom Line:[/b]
If your lady treats you well, pay her well. The average bargirl is not getting rich, and we should encourage good behavior.[/QUOTE]Steve,
I find your report well and accurate. In general, respect the girls and you will have a wonderful time. I have had quite some experience in Thailand, above all, Thai people like to laugh. Be happy, respect them, make a joke, make them laugh and they will treat you the best you could ever imagine. And yes, pay them. Good service = good money. When a girl spends time with you, remember, money talks! What are a few thousand Baht to us Westerners? Every time I fill up my car with gas, I pay $50 = 2,000 Baht! Of course, shitty girl = shitty money, but I have seen many cheap Westerners with the attitude they don’t have to pay, or pay very low, even for a good service. I will be in Thailand soon. A few years ago, I paid 1,000 to 1,500 short time and 2,000 to 2,500 over night, all depending on the mood and how I liked the girl. I also had girls from GoGo bars, spent around 1,000 Baht on drinks, 300 Baht Bar Fine plus 2,000 Baht girl.
I have had girls who spent several days with me, sometimes no sex, just a companion, like a friend, I would still pay them some money. They would introduce me to their friends. I can’t provide a general formula, but at the bottom line, try to keep the girls happy, they will return favors, as they say, what goes around, comes around.
I don’t know how to post your report to distinction, but will be glad to do so if someone tell me how?
Friends Massage near Nana
[QUOTE=Imready777]
Friends Massage was recommended and here I found a surprisingly nice range of girls working (not superstars but cute, small girls if u like that) and opted for 400B oil massage. I was not sure what to expect at this place as it seemded more ‘serious’ than for example Teen but sure enough the 500/1K/1.5K options were available. But maybe I would say friends is a good place to go just for nice massage from cute girl.
[/QUOTE]
Imready777;
Yes, Friends is great as a place to get a massage early in the day. I got a haircut, nice shampoo and shoulder rub, foot massage or sensual oil massage all for just over $20! The options would cost more, but it was 10:00am in the morning and I just wanted to chill. The gal doing the haircut was attractive. Not a 10, but nice to look at. Actually I wanted her to do the massage, but the girls each have their own jobs.
Nice place to get pampered and kill some time in the morning.
AT2
