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Sex is on sale in Phnom Penh

Prostitution in Phnom Penh is like an open secret. There’s more of it around than the unassuming visitor knows. For those willing to pay for it, getting laid in Cambodia’s capital city of Phnom Penh is about as difficult as getting wet in the ocean.

Today I will give you a brief overview of prostitution in Phnom Penh. Note that all prices in this report will be quoted in US dollars. That’s the de facto currency in the city for any major purchase. The local money is mainly used for change.

Massage parlors in Phnom Penh

Asian massage parlors have long been tied up in the adult industry. There are a number of massage parlors where customers can get extra services on the cheap. Some are designed for the sale of sex and nothing else, others serve up “extras” with the regular rub down. So it seems fitting to start there.

The “legitimate” massage parlors all over the city do not endorse any kind of extras. They are most especially concentrated in the areas tourists are most likely to frequent. Cheaper massage parlors in other parts of town can go either way.

At the legitimate massage shops body rubs go for 5 to 10 dollars. And the masseuse only gets half of that. So customers are sometimes asked if they want a happy ending even in these kinds of places. Extras are most commonly offered in private rooms during oil massages when the customers are fully nude under their towels. It used to be that this sort of thing was more common away from the riverside. But now there are even naughty massage parlors there among the touristic restaurants.

A standard tip for a regular massage is one dollar. Customers who get a hand finish typically tip five to ten. The rare few who score oral service normally tip a little more. Full service is only occasionally offered in these places. The women who do it usually start off asking for as much as fifty dollars. But typically they settle for thirty.

Since none of this is officially permitted customers and masseuses who partake have to be discreet. Intelligent customers don’t talk about extras or make a big deal over the larger than average tip they give their masseuse in front of coworkers or the boss.

There are also some fishbowl massage parlors. They are meant entirely for sex. They are usually located inside of big hotels or karaoke parlors. They charge five to ten dollars for a massage. The women who are mostly attractive expect thirty to one hundred dollars more for full service.

Freelance prostitutes and brothels

There are also freelance girls available to men with money around the clock in the seating area of Sorya Mall and on the walking area on the riverside. The Walkabout and Martinis used to be the most famous freelancer spots in the city. But those bars closed. Sharky’s was another freelancer haunt, but it’s pretty quiet in there since the original owner died.

The freelancers found in these places are the equivalent of streetwalkers in the United States. Customers may find a gem once in a while, but they normally don’t expect much. Many of the freelance girls are on drugs and or like to grab anything they can get their hands on. The standard rate with these girls is 10 to 20 dollars for a short time adventure.

A higher level of freelancer can be found in places like the Nagaworld Casino and the associated Darlin Darlin live music bar. Those ladies are looking for high rollers and expect a minimum of one hundred dollars for sex. Sometimes they get much more.

Most foreigners avoid the numerous local brothels in the city at all costs, even if they are pestered to visit one by a motorbike taxi or tuk tuk driver. The same goes for the five to ten street girls (and ladyboys) that hang around places like Wat Phnom at night. These seems to be for the best.

Hostess bars in Phnom Penh

The main action for foreigners in Phnom Penh takes place in the hostess bars. These are scattered all over the Daun Penh section of the city. The biggest concentrations on Street 51, Street 136, Street 130, Street 110, Street 118 and Street 104. There are a few others in different areas too. A select few are open 24 hours, but most don’t come alive until 6:00 pm. They usually close in the early morning hours.

Any man who walks by these places will often be called in by one of the ladies sitting near the door. “Hello welcome” is a common sound in the bar areas. When a customer enters a girl or two will try to sit with them. Smart customers pick the girl they are interested in rather than getting stuck with whoever is next in line. Drinks for customers cost a dollar or two and lady drinks cost about four dollars. Customers can talk, order food, play pool, or do whatever they want within reason. Hostesses go to work to make money.

Most bars have barfines. If a lady wants to leave the bar with a guy, she asks him to pay this fee. It is supposed to relieve the bar for the loss of staff for a night. The typical barfine is ten dollars. Of course some ladies won’t leave the bar. Or they will only leave with certain guys. It is their prerogative.

Pros and cons

Some place like Island Bar are up front about having women who are eager to go out with customers. At most others it is a little more like dating with money used as a social lubricant. Customers who look like totally new guys or a tourists are often quoted very high prices that compare with the Vietnamese hostess bars in Ho Chi Minh City.

When women leave the bar with a guy they usually offer full service in private. A short time romp normally goes for 30 to 50 dollars. A long time overnight session can run anywhere from 50 to 100 dollars. Some of the women may not budge from prices much higher than this.

Despite all the sexy outfits in the bars and some of the raunchy jokes customers might hear bar girls make, Cambodia is still a pretty conservative place. Things are changing. But much remains the same. You may see a girl dance on a table top here or there, but there is no nudity in the bars. It’s not Thailand by any means.

Most of the women in Cambodia expect there to be at least a little romance involved, even if they are bar girls. And in bed, many will lay back and let the guy do all the work. Perhaps as many as half of the women working in bars don’t do blowjobs. Probably half of the ones who do aren’t very good at it. Performance is usually higher with the Vietnamese women working in Cambodia, though they are often more hustler-like than the native gals. Cambodian bargirls are more likely to give customers a snuggle up lovey-dovey girlfriend style experience or play the cold fish routine. Of course there are always exceptions.

Escorts in Phnom Penh

Historically there has been very little in the way of escorting in Phnom Penh. At least in the way that most people from Western countries would recognize. A few minor websites have purported to provide punters with easy access to escorts. But they were always suspect at best. The same goes for the various pimps who push pictures and profiles over chat apps that very rarely have any resemblance to actual women in the city.

Closing with a secret

Lastly, I will mention Cyrcee. This “secret bar” is the go to place for guys who are looking for a direct experience. The place isn’t actually that secret. After a recent move it is now located on a main road near the famous Central Market.

Cyrcee is a tiny bar. When you walk in you immediately see ten to twenty women waiting for guys to enter. As soon as you sit down you are usually surrounded by these women who are not shy with their hands or words. They have some incredible sales pitches. Mainly they are all looking for short time sessions. 

The barfine at Cyrcee is $10 and women ask for 30 dollars for their time. The women are mostly professionals with real skills. They aren’t afraid to kiss or suck either. Friends who go out together are even known to interact with each other. And it’s all quick and to the point. The gals typically use a nearby guesthouse rather than trekking off to a hotel room. They know the ropes.

There is a lot more too. But this covers most of the more well known things that even temporary visitors come across. Long time residents often discover even more, if they actually go out and look for it.

15 thoughts on “Sex is on sale in Phnom Penh”

  1. I recently returned for a mongering week in Phnom Penh, was first there in 2005
    It has changed so much. I was in Club Cyrcee couple of nights, but not barfine, regret that now
    should have taken a couple of girls to the short time across the road
    I also here the girls in Club Cyrcee are skilled in Yam Yam, one of the few places you can get decent blowjob in Phnom Penh. I remember Sophies, only a legend now

  2. Currently in PP — used to come here often for work and never had time to do anything fun. But have a couple of days free before heading back. Great city. The girls here seem to suffer from some intensely low self-esteem issues but they have pride in the service of their work. Staying right at 136 so it’s fun but looking for something a bit more than the hostess bars at the moment which can be a lot of talk just for sex.

    Club Cyrcee seems great. I’ll visit it for the variety. Thanks to the comment above regarding blowjobs — I hate that it’s so restrictive here and that only gayboys seem to offer it (they really can carve out a niche for rentboys here). The bar girls seems to believe that any man who likes oral sex must like boys as well, which is patently not true (well, for most anyway).

    Can I ask, where can I get legit Cialis or Viagra around here as well?

    1. Thanks for the comment. I’m certainly no doctor and I don’t recommend or advocate anything but from what I hear erectile dysfunction medications of all type are available from any pharmacy in the country without a prescription. Word is there are also a lot of counterfeit medications about too. Cheers.

  3. Regarding Viagra and all it’s relations, there is a street with many pharmacys just across from the big Art Deco Central Market (Pasar Tieme). I buy from them regularly (whichever one gives me the best price for 10 packs) and have never had problems as long as I stayed with the Viagra clones. (Zeagra for one) Cialis is never genuine and is almost always the same Sildenafil composition as Zeagra…not genuine Tadadafil, the compound in genuine Cialis.
    Zeagra is usually less than US$2.00/pac4.

  4. At PP now. Staying at Intercontinental hotel. Just to share my experience. I visited the hotel’s massage spa at level 2. The price for a standard massage is about US$50 for 60min. It is on the high side comparing with outside massage outlet. As I was too lazy to go out of hotel, I chose at 90min swedish massage at US$75. I asked if the masseuse can come to my room. The counter lady said it is possible. Nonetheless, I requested to look at the facilities. I saw the massage room. It is private and has a big bathtub at one corner and a massage table in the middle. The room is large and spacious. I told the counter staff I wanted to had my massage at the shop. She said I should enjoy the massage at my room because after it is done, I can relax in my room.

    I took her advise at had my massage in my room. I am looking for a proper and good massage. No mood for specials or other added service. But I am thinking if the hotel spa does offer something special since the counter staff encouraged me to have my massage in my hotel room.

    I went back to my room and the masseuse came about 10min later. When the bell rang, I was hoping for a SYT. When I opened the door, I was disappointed. It was a middle aged lady. However, I am not overly disappointed as I was hoping she can provide a good rub on my aching muscles.

    The massage was really average. She did try to brush her hand against my private part and I knew she did it on purpose. She tried to raise my manhood but I focused my mind elsewhere and she did not succeed. Finally, she popped the question if I wanted a HJ. I told her no immediately. She does seemed disappointed.

    At the end of the session, I still tipped her US$10 for her hard work. Overall, massage is just average.

    1. Lol. I feel like I was there myself. 5 star Hotel masseuses are usually not that good looking. Though I seen few good looking ones but they dont even do hj sometimes. If you are a repeat customer for the same masseuse and get to know her, everything is possible. But this will cost a lot and time of trials and errors. Sometimes it took me 5 sessions to get have FS with the masseuse. Sometimes on my second session. It varies on each masseuse but FS is usually difficult as they can get fired. So you have to be discreet and they must like you and trust you from my experiences.

      For the normal massage, the bill already includes the tip so you dont have to tip unless it is for something else. What I found out about the old masseuse women is that nearly all do hj and expect a tip. However, they know they are not as good looking as young girls so they appreciate even 10 usd for a tip. Sometimes they give free hj because it is much easier than giving serious massage from what I know. That’s why I too decline a hj from them often. Sometimes they just do it without asking and you know it is free then. Cheers!

  5. All above comments are great but saddly out dated most of the night venues described are now closed or in decrepitude ( Sorya Mall) full of third grade tarts and drug addicted.

    Cheers

    1. Thanks for the comment. The post is about two and a half years old but it still seems pretty accurate to me. Most of the places mentioned like Cyrcee and Island Bar are still open and the hostess bar concentrations around streets 136, 130, 110, 118 and 104 have only expanded. A few places like Martini may be gone but they were covered in a recent post on the Lost Bars of Phnom Penh. Cheers.

  6. Hi
    Am planning to visit Ho Chi Minh & Phnom Penh & Bangkok in the coming weeks & my friend just dropped so that i would be on a solo basis.

    Is it safe to roam around alone in these cities at night ? And are the taxi drivers reliable?

    1. There’s really no way to answer this. One person can be safe somewhere that someone else has problems. I have been traveling the world (including some of its poorest parts) for decades without a single issue yet there are people who somehow manage to get ripped off in Tokyo. People apparently get robbed in Ho Chi Minh City all of the time usually by having their bags or phones grabbed. Again I have never had any problems there. I’ve never heard of anyone having problems with the taxis in Phnom Penh that are hailed by phone. There are some rip off taxi companies in Ho Chi Minh City but Vinasun and Mai Linh are both reliable and very inexpensive. Cheers.

  7. Massage parlours, right in market offer 5 dollar massage and 30 dollar boom boom. A streetwalker will agree to 15 dollars, if you have room. Be careful, and ask, if she is a girl.or boy.

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