Prostitution in Bangkok – An overview

Prostitution in Bangkok is a major subject. And a major industry generating millions of Baht annually. I have covered the sex industry in Bangkok for more than ten years. In that time I have written over 100 articles about sex in the city. Here I present a summary of prostitution in Bangkok as a whole.

Pattaya gets all the press for being Thailand’s “sin city”. In reality the sex industry exists throughout in Thailand. You can find sex workers from the smallest villages in Isaan right on down to the capital city.

Bangkok is one of the centers of sex work in Thailand. In fact there may be more prostitution in Bangkok than there is any other part of the country. Areas like Nana Entertainment Plaza, Soi Cowboy and the infamous Patpong are built around prostitution. Then there are all the other parts of Bangkok like Huay Kwang and Thonglor where adult entertainment is very common if not dominant.

Some people believe the sex industry in Bangkok revolves around foreigners and sex tourists. That is not necessarily true. Many sex shops are designed for Thai guys. But there is not usually much discrimination. Brown skinned men from the Arab countries and Indian subcontinent are sometimes refused entry to go go bars solely on the basis of their appearance. But generally speaking the sex shops in Bangkok welcome all comers.

Go Go bars

Go go bars or “agogos” are by far the most well known sort of sex shops in Bangkok. They featuring dancing ladies in various states of undress who shuffle back and forth on stage. Guys who want to talk to a dancer, or in some places do some touching, purchase lady drinks. Guys who want to leave a go go bar with a lady for sex pay a barfine and additional tip.

Bangkok go go bars are concentrated in four main areas. They are Nana Entertainment Plaza (NEP), Soi Cowboy, Patpong, and Sutthisan Road.

The NEP is a closed structure filled with go go bars. Soi Cowboy is a single street lined with agogos. Patpong is a district with a sleazy reputation but some well-run establishments mixed in. Sutthisan Road contains some more modest go go bars that are mainly aimed at Thai customers.

Some Bangkok go go bars are:

• Crazy House
• Butterflies
• Spanky’s
• Whiskey & Go Go
• Baccara
• King’s Castle 1
• Suzy Wong
• Billboard
• Kazy Kozy
• Erotica
• Magic Table
• The Strip

The history of Thai go go bars goes back to the Vietnam War. The full story is expertly documented at the Patpong Museum in Bangkok.

Agogos continue to be popular today. Especially among tourists. Though at this point some charge more than brothels and sex clubs in the most developed parts of the world.

A “short time” sex session with a go go dancer from Bangkok costs around 4250 Baht ($120 USD) all together making this one of the more expensive forms of adult entertainment in the city. However some customers just have a drink and a look without buying lady drinks or paying for sex.

Oily massage parlors

If go go bars are the most well known form of sex shop in Bangkok than oily massage parlors are the most common. These shops can be found across Bangkok with the largest concentrations centered around the main Sukhumvit Road strip.

Oily massage parlors typically offer a full body oil massage from a nude masseuse that includes a combination of hand job, blowjob and full service sex. There can be variations between shops but this is typically the gist of it.

Some oily massage parlors skip right past any pretense of actual massage. Others perform a perfunctory massage just to break the ice. These places do not typically offer a real therapeutic massage of any kind.

Regular Thai massage parlors offer real Thai massage. The ladies in many of those shops will sometimes offer a handjob happy ending or more in private to get a tip. But those places are not to be confused with oily massage parlors that are actually set up to sell sex.

Some of the many oily massage parlors in Bangkok are:

• Analisa Massage
• Cherry Massage
• Bamboo Massage
• 102 Massage
• Hunny Bunny BKK
• Honey Bee Massage
• 666 Class
• Aya Massage
• Momo
• Kiss 3 Massage
• Daisy Dream
• Ore No 26
• Bangkok Passion
• Hera’s
• Don Quixote
• Body Bliss
• Sensual Massage
• 101 Premier Massage
• Tulip Massage
• Snow White
• Exotic Massage Bangkok
• Miss BJ Massage
• Addict Massage
• Kocho Ran
• Akane
• Thonglor 2 Massage
• Dream Heaven Massage 1
• Dream Heaven Massage 2
• Love Teen Massage
• EZ Massage 1

Oily massage parlors are popular for all sorts of people. They are generally discreet and easy to navigate. Customers select service providers from photos or an in-person lineup then they’re off to a private room for the action. There is not much more too it than that.

Some oily massage parlors are better than others. Aya Massage and Daisy Dream are housed in immaculately decorated buildings. Oilies like Don Quixote have “VIP rooms” with jacuzzi tubs. Fetish shops like Analisa offer special services like prostate massage and foot jobs on top of the normal routine. And PSE shops like Snow White offer a hardcore “porn star experience”.

A massage with oral and sex in a Bangkok oily massage parlor typically costs between 2000 and 4000 Baht ($57 to 114 USD).

Nuru massage parlors

Nuru massage parlors specialize in nuru nuru massage. This is performed by a fully nude woman on a specially designed inflatable mattress. The provider covers both herself and her customers in a clear slippery lubricant. Then she slides all over the customer. This creates a sensation that is tough to match and difficult to even describe. Suffice it to say that these places are incredibly popular.

Full service is typically included with any session in a nuru parlor. Mutual touching, kissing, oral sex and even rimming is also a part of the routine for most skilled nuru practitioners.

The nuru massage parlors of Bangkok operate a lot like Japanese soaplands. It is no coincidence that many of them are owned by Japanese people. Others were started by popular masseuses from Japanese-owned shops that later set out on their own.

Some nuru massage parlors in Bangkok are:

• Mitu Massage
• Ola Ola Massage
• Picasso
• Casanova
• Aurora Massage
• Kokoro
• Doki Doki
• Chrome Bar
• Dozo Massage
• BKK Vice

Many erotic massage places in Bangkok offer “nuru massage” on their menus. But not every shop has expert providers who actually know how to perform a genuine nuru massage. Places like Mitu, Aurora, Doki Doki, Picasso, Ola Ola, Kokoro and Casanova are the real deal.

A one hour nuru massage session with full service usually runs between 3000 and 4000 Baht ($86 to $114 USD).

Soapy massage parlors

Nuru massage parlors are a lot like soaplands in Japan. But soapy massage parlors in Bangkok are basically exact copies of Japan’s soaps. Only a little larger, more elaborate, and more open to foreign customers.

For years giant soapy massage parlors with large neon signs were a dominant part of Bangkok’s naughty nightlife scene. Ratchadaphisek Road was lined with huge soapies with names like Victoria’s Secret and Emmanuelle. Prominent Thai politician Chuwit Kamolvisit even ran a string off high end soaps at one point.

There are still several soapy massage parlors in Bangkok. But the scene it not like it used to be. These days it might be more common to run into a soapy massage shop in a smaller city like Pattaya or even Udon Thani.

Some of the old popular soapies in Bangkok were:

• Ocean
• The Lord

Some soapy massage parlors in Bangkok still in operation include Poseidon, La Belle and Maria Massage.

I published a full interview with a soapy massage parlor employee that goes into detail about her work. It explains some of her motivations for work and helps shine a light on a somewhat secretive subject. It is worth the read if you are interested in prostitution in Thailand.

Soapy massage service includes a blowjob and sex after a bath or shower. Service used to always include a body to body massage in a bubble bath but that is not always the case anymore.

A session at a Bangkok soapy costs between 2500 and 8000 Baht ($71 to $231 USD). Magazine models sometimes work in these shops but they tend to charge more and get booked in advance.

BJ Bars

Blowjob bars are exactly what they sound like. Though they tend to be a lot more about the BJ than the bar. Especially in Bangkok.

BJ bars are very easy to understand. Guys walk in and select one or more of the ladies waiting for customers. Then they go to a secluded area and take off their pants. After their dick and balls are washed they receive a blowjob to completion.

Skills vary from one pro to the next. Some can just get the job done while others can perform deep throat for entire appointments.

Bangkok is home to several BJ bars. They all offer the same service though the staff, surroundings, and prices differ from one place to the next.

The full list of blowjob bars in Bangkok is:

• Lolita’s
• Duangporn’s Haven
• Kasalong
• 7 Heaven
• Wood Bar
• Rose’s Bar
• Star of Light
• The World / Linda’s Place
• Kimochil
• Bit Style
• Madame Claude

Suck shops like Kasalong and Wood Bar have private booths where the activities take place. Duangporn’s and Kimochil have private rooms with beds. Meanwhile ladies at the old school bars like The World and Star of Light suck guys off right out in the open.

Bangkok BJ bars charge between 700 and 1300 Baht ($20 to 38 USD) for a suck job. The original shops like Lolita’s tend to charge less. The newer shops with arguably more attractive ladies like 7 Heaven charge more.

HJ Bars

Handjob bars are not common or talked about often. Some debate if they even exist. I understand the argument. Blowjob bars are entirely oriented around providing blow jobs. HJ bars are basically go go bars that just so happen to offer hand jobs inside.

Dancers in many go gos will grab a guy’s junk for fun or profit. But the dedicated hand job bar trend has been drying up for years. There are now only a few venues left where customers can expect to be offering a tug.

Handjob bars in Bangkok include:

• Toy Bar
• Jungle Jim’s
• Fanny’s
• Afterskool

For years it was nothing to walk into a place like Toy Bar and catch a view of a guy getting wanked off at the bar. One of the dancers might try to block the view by standing around but the arm motions, moans, and small bottles of baby oil were always easy to see. Afterskool was made famous by its naughty boy corner where dancers would wank or suck a customer in a somewhat private part of the bar.

The price of a hand job in a Bangkok HJ bar can vary wildly. It is usually based on some combination of tips and lady drinks. Needless to say a handjob in any of these places costs a lot more than it would in a Thai massage parlor or oily.

BDSM

The BDSM scene has a following all over the world. But in Thailand it seems to have a mostly foreign following. Even where locals do practice BDSM it always seems to have the ring of a foreign import.

There are just two bars and a couple of independent providers offering paid BDSM services in Bangkok. Since both bars are decades old and owned by the same person you can see how small the local scene really is.

BDSM related businesses in Bangkok are mainly limited to:

• BarBar
• Demonia
• Mistress Bangkok

BDSM services are available in Bangkok on a limited basis. But they are not cheap. A domination session costs at least 3500 Baht an hour plus tips. Simply entering a BDSM bar to look around costs 1000.

Still these prices are much lower than what dominatrixes in other major cities around the world charge.

Beer Bars

Beer bars are low rent venues that operate somewhat like go go bars. But rather than having semi-nude dancers on stages beer bars have full clothed ladies on bar stools. Some have pool tables and table games to help pass the time too.

Ladies in beer bars talk with guys who buy them lady drinks. They will also typically go out of the bar to have sex with guys who pay a bar fine and hand over a nice tip.

Because these places are pretty basic I have not written much about them. Beer bars seem to be dwindling in popularity too. At least here in Bangkok.

I did write a review of Number 1 Bar which is basically just a large beer bar. It is located in a building that used to house a blowjob bar called Lollipop 1. Number 1 also has private rooms upstairs where customers can take ladies for a quickie.

The bar fines and tips expected in Beer bars are much lower than those charge in go go bars. Short time sex with a beer bar babe can cost as little as 1000 Baht. Though 1500 to 2500 Baht is a more common range in Bangkok.

Night clubs

Bangkok is home to several nightclubs. Most operate like nightclubs anywhere else in the world. Though some are popular hang outs for semi-professional prostitutes who want to pick up customers.

The Pimp is a special place that is rather unique to Bangkok. This club staffs its own team of extremely attractive ladies.

The gals working at The Pimp are there to entertain. Customers can drinks, dance, laugh, sing and play with the women on staff. Assuming of course they have money to spend.

There are even semi private quarters where one might expect to go a little further that they would in a regular nightclub. Again though this requires cash.

The Pimp is not actually a place of prostitution. But if this sort of thing isn’t sex work than adult web cams and America strip clubs aren’t either. Not to mention that some guys do reportedly meet with women from The Pimp outside of work. Though I must repeat this comes only after significant expenditure.

Escorts

Escorting is common around the world. Bangkok is no exception. Though with so many options for in person adult entertainment escorting isn’t necessarily the most popular choice for punters.

Still some people appreciate the ease and discretion of calling a gal right to their room. So it is no wonder than some Bangkok escort outfits have been in business for years.

Escort agencies in Bangkok include:

• Escorts BKK
• Pure Bangkok Escorts

The Smooci site is also a popular choice for guys seeking escorts in Bangkok. The app, which has been described as “the Uber of escorts”, actually got its start in Bangkok before spreading to other parts of the world.

Escorts in Bangkok normally charge around 3000 to 5000 Baht for an hour or two. Full service and a suck job is standard procedure though of course each provider decides what they will and won’t do on a case by case basis.

Freelancers

There are hundreds of freelance prostitutes in Bangkok. Some find work through apps and websites like Thai Friendly. Others stand on the streets like Soi Nana or Sukhumvit Road.

Thermae coffee house is a legendary Bangkok institution where guys go to find freelance sex workers too. The ladies line up against the walls there every night while customers pick and choose their favorites. Not every deal is made though. Ladies sometimes ask more than a guy is willing to pay or reject a potential client outright.

Freelancing is common in Bangkok but the majority of local sex workers seem to prefer the security of work in an establishment like a go go bar or massage parlor. So there aren’t nearly as many freelancers as there are erotic masseuses or agogo dancers.

Bangkok freelancers charge anywhere from 1000 to 3000 Baht for a suck and fuck. Though ladies at Thermae tend to charge the most and be least likely to include a suck job with their service.

Ladyboys

Last but certainly not least I must make mention of ladyboy sex workers in Bangkok. For those who don’t know ladyboy is the local term for a transgender woman. This is translated from the Thai word kathoey which itself seems to have been borrowed from Cambodia’s Khmer language.

While I am not intimately familiar with the third sex I am interested in the way Thai ladyboys participate in sex work.

Of course not every ladyboy is a sex worker. Most are probably not. Yet there are many ladyboys engaged in sex work. Especially in Bangkok. They can be found freelancing or working in massage parlors, ladyboy go go bars, ladyboy beer bars, or ladyboy escort agencies.

The list of ladyboy sex shops in Bangkok includes:

• Check-In Bar
• Chaos 9 BKK
• Ladyboys Bangkok

Of course there are many more ladyboy centered sex shops in the city. Not to mention the mixed bars where ladyboys work alongside natural born women. But my coverage is limited.

I can say that sex with ladyboy prostituted in Bangkok is widely available. The price ranges anywhere from 1000 Baht on the low end for a freelancer up to maybe 5000 Baht for an escort or top star at a ladyboy go go bar.