Club W is a Japanese style bar in Phnom Penh. Part hostess bar and part KTV this discreet club is off the radar for most non-Japanese guys. Yet the doors are open to men of all nationalities. And it is quite the interesting place. At the very least it is different from the many open door bars found near the riverside.
Different isn’t always good of course. Years ago I reviewed a somewhat unique Phnom Penh bar called The Filling Station that was quite awful. Club W is at least well run and fun to visit.
Japanese style bars are a lot different the usual girly bar model in Southeast Asia. These places are closer to the “girls bar” style places in Japan. Guys go mainly for the company. They want to be around women, drink, sing and enjoy food. These aren’t point and shoot meat markets by any means. Guys in Japan looking to get straight to sex would be more likely to visit a soapland. In this part of the world they’d steer towards a full service massage parlor.
About Club W
Club W is on Street 222 in the relatively upscale Boeung Keng Kang section of Phnom Penh. Located far away from the crowded bar scene along the river this place is easy to miss. A gated entrance makes the place especially discreet. Though visiting the bar is as easy as walking through the door. Note that Club W is not to be confused with the W Club nightclub in another part of town.
Club W is like a girls bar in Japan. But it’s not exactly the same. There is a local flare here. Some of the operation is different too. At a genuine girls bar in Japan the women sit on side of the bar and act as both bartenders and entertainers. Customers sit on the other side of the bar. There is no mutual contact or chance at anything personal. In fact the rules at the Japanese girls bars prohibit the ladies on staff from even giving their phone number out to customers.
At Club W customers can share a private room with the ladies on staff. Or they can sit at the bar. There is no sex service on offer to be sure. But people can get cozy with each other. And there are no rules about exchanging contact information. Staff and customers typically enjoy drinks together, have fun and sometimes do a little singing.
So what makes this place “Japanese”? Besides the Japanese manager there is also the “system”. There is a membership fee and a bottomless drink option. The ladies on staff also speak Japanese quite well. Plus the gals tend to cater their look towards Japanese tastes. That means thinner gals with lighter skin than you might find in the average hostess bar. In keeping with what you might expect of a Japanese run business Club W is also kept very clean. Unfortunately that can’t be said about a lot of places in Phnom Penh.
Staff, prices and summary
There are over a dozen women on staff at Club W. Most are local Cambodian ladies with a Japanese flair. Though there are a couple of Thai ladies working in the bar. It is possible to hear the Khmer, Thai, Japanese and English languages here in a single night. The women are all nice looking with good bodies. They wear beautiful dresses and have their hair and makeup done up nicely each night. These charming women are also good entertainers. A few are very busty for their size. Though as you might expect they are also very popular.
The private room fee at Club W is $30 USD per hour. Regular beers are available at $4-$6 each. So are much more expensive liquors. An entire bottle of Maker’s Mark is $150. V.S.O.P. costs $180. Special Japanese whiskies cost over a thousand dollars per bottle. So there are a whole range of drink options.
The ladies are compensated with drinks. Lady drinks here cost $5 which is not much more than the price at regular hostess bars. Things can get pricey quick at Club W. But they don’t have to. This is not a rip off joint. They make the rates clear from the very beginning. In fact they are better at displaying prices than almost any other bar in the city. You know what you are getting at this place.
Club W is a pretty cool place to hang out. You have to judge it for what it is. This is not a brothel or even a typical hostess bar. It is a lounge with some lovely female entertainers on staff. For those who enjoy this sort of thing it is a pretty good venue. But those looking for something else would be better served by going elsewhere. I look at Club W on its face and see a well run Japanese style bar in Phnom Penh. It is mainly set up for Japanese guys to enjoy. Yet non-Japanese with the right mindset can also have a good time. Three stars. 
Club W. 51 Street 222, Boeung Keng Kang, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Click here for a map. Open every day from 8:00 PM until 2:00 AM. Phone: +855 99-818-303
