Darling 1 offers an upscale “fishbowl” type of experience in Macau at a rate much lower than what the Special Administrative Region’s famous sex saunas charge.
I first mentioned Darling 1 about six months ago in my post on paying for sex in Macau. Since I first became aware of the establishment it has relocated. It is now located on the third floor of the Macau Masters Hotel.
The Macau Masters Hotel is a little out of the way but still within walking distance of places like the Grand Lisboa. The hotel itself looks pretty old and worn from the outside but it’s pretty good once you enter the door. Customers heading for Darling 1 take the lift to the third floor which leads them directly to the place.
All about Darling 1
Darling opens at 1 PM but there isn’t a full staff until about 3 PM. The two hours in between is when a lot of the women arrive and get themselves dolled up for a day of work.
The staff itself is rather large and made up of women from China, Vietnam and Thailand. The Thai women tend to be whiter than most of their sisters working the go go and beer bar circuit back home. In other words they are a lot like the light skinned Thai women that go for higher rates in the Bangkok soapies.
There is always at least one floor manager on hand to get a customer a drink, help explain the pricing or help select a service provider. These managers tend to hail from Indonesia and operate a bit like the typical “mamasan” but most are a lot younger. It’s quite possible to chat them up a bit.
Customers can enjoy the comfortable seating and take their time looking over the available staff without worry. There is no rush at Darling 1. I understand that many guys find it uncomfortable to look at a lineup. For them Darling 1 could be even more difficult than Bangkok soapies since there’s no actual “fishbowl” to speak of. The ladies sit on chairs right out in the open and quite often make eye contact with the customer.
Women at Darling 1
But the women working at Darling are used to being looked at and looked over. It’s the job they perform day in and day out and they seem to accept it. Many of the Chinese customers who enter the facility make no qualms about their process, however long it takes. Hilariously there is even a pair of high range binoculars on standby for those who have bad eyes or want to get a better look at the women who are seated only a meter or two away.
Once a customer chooses a lady they indicate her number to the floor manager and chose a service level. There are various options available mostly differentiated by the length of time one wants to spend in the room. Once all the selections are made the bill is settled at the front desk and then the customer is led by his lady of the hour (or more) to a room.
There’s really something to be said about the rooms at the new Darling 1 location. They are very large and very well appointed with huge round beds, mirrored ceilings, a flat screen television that only plays porn and a large bathing area walled in with glass so that nothing goes unseen.
Sessions and summary
Once the customer gets settled in the room a female attendant will come by to deliver some water and hot tea. After that the customer and the service provider disrobe and begin the session.
There’s no way to map out every experience in advance and that wouldn’t be any fun anyway. What can be said is that the bed, the large tub and some of the other things in the room (like the hot tea) are utilized by the service provider in expert fashion to create a memorable experience. A full range of services are provided and I can’t imagine that many men walk out of the place unsatisfied.
The price for a standard session that can include two pops is 1749 Patacas, which comes out to right around 226 US dollars. This is pretty average pricing for the area but is cheaper than a round of full service at a sauna since it cuts out any additional fees. Guys looking for a straight in-and-out experience may very well prefer Darling for that reason.
Darling 1 is a well-run establishment with great rooms, fair prices, and a staff made up of beautiful women from several parts of Asia who all offer a high level of service. When reviewing a place I always consider what other options are available nearby and how they compare. Since Darling 1 is located in Macau I think it’s fair to give it three-and-half-stars. If this place was almost anywhere else in the world it would probably deserve at least a slightly higher score. Alas, it’s only minutes away from five star establishments like Familia Nobre. 
Darling 1. 3rd Floor Macau Masters Hotel, 162 Rua das Lorchas, Macau. Click here for a map. Open every day from 1:00 PM until 2:00 AM.
Glad this one finally got a review. One of my favourite spots in Macau for pre-sauna festivities.
Gotta love those huge, cartoon-style binoculars! Always good for a laugh.
The only thing funnier than the binoculars are the people using them. Cheers.
Haha, so true. Some gentlemen take their binocular-ing very seriously here.
Have you ever been to the other location (Darling 2)? I gave it a go once, but was a little disappointed by it compared to Darling 1. I still had a decent time, but it is a smaller operation and it is a little bit out of the way, being located more north on the peninsula.
However, I believe they had a more typical fishbowl set-up. Girls were behind glass, which may have been one-way glass (I didn’t ask, I just assumed it was). Just passing the info along for those who are more comfortable with a glass barrier during the selection process.
Yes I’ve been to Darling 2. I’ve mentioned it elsewhere on the site a few times but I haven’t reviewed it yet. Cheers.
Ah yes, Darling 1. I loved this place! Went there twice, first time had a super hot Viet girl that gave me some of the best service I’ve ever had, the second I opted for a 3 some, which was good and I got 2 pops in, but wasn’t as good as the first experience.
Both times I was the only chap in the place and felt totally comfortable with the friendly, and somewhat hot mamasan. Just took my time and really tried to pick the perfect ladies. I was too distracted by the beautiful women to notice the binoculars…This is my favorite spot in Macau.
Another note–I think the sign you have pictured is the old one, the new one has the same design at the top, but it is much smaller and is more of a rectangular shape. Very easy to miss if you’re not looking for it.
Yes that’s the old sign. I don’t have a new picture. I think the place is relatively easy to find since it’s located right inside the large Master’s hotel. Thanks for the comments. Cheers!
Is using credit card to pay for Macua saunas, thailand soapy massage, and any other place around the world safe? Or is their any method of paying without revealing personal info? Besides the obvious pay cash routine, since I don’t want to carry a whole lot of cash but at same time want to keep privacy and not be ripped off
Remember that I don’t recommend anything. This site is for entertainment only. That said I don’t know if anything is completely safe at all times. People die crossing the road after all. Thousands of men use credit cards at these places every month of the year. Countless businessmen and other high rollers use cards in Macau saunas everyday. I’m sure scams happen from time to time, especially at more shady establishments, but I haven’t heard of problems in Macau, Japan or South Korea. I have heard rumors of problems in Indonesia but I don’t have any first hand knowledge and I haven’t had any negative experiences myself. The only way to make anonymous payments that I know of is cash. I don’t think any massage parlors accept bitcoin. Cheers.
Any advice on taiwan – taipei?
I will do some reports and reviews on Taiwan in the future but I have a long list of other things to get through first. Cheers.
Can you make a visit to China. I heard there’s nice places in dongguan.
I have been to China many times. I have to keep certain things in mind when I write reports. The last thing I want to do is cause problems in a simple effort to entertain. There have also been huge crackdowns in recent times in many “hot spots” across the mainland. I’ll try to do something in the future. Cheers.
One of the all time greats Hamachi Hunter approved
Thanks for the comment. Cheers.
HI Rockit.I have a question about 3some.I heard in this situation you should change your condom any time you want to do the other girl.is it true?
by the way i went to superme sauna in fortuna hotel. it was great as good as familia nobre may be better.
Covers are usually changed between women in paid sessions with more than one woman. There are some people and places that don’t require covers but they are obviously not very safe. I may review the Supreme sometime in the future. Cheers.
When to Darling a couple of nights ago. Picket a Viet girl who was smiling and seemed interested, probably late-twenties with a decent body . I think her # was 600. It went downhill from there, it was very pedestrian and technical. She was very reluctant with BBBJ and I had finish manually. I liked the facility and the rooms, just made a below average pick. The good news was I came in during “happy hour” 12am-12pm and prices were lower, it only set me back $195USD.
Thanks for the comment. This may be the first negative report I’ve ever seen on Darling 1. Anything is possible. That’s why they say “your mileage may vary.” Cheers!
hey.. this will be my very first expereince in macau sauna! which one would you recommend! it should be worth it! Emperor or darling 1?
Hi. I don’t recommend anything. This site is for entertainment only. Darling isn’t really a sauna. It’s more of a soapy massage type of place. Emperor is a sauna and I rated it highly in my review of the place. Cheers!
Do you know any massage with sex in guang zhou
I have known of some in the past but I don’t have any current info. Cheers.
Hey Rockit: I was in Macau last week and visited Darling 1. I can’t compare it to anyplace else as I lack any experience with either fishbowls or saunas, but this place definitely met my needs perfectly. It was only a three minute walk from my hotel and exceptionally easy to find (the sign is clearly visible and the directions are clear in terms of where to go once you enter the door). I wasn’t sure what to expect when I entered, but I was very pleased to be instantly greeted by staff members who were eager to answer any questions that I might have with decent English. It was a Wednesday night around 10:30 when I was there, and I really thought that the selection of women was excellent. There were at least 35 women available…Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and a few others. Pricing was 1700 MOP for a regular gal and 2080 (I think) for a ‘model’. Appearance wise, I couldn’t tell any difference between the regular girls or the models. The mama san came over to help me make a selection and answer any questions that I might have. I was in overload with too many options, so I asked her to help me pick out a Chinese gal (I was in China, so I figured I’d have an actual Chinese gal). She pointed one out that I’d actually been eyeing, so I selected her. Rooms weren’t available, so I sat with the gal for about 15 minutes while we waited for one to open up. She knew only limited English, so the conversation was pretty stilted and awkward. Still, she was pleasant about it and we made the best of the situation while we waited. When the room became available, she got the key and led me upstairs to where the rooms were. The session lasted 75 minutes and was fantastic…I won’t give a blow-by-blow accounting of it, but she massaged me, bathed me, and did wonderful things with her hands, mouth, breasts, and nether region (no anal, though). I left very satisfied and would have gone back there again had the opportunity been available.
FWIW: the gal I had was #221. She didn’t have a number on (she was one of 4 wearing white dresses that stood off to the side), but she showed me her number after the session in case I came back again. FANTASTIC body and face with a fun attitude.
Thanks for the detailed report. Cheers!
Enjoy reading the review of Darling 1. Have read the others also, but don’t remember any mention of staying at the hotel where the sauna is located ? How are their rates compared to hotels without a sauna? Thanks !!
The hotels that contain saunas aren’t usually any more expensive than other hotels of similar star ratings. Here is a list of the best guest friendly hotels in Macau. Cheers.
Hi, I’ve been to HK and Macau a few times but honestly, the big turn off for me in Macau is the unbelievably inflated prices for sex. You can find girls just as cute in the walk in brothels of HK for four times less money. I know it’s nice to get the environment of the saunas and all, but it’s just hard to justify dropping $250 instead of $40 for the same thing so close by.
My question is, are there any spots in Macau that offer this kind of reasonable prices? If not, anywhere closer to it at all anyway? “Normal” brothels, or good sources for outcall to my hotel?
There are walkups in Macau as I mentioned in my overview post on the place. Finding them is no more difficult than finding walkups in Hong Kong. Cheers.
Any info on pricing? I looked on 141, but I noticed that Macau is the only country on that site that doesn’t list prices for the girls…if it’s impossible to find girls in the 600-1000 range, I’d like to know in advance before I waste any time.
Can you recommend any saunas based on their sleeping facilities? I understand most of them sounds like you have to sleep in the open lobby area, do any of them offer a private room of any kind? Any rates?
All the work you’ve done here is really quite amazing and appreciated, thanks.
There are some regular massage parlors around. Some women in those will work for less than a 1000 HKD. There are also some women in hotels who find customers on the phone app WeChat. Most of them speak Chinese and 1000 HKD is about as low as they go. Otherwise it’s not that common to find women working for those rates. The local version of streetwalkers usually charge 1500 HKD and most of them are only interested in Chinese guys. Saunas are obviously a lot more expensive. Usually people sleep out in the open in the lounge. Some places have sleeping rooms that amount to almost closet like spaces. I believe Rio has more secluded quarters but they may cost money or be given to regular customers or high rollers. I prefer sleeping in a private hotel room which start at around 800 HKD per night so I’m not totally sure about the sleeping possibilities in each place. Cheers
Been to Darling 1 yesterday, left very satisfied. Got a Thai lady #93, who spoke some English and did lots of great things to me. Room was outstanding as reported, with huge bath being my favorite. 1700 MOP is the price for 75 mins.
Minor correction to the article: Darling 1 is perhaps 5-10 minutes away from FN by taxi and maybe 20-25 by foot. I recommend walking if one has time – there are good sights to see on the way. Also there is some fine dining available in Sofitel hotel nearby.
Thanks for the report. I’m not sure what you are correcting though. A taxi can get from Familia Nobre to Darling 1 in about 5 minutes. Cheers.
Just returned from Macau. Really liked Darling1.
Also tried the East Castle Spa – loved the AV concept which is a roleplay along with the usual services.
Are there other such places offering the AV concept?
Many thanks for the writeup !
Thanks for the report. Rio offers role play services including a nurse outfit and medical office room. I’m pretty sure that I have seen it offered at Eighteen Sauna too but I can’t be totally sure. Cheers.
Went to Darling 1 today then Golden Sauna today. Awesome place and service. Had the same experience as Rockit and poster from a year ago. Definitely better than the NYC Korean AMPs but a lower rating than Golden Sauna and other saunas in Macau I’m sure. Don’t get me wrong, Darling 1 is nice if you have limited time in Macau, but if you have at least 4 hours to burn, sauna hands down. Price is still the same here $1700 MOP. They wanted me to split the payments up. Pay 1200 at the desk and then give the rest to the girl at the room. If you want to pay with CC, there is a 3% charge. Also, when you walk into the hotel, go to the elevators to the right, behind the lobby restaurant. Don’t go to the elevators to the left unless you want to get yelled at by the hotel employees thinking your going to the guest rooms. Rockit, thank you for all that you do. Without this website, I would be so lost.
Thanks for the report. Cheers.
Hey rockit I appreciate your posts man! definitely helps me planned my whole trip to Macau and HK…
Do you know if darling 1 offers 2 pop (I know almost all saunas offers 1, darling 2 offers 2)
I can’t be completely sure but I think it depends on the situation. Guys who can pop in the shower and again in the bed seem to be able to get away with that though there is no set deal that ensures two pops that I know of. Cheers.
After a few trips to Macau and visits to a number of their infamous saunas (and being disappointed most of the time), I was ready to give up on the whole Macau scene altogether. Fortunately, I read that whilst the quality control and service has gone downhill at most saunas (and I can attest to that), Darling I has kept up with quality and service. So I decided to give it a try before saying my last good bye to Macau. I must say, it’s a hello!
Before my review on Darling 1, I would say, skip the saunas. The girls in the “normal” category cost the same or more than Darling 1. And the girls at saunas are a bit of a hit or miss. Forget about the smoking hot and stunners you’ve read from previous reviews…they’re all gone. At East Spa, there were none I would pay (yes, let me repeat as it might be socking to hear that from a Macau sauna but, yes: there were no girls that I would pay). FN had a few cute ones, but probably not worth my trip to Macau. Emperor had a couple that were rather hot and had a memorable experience but that should had been the case for all the saunas I visited. They are Macau saunas. They are supposed to have a reputation.
So to Darling 1. Got there at 4pm so a bit early. There were 2 Chinese (including a model), a handful of Thai and maybe 10 Viet. Pretty decent quality, no stunners, although something tells me that later in the evening there might be a few. The good thing about Darling 1 is that if you don’t see anything that fancies you, you can just leave w/o paying. Yes, at FN, you can also ask for a line up before entering…but I doubt they bring all the girls. At Darling 1 you see them all. I chose 321, a Viet with a great body, nice curves, natural C or B+ with a perfect shape, I would say it’s a solid 8. But that’s just me being picky. Facewise, I would say a 7-8…girl next door type. I just prefer bitchy foxy ones.
Session started with a nice veggie oil back massage. Pretty decent one but kind of wish it was more sensual. Turnaround and gave me a decent but mechanical HJ. Maybe 15 minutes has passed. Then went to the bathtub and proceeded with a combo of HJs and BBBJs…came close a couple of times.
Rockit, question for you. If I had shot then and there will the session continue w/ the FJ, or would that be it?
On to the bed and…llet’s say I had a great session, she’s eager to please. I think I went pass 5-10 minutes my allotted 70 minutes.
Would return, although next time, I’ll probably try someone else…one of those real hotties that come to work later. Total cost MOP1700. MOP 1200 at cashier and MOP500 to the girl.
Thanks for the report. Places like Darling 1 offer a different experience than the saunas. They are more like soapy massage parlors in Thailand and Japan. I think the number of shots is up to the provider though sessions at Darling 1 do seem to last as long as advertised in all cases. Cheers.
“…quality control and service has gone downhill at most saunas (and I can attest to that)…Forget about the smoking hot and stunners you’ve read from previous reviews…they’re all gone.”
Wow that’s really disappointing if true. I would probably put it down to a bad experience if it was the only negative report I have heard recently, but its not. I have a three day trip in the works in the very near future and was really looking forward to it. I realise everyones mileage varies, but is this your verdict on the current sauna situation also rockit? Have standards really declined that much?
If so I wonder what the heck has happened. As Jimmy said, Macau always had a gold standard reputation for its sauna scene.
I don’t necessarily agree that there has been a fall in standards and service across the board in Macau. Cheers.
Been here recently. The place is still going strong, lots of girls from around 8 pm, but already decent in the early-ish afternoon from 4 pm or so.
The prices are overall similar to what they were three years ago, 1800 MOP for regular girls and 2100 for purported “models”. This is good value for money in Macau considering that the sauna prices have gone up quite considerably in the same time frame (I have some data points for Familia Nobre and Rio that I could discuss…).
Unless you visit at prime time, you can usually get them to throw in a free VIP room to go with the models.
Personal opinion (YMMV): the 300 extra MOP for the models are usually well spent, some of those girls are gorgeous. They also tend to be tall and fair, if that is something you care about. Most Chinese models are (or claim to be) from Hunan. These days that province has a reputation in China for being among the places with the most beautiful women (another one being the province of Sichuan), so that claim might or might not be an advertisement stunt. Native Mandarin speakers will be able to identify the fake ones from the accent.
In any case, you can judge for yourself – I don’t care much about provenance as long as they look stunning as they do, but I am aware that the locals are sometimes into these things. I was told it’s all about bragging rights, like banging a Parisian or a Swedish beauty used to be in Europe in the bygone (and more civilized?) old days.
Service-wise, it’s still great, but three years ago it was even better. I had some truly superb encounters here before 2016. I feel like the script has started to lose some pieces here and there. In fact, it used to be 90 minutes and now it’s 75 minutes. Those extra 15 minutes used to be packed with fun.
Finally, when I was choosing the girls I did feel a bit pressured.
I see the Cantonese-speaking customers can sit and relax undisturbed while they look at the girls (they are probably regulars and locals, at one time there was even a full team of 4 guys all in firefighters bibs enjoying themselves – looks like being a firefighter in Macau has some great job perks!)
But if you are non-Asian, chance is a manager will follow you around closely until you decide, even if you tell him that you need to take your time to decide, constantly asking if you need help, a drink, etc.
And last but not least: the binoculars! Of course they are still there, the place would lose its charm if they took away the quaint binoculars. I tried to use them for fun, but it does look incredibly silly, as the girls are basically in front of you. What I did, was to stand up and walk back and forth next to them to have a close look at the girls. They are clearly not used to it because they all laughed. Might even be considered rude, who knows, but if they allow the lecherous binocular peering I think they should allow a leisurely stroll too. In any case, nobody stopped me, but it can feel kind of intimidating to have 40+ beautiful girls looking at you while you are clearly evaluating them. To me, it’s part of the experience making this place so great. Outside Macau, not so many places around the world where you can do this and have so many beautiful girls to admire closely (Nataree in Bangkok used to be another one, alas it’s gone now).
Thank you for the detailed report. You mentioned a male manager at Darling 1. Does that mean you did not see the female Indonesian manager? I would be interested to read your observations on the Macau saunas. I’m sure others would too. Cheers.
I was helped by two different male floor managers in different occasions. I always saw a woman behind the counter when I was paying, but I am not sure whether she is the Indonesian manager you are referring too.
I will gladly share my recent sauna experiences. I will do a separate post under the Familia Nobre article, feel free to move it elsewhere as you see fit. Cheers.
Just wanted to give some feedback as I in macau and I posting this 4th Jan
I started off at emperor suna as its nearer to my hotel and read reviews here. I went straight to 3rd floor and thats girls line up.. no messing around. I went 3 times overall fairly good, the maylasian girl was my fav then russian and the chinese girl was a bit of a let down.. but I picked here
I have now been to Darlings 1 and this is much bigger and lot more girls nicer rooms as well. I off to darlings 1 again
Hope this helps
Thanks for the report Steve. Cheers.
3 yrs ago when I was at Darling 1 there were some stunners. But when I went there last year there werent any 8 or 9 and I was disappointed. It varies with timing since the girls work only temporarily. The manager even told me that I could spend the night free of charge in the room after the session but I already booked a hotel in the same building. Cheers!
Thanks for the comment. The staff at Darling 1 can really vary from one day to the next. Cheers.