Way back in the middle of 2015 I reviewed the Silver Star 2 go go bar in Pattaya. I always planned to review the original Silver Star 1 go go bar but never get around to it. Upon hearing the news that both Silver Star go go bars were raided a few days ago, I have decided that I better write about the place immediately in case it disappears in the near future. While I am not above writing obituaries for girlie bars for posterity’s sake, I prefer to report on places that are still around whenever possible.
The Silver Star 1 is located on Soi 8 in Pattaya. It only steps away from the Beach Road that spans the city’s ocean front. The bar is lit up with a large illuminated sign and attendants out front waving potential customers through the doors.
Inside Silver Star 1
When customers enter they find a rather large floor. There is am elevated stage in the middle where around a dozen women are usually found dancing in bikinis. Normally a few women drop their tops or even dance fully in the buff. This used to be the norm in go go bars across the country but it has become increasingly rare as time goes on. There are still plenty of go go bars in Pattaya where women show their stuff but it isn’t difficult to imagine the disappearance of this sort of thing in the future at least in the better known and more conspicuous bars.
The women who work at the Silver Star 1 tend to be average in looks for the area. Nearly all seem to be in their twenties with a few possibly a little older. Most are thin with the sort of dark features one might expect from Isaan ladies though there is always some variety. Silver Star 1 is not above hiring some chubby ladies either especially when they have ample bosoms.
There are usually two line ups of ladies that take turns dancing on the stage. The women also rotate around the stage as they dance so that everyone in attendance can take a look at each lady on staff at least theoretically.
Prices and services
Drinks for both customers and ladies are normally priced at Silver Star 1. They may even be a bit cheaper than the average rates in the go go bars on Walking Street. The women all seem to be totally fine to sit with any customer who buys them a lady drink. Many times they even snuggle up with their man of the hour.
The mamasan at Silver Star 1 is not pushy towards customers at all. At most she may approach a customer sitting alone to ask if he likes any of the women on stage and ask if he would consider buying one a drink.
Customers who want to take a lady out of the bar have to pay a barfine of 600 Baht ($17 USD). On top of that women expect a payment for their time. For a short session they usually went anywhere between 1500 and 2500 Baht ($42-72 USD). For an overnight session they usually want more. Most of the women at the Silver Star 1 are up to go out with most customers in most conditions. I use a lot of qualifiers because there are always exceptions.
Women and summary
Some women who work at the Silver Star 1 can speak English pretty well but many others can only use a few English words at most. There isn’t necessarily any rhyme or reason to this. Some women who have worked in the bar for a significant amount of time struggle with English while some other newcomers have a pretty good grasp of the language. A few can also understand a bit of Japanese.
A major and undeniable feature of the atmosphere at Silver Star 1 is the presence of a foul odor. Silver Star 1 is hardly alone in harboring this stench which seems to emerge from drain pipes all across the country. Not even expensive hotels in Chiang Mai and Bangkok are immune to this stench. While every place in the country seems to suffer from it at times the smell has really made a home at Silver Star 1 where it always seems to have a presence.
The smell is not necessarily over powering but it is definitely there. Customers don’t seem to mind however. Either that or they value the site of several lovely ladies dancing on stage in their skivvies or less so much that they are willing to overlook the odor that emerges from below.
As one of the remaining go go bars of the original style will regular shows of various sorts I give the place three stars. Its sister bar which lacks the regular presence of a bad odor previously scored three-and-a-half. 
Silver Star 1. Soi 8, Pattaya, Thailand. Click here for a map. Open every day from 6:00 PM until 3:00 AM.
