Tantra is a go go bar located dead in the middle of Pattaya’s infamous Walking Street. Even though the local boys in brown have declared the street to be totally free of prostitution the strip is known around the world as a center of the commercial sex industry.
Tantra is located just a few steps down from the corner of Soi BJ. But there are no blowjobs taking place here. In fact the dancers at Tantra can sometimes be so choosy that they even refuse to sit with customers who offer them a drink. Not quite the sort of hospitality most coming to Pattaya would probably hope to find.
Despite the name Tantra has nothing to do with tantric massage. Unless of course there is something in the Guhyamantra about spiritualistic methods of separating fools and their money. That is not to say that this place is based on any Pierre Bernard style tantrik trickery. It is simply to state that in my view this is not one of the better adult entertainment venues in the city.
Tantra Agogo
Tantra is a long skinny bar. There are somewhat cramped seats running along both walls. In the center of the floor there is a series of small stages where the women dance. The place sort of reminds me of the previously reviewed Palace go go nearby in terms of layout. But while I found the Palace to be a fantastic go go bar I do not feel the same way about Tantra.
Palace has a “model” group of ladies who charge more for everything from lady drinks to barfines. But at the Palace you can sort of understand this dual pricing even if you don’t necessarily like it. There is a model group at Tantra but there is nothing about them that suggests they could model much of anything. In reality “models” at this bar seem to simply be the gals who will take their tops off on stage. Do they deserve more money for this? Maybe so. But I don’t know that it should be forced out of patrons when something like a higher base pay or voluntary tips could possibly work better.
Tantra does deserve credit for maxing out their earning potential though. All the old crap is on display here. Dancers chugging lady drinks. Waitresses giving change for 1000 Baht in all twenty Baht bills which can be more easily solicited as tips. The tequila shot up-sell. “Drink only” ladies on staff who don’t do barfines. Door girls who don’t do anything more than try to bring in guys from outside. Demanding customers who do barfine women from the staff to “pay all” upfront. The only thing missing is actual benefits for the people spending the dosh.
Staff, prices, and summary
I will not pretend that Tantra is lacking in the staff department. There are plenty of women working at Tantra on any given night. Especially considering the small and narrow layout.
Most of the dancers look nice enough in their revealing bikinis and hot pants too. Sure they might not be up to standards that a visitor from 10 or 20 years ago might have remembered. But there aren’t any overly large or elderly women working the stage at least. In fact they seem to be one of the last bars to retain a maximum weight requirement in staffing as most of the gals here are thin.
Still there aren’t necessarily a slue of stars here either. Not even in the so-called model group. Especially with all the stuff that is going on here. With a big barfine and high asking rate women working at Tantra might expect 5000 Baht upfront to even leave with a guy for a short time romp. Since this approaches or even surpasses places in some of the world’s most advanced economies I don’t feel out of line saying this place is badly overpriced.
Drink prices are in keeping with the standard for the area. Bottles start at around 150 Baht. Watered down draft beer is about half that. Lady drinks run 170 Baht for regular dancers and 200 for “models” though as stated above I don’t think any of these gals just stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. In fact I don’t even think they are as attractive as most “coyotes” from Soi Cowboy in Bangkok.
I was really put off by Tantra and their way of doing business. Besides that there wasn’t even much eye candy to enjoy. The place might look like Palace superficially. But it is no Palace. It’s not even that good of an agogo in my view. I try to be fair but this is my honest impression of the place. I can’t imagine returning. One star. 
Tantra Agogo. Walking Street, Pattaya, Thailand. Click here for a map. Open every day from 8:00 PM until 1:00 AM.
whats long skinny bar mean?
It means the bar is long and skinny.