Review: The Castle in Pattaya, Thailand

The Castle is a BDSM Fetish bar in Pattaya. To my knowledge it is the only venue of the sort anywhere in the city. This place is related to the previously reviewed BarBar and Demonia SM bars in Bangkok. It is not in any way affiliated with the Kings Castle go go bar in Patpong.

The Castle is easy to find if out of the way. The place is located just off of Third Road which is a good distance from the central area around the beach and Walking Street. While the building looks more like a traditional Thai pavilion than anything there is a big black circular structure out front that at least resembles a drum tower.

With more than twenty years in business The Castle has become well known Pattaya. At least superficially. Yet if you ask even many long time residents of Pattaya you will find few who are intimately familiar with the place. That makes sense since the venue caters to those who are into bondage, dominance and sadomasochism.

The Castle and its staff

Inside The Castle is a fittingly dark bar that is nice enough but not particularly out of the ordinary. The main difference between this and other venues is the type of private rooms found behind the bar. Those darkened quarters contain all sorts of implements that appear to be as much for looks as they are for actual use. Though to be fair they do help set a certain mood.

Drink prices are higher than average for Pattaya and Thailand as a whole. Though there is an all you can drink option on Fridays for 1500 Baht ($42 USD). This isn’t much more than the usual cover charge.

There are just a few women working at The Castle these days. They range in age with most appearing to be in their thirties. The staff are divided into two groups determined by their roles. The “mistresses” are there to dominate the customers and sometimes the “slaves”. The “slaves” are there to be dominated. Or at least that is how the story goes.

The ladies are all of about average looks. I’m told there used to be much more attractive women working here in the past. But with so many options now available it is no wonder that young attractive ladies pass on this sort of work. You would think this stuff would only appeal to gals who have an actual interest in BDSM.

BDSM in Thailand

The dominatrix at The Castle is quite capable though I don’t know how serious she takes it all. It seems more like she is having fun at the expense of the customers. The lack of serious is even more evident in the supposed submissives who are clearly just putting on an act to make a paycheck. I don’t fault anyone for trying to make a living. But you might expect the people working a BDSM club to be into BDSM. Here the customer is expected to take the lead. Even if they want to be submissive.

Herein lies the problem with The Castle and other places like it. It is too irregular and highly priced to be a basic girly bar type of place. Yet it is not as serious about its purpose as a BDSM or S&M Fetish Bar to make it that much different.

So what we are left with is more or less a theme bar. Sure the place is set up like a BDSM dungeon and they even have all the accoutrements. The ladies are even broken up into submissive and dominating roles. But there is no hardcore dedication to BDSM. It’s more of just a fun place with an overarching idea.

Don’t get me wrong. It is possible to get whipped or spanked by the dominant lady at the club. Being dominant is probably a lot more difficult. Limited fetish activity is surely possible along with things like bound hand jobs. At least some of the women offering full service too. But is any of this enough for a true aficionado of 50 Shades of Grey type action?

In summary

Since I am not particularly turned on by this kink I may not be the target audience. Some may say I am not even qualified to review this sort of place due to my lack of experience with the S&M scene. But I do find this place and the subculture in general to be at least interesting.

I have reported on the commercial sex industry around the world for over a decade. While I am not into elderly Japanese women I covered places like Academy and New York New York in Tokyo. These are just some examples. Yet I have always tried to be objective.

Perhaps I was too harsh in my judgements when writing about Bar Bar and Demonia in the past. I am coming to see these sorts of places more for what they are than what I originally imagined them to be. With tampered expectations these bars could perhaps be fun places to visit. Though that still wouldn’t cover up for women demanding lady drinks.

I still think that serious BDSM practitioners would be disappointed by what they would find at a place like The Castle. Though those who just want to dip their toes into being bossed around by a mature Asian lady find exactly what they are looking for. I am coming to appreciate the fact that this place even exists. And that it has continued to exist for several years, with or without customers like me. Two-and-a-half stars.

The Castle. 406/26 Third Pattaya Road, Pattaya, Thailand. Click here for a map. Open every day from 6:00 PM until 2:00 AM. Phone: +66 03-841-5162. Website: http://www.the-castle-pattaya.com