Prostitution in Kampot – An overview

Kampot is a small seaside city on the southern coast of Cambodia. With a population that numbers only in the tens of thousands and no local airport or major attractions the city is not well known outside of the country. But despite the city’s small size and laid back vibe there is actually a significant amount of prostitution in Kampot.

Foreigners may be among the least likely to take note of the local sex industry since it is mainly aimed at locals. There are no hostess bars in Kampot. There aren’t even any major freelancer haunts in the city. The nightlife aimed at foreigners is mainly limited to a handful of inexpensive bars that usually have no Khmer women in sight.

Bars in Kampot

Bars like Couch Potatoes will occasionally draw a single Khmer woman or two. Single and working women looking for foreigner customers are more likely to go to the backpacker dominated Banyan Tree bar but they definitely don’t predominate there either.

There are only a few bars in Kampot. And most of the bars are oriented around cheap beer and hard liquor. Local ladies can occasionally be found in some of the watering holes. But is is a rarity. The exception was a single hostess bar called Sweet Pallet. The bar made a lot of local noise when it opened. But the place didn’t last and is now out of business.

Karaoke clubs

KTVs or karaoke centers are the foundation of the local naughty nightlife. There are several KTVs in Kampot including Nine Star, Honey and The Moon. There are also others in the immediate vicinity including Happy Kep Club which is fittingly located on the road to the town of Kep.

The Kampot KTVs charge various rates depending on the services rendered by typically places charge around $10 USD per hour for a standard room and $2 for each can of beer. Liquor and mixers are also available and there are always packages and promotions aimed at getting customers to spend more and stay around longer.

Each KTV has several Khmer women on staff. They are usually presented to customers when they select a room. Customers are expected to compensate any women who accompany them in a room for their time. A typical tip for a single woman can range between 5 and 20 dollars.

The women who work the KTVs in Kampot are usually in their twenties and relatively attractive. Few can speak English. Some have dark skin but others can be as light as women from the north of China. There is a real diversity of looks in Cambodia.

Each KTV room has a large television or screen and a music player. They often have a woman to run the player for the customers. Customers select songs from large catalogs that sometimes include English and Chinese songs.

After spending time in a KTV customers often negotiate with women on staff to join them in a hotel outside. The typical rate paid for this is around $50 USD though of course there are no hard and fast rules. Some women may go with a customer for a lot more or a lot less. Others may not go with customers at all.

Some of the KTVs in Kampot also have beer garden setups where customers can sit with women on staff. These are something like open air hostess bars but they are oriented towards locals. Drinks are cheap and the women don’t expect much in the way of tips though they do want around $50 USD to go to a hotel with a customer when they will go with a customer at all.

Massage parlors and brothels

Kampot is of course home to a variety of massage parlors. Some of them are totally mainstream but the women in many of these massage parlors will offer handjobs or more to foreign customers in order to make some money.

The biggest collection of massage parlors where happy endings are commonly offered is around the riverside. They aren’t directly on the riverside but in the streets that lead off of it and toward Street 701.

These shops don’t look much and in fact they aren’t. They are basically converted residences. Sometimes they haven’t even been converted. Most don’t even have any proper signage. They simply prop up signs in front of their doors that say things like “Massa”. Sometimes the signs are only in Khmer. That’s because a majority of the customers are locals. Foreigners are more likely to go to places with proper lobbies and signs in English where they are less likely to get a happy ending.

These massage parlors typically ask for between 2 and 5 dollars for a massage. The women working these places also ask for additional tips when they render sexual services. Those tips depend on any number of factors but customers typically give $5 to $10 for a handjob and $20 or more for sex.

Like most cities in Cambodia, Kampot is also home to a few brothels. These brothels aren’t marked or even necessarily named. They operate out of somewhat discreet residential buildings on National Road 3 and Dragon Road near the river. Women sit in front of these brothels waiting for customers though they don’t usually solicit anyone who passes by. Most of the customers know these places exist and head directly to them when the mood strikes.

Each brothel in Kampot has a staff of a few women. They are almost always Khmer gals in their twenties. Few speak English. They ask $10 USD for sex in the dingy rooms on premises where they normally provide a quick round with a condom. Oral sex is not common. Foreign customers are welcomed in these places but the staff sometimes tries to ask them for as much as double the going rate if they think they can get it.