Patpong is an infamous adult entertainment area in the Silom section of Bangkok. It may be best known for its ping pong shows even though they are just the tip of the iceberg. While Patpong has surely seen better days the area continues to house venues ranging from agogos to blowjob bars and everything in between. The truth is that adult venues can be found all over Bangkok and Thailand as a whole. So what makes Patpong special?
Patpong retains its reputation in part for historical reasons. Exploits of the past perhaps with a bit of exaggeration have been recorded for posterity. Famous Hollywood movies like The Deer Hunter used Patpong as a backdrop. Entire books like Patpong Sisters have been based around the area too. There are even Thai songs that mention the area and its attraction to the fucking farang. “Tom, Tom, where you go last night? I love Thailand. I like Patpong” is the refrain. Welcome to Thailand.
The history of Patpong
Not so long ago Patpong was a basic banana plantation with a single wooden house sat next to a canal. Later the area was purchased by Chinese immigrants who still own Soi Patpong 1 and Soi Patpong 2 to this day. They developed the area and added shop houses. It became a sort of “downtown” for Bangkok. The adult entertainment came afterward.
In the late 1960’s Patpong became a frequent stop of soldiers on rest and relaxation releases from the Vietnam War. With that came the rise of go go bars and prostitution. Like Angeles City and Pattaya which have similar histories the place later drew in civilians from around the world. Patpong started to slip in prestige a few decades ago right around the time a night market opened up in the middle of the street. Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy are probably more popular today. But plenty of still people still visit Patpong.
Walking down memory lane
Clearly there is a lot of history to uncover here. So it was no surprise to me when the Patpong Museum opened its doors in late 2019. I was glad to see that the place does not shy away from the somewhat sordid history of the area however. I am now happy to see that the museum is going strong.
Quite a bit of the history of Patpong and other farang-oriented adult entertainment zones in Bangkok has been documented online over the years. But it can be scattered and incomplete. The best digital source for such information including photographic evidence is probably Bangkok Eyes. But as the resilience of paper books has shown seeing things in person is still important. The same applies when it comes to the history of Patpong and its environs. That’s why the Patpong Museum has drawing power.
The Patpong Museum
I am sure that there are people who visit the museum in the way some visit the killing fields. They want to gawk at the terrible behavior of those others. Those who have read this site probably understand that I visit in an attempt to understand just another aspect of human behavior. After all, you and me ain’t nothing but mammals.
The Patpong Museum has it all. You can learn about the role of Tony Poe and the CIA in the area or view modern watercolor paintings of go go dancers by Tawan Wattuya. My favorite section goes through the history of go go bars in Patpong and shows the differences between go go gals of the 1970’s and today. There is even a replica of the first go go bar in Bangkok on premises!
There is a lot to unwrap about Patpong for those who are interested. And there are many ways to really dig in. One is to browse the internet for information. There is plenty of it out there. Another is to strike up a conversation with some of the old hands in the remaining bars from the old days. At least one gal working an upstairs venue has been around for decades. Finally there is the Patpong Museum which is an interesting place that should appeal to a lot of different people.
The Patpong Museum. 5 Patpong Soi 2, Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand 10500. Click here for a map. Open every day from 11:00 AM until 11:00 PM. Phone: +66 091-887-6829. Website: https://www.patpongmuseum.com
I read about this museum over the weekend. The only time I’ve purposefully been to Patpong 1 and 2 was in the 1990s – oldtimers already telling me it had “jumped the shark” after the 1980s. Never knew that those two streets were privately owned!
Can’t wait for things like this to open back up.
Apparently they closed for the corona lockdown. But they got off to a great start beforehand and I am sure people will continue to visit as soon as they are able. Patpong is still home to several active venues too including many reviewed on this site. Star of Light might be the most famous or infamous depending on your perspective. Cheers.
Fortunately or unfortunately when I visited Patpong it was with my GF. I remember we went into the ground floor of what I now know is an agogo. Two strange things: the expressionless girls in bikinis with numbers on them walking circles around a pole, and my Western GF being the only other female in the place.
It took a few days before I put all the pieces together and realized you picked girls out by their numbers. Hawkers on the street kept telling us to go upstairs for the ping pong shows, which repulsed the GF.
At the time I was getting all the action I needed from the GF, but the things we could have done of we had been more adventurous…
Thanks for the walk down memory lane which seems quite fitting for this post. Of course there are still quite a few legitimate venues in the area, including a few that keep up that old school flavor. Or at least there were before the corona havoc. We will see what remains in the future. Cheers.
Many memories from Patpong, from Le Bouchon (I think they might reopen) and from Star of Light right opposite. And from the Go gos- mostly those in soi 2. There was also a small beerbar, but I never knew its name.
Stickman did many articles from The Strip, with great photos. I remember “the both”, very unpractical but an experience for sure, one really felt secluded in there. They also had a fireshow that was fun, and allegelly a lady with a big yellow snake during a brief period of time. If Patpong gets traction in the future, then I hope The Strip will be a part of it.
Patpong was a really wild and adventurous spot at one point. The Strip played a part in that when the booths were in action. They had some surprisingly good looking dancers too. Star of Light of course was a world beyond. Cheers!
Have you ever visited Barbar? And if so, how do you compare it to Desmonia on soi 33 (or Castle in Pattaya – I have never been there though- bad location)?.
I think Barbar was more hardcore than Desmonia, interesting vibe in both bars. I did the usual stuff – hot stearin, ropes, gagged, rubber glows. Stayed in character for a short time but ended up having normal threesomes in both places- much more fun. Quite expensive but good memories in retrospect.
I posted a review of BarBar on this site. I agree about it being a bit expensive and the women going out of character after a certain point. Cheers!
I found your review. Your description is similar to my experience and I was there twice. But on my visits everything happend in private rooms. Except the preview show – which was not that bad, it gave the place a special and attractive vibe.
The reason I returned was that after the “theme-avtivites”- which I had to try- I had good threesomes with really friendly girls and they were happy to have sex in a normal way. I think I payed about 8000-10 000 baht each night, including drinks.
cheers
Thanks for the comment. Cheers.