Interested to see what others are hearing as asking prices at NEP (or anywhere else) these days. Apparently some girls are initially trying for as high as B2500-B3000 for short-time at NEP, and this is apparently not a Thai version of stand-up (lie-down?) comedy.

I heard B2000 for s/t in September, laughed it down to B1200, but with b/f, drinks, tip and taxi fare, it's still reaching B2000. B1200 is still B200 more than it should be.

Curious as to how far they're trying to go. And they wonder why the average visitor only hangs around a few days...

I was at Nana Plaza several days last week and was never quoted that high.

1500 ST ($38 US) / 2000 LT ($48 US) was standard for my personal experience when quoted. Sometimes I don't discuss and they don't bring it up and I just pay them what I think is fair, usually standard.

OK, thanks. A friend of mine had the same experience as myself (me: September; him: November), both times at Rainbow II.

I understand the NEP 'standard fares' of B1500 and B2000 - but it sounded like some girls are playing games with the numbers, hoping a newbie used to paying US$25 for a 3-minute lap dance in the west will say, 'Sure, B3000 sounds like a bargain to me.'

On the other hand, I'm a little concerned that this game is being played at all...I mean asking high for a giggle. Won't be long - mark my words - before it's not a joke any more.

There were reports of B1000 bar-fines for a while about a month ago to make up for early losses at NEP when the crackdown hit...

That sounds about right Jceez. Last time I was there I found what I consider the hottest girl in Thailand. Was good looking had a very nice body, great natual tits (probably the best I've seen Thailand) and a shave pussy. She charged me 1500B for LT. I was very surprised. Only two things wrong with her; she spoke only a little English and she smoked.

I have never paid more than 2000B LT, even for trophies, but YMMV.

Patpong pricing in the King's group late last year was 400 baht bar fine, 1500 st for the girl and 400 baht for st hotel. (Dusit Thani had a no girls policy).

This price was for any girl and mine was a good 9.

i tend to pay 1000 baht for LT, mainly because i frequent the Thermae, Nana Disco, and Beergarten, soi 7, and know the scene well...i tell the gals in Nana what prices are, they know..if you speak a little Thai and hit it off with the gal, money usually isn't discussed....if the gal is really great, i might give 1500, and will tell her that i normally don't....for the most part, i find they respect the fact that i know the prices, and often end up spending multiple nights with me, so they end up earning a good amount anyway...good luck

I was overpaying the girls from Nana, but not because they asked for it. I think maybe one girl mentioned price before going to the hotel. I, on the other hand did bring the subject up a couple times.
The one time I was actually in the mood to bargain, I got two girls from Carnival for 1000 baht each short time - which ended up being about 3 hours. They weren't exactly 9's or 10's, or even 8's, but they were perfectly fuckable (and tiny)and very friendly 7's.
But I paid a lot(ok, maybe not a LOT since I repeated a bunch) more of them 2500-3000 for LT...

drew

I would recommend curbing the impulse to overpay in this way [B2500-B3000 o/n]...it may make for better nights in which you're increasing the girls' take by 50%, but it leaves them with the residual feeling that farang visitors are (a) money pumps, (b) manipulable and (c) happy to pay that kind of tip, which I believe is what led to my initial post starting this thread (which was motivated by a girl asking for B3000 for short-time at Rainbow II; after a little bit of friendly negotiation, including two feigned walk-aways on my part, she left with me for B2000 overnight).

In the long run, overpaying leads to higher expectations...not only on the part of the particular girls you shower your largesse on, but among all the better-looking girls. Word gets around fast. And higher expectations readily morph into 'attitude'.

It's also interesting to note that despite the big smiles that overpaying brings to a girl, inside they have more respect for someone who's got a proper sense of worth - they view your actions as they would those of someone who was being grossly overcharged at a local market and without a word of protest or attempt to haggle down, happily pays the inflated price. As in gullible, or worse, stupid.

(In PI, interestingly, the term 'Nice Guy' is said of someone who will part with major cash for a minor amount of service. By its sarcasm, this appellation is an insult, and becomes doubly funny in situations where your girl introduces you to a friend, calling you a Nice Guy - it's code that her guy's basically a jerk. Of course Mr Nice Guy smiles when he hears himself described this way, nods happily to the apparent compliment, and probably later rewards the girl for her high opinion of him, proving that he really IS a Nice Guy.)

In addition, should the baht rise in value, those higher prices aren't gonna drop, making BKK even harder to deal with. Should the economy take a dramatic upturn and return the baht to its former level, you're looking at US$100-US$125.

In my opinion BKK is getting to the point where it's over-priced as it is. That B3000 would have paid for an all-night triple-header in Phnom Penh...or, if you factor in the requisite extras in BKK - several drinks and bar-fine - a quadruple. You don't catch me hanging around BKK too long.

Furthermore, consider that B3000 is approximately a typical month's rent, and roughly the base salary for a NEP or Patpong girl for an entire month. You can believe her smile is genuine as she stuffs those three greys into her purse. Oh, and B200 for the taxi please, you Mr. Nice Guy, you?

Of course she'll actually be taking the bus or a motorcycle back to her place.

Ha! Just having posted about overpaying, I went and caught up on my ASFO reading - and found this gem in a 'dictionary' of the real meaning behind phrases often used by bar girls:

Bar girl: "You kind man"

Meaning: "You're a stupid fool who pays me too much!"

Other than the times I took Fon for the night from Atami and overtipped her in the morning, none of the girls ever knew how much I'd given them until they left the room and were out of my sight.
One of the girls I'd paid 3000 for long time was also one of the two I paid 1000 for short time a few days later, so I don't think your theory of expectation holds.
Greed doesnt require "training". A greedy whore is a greedy whore, whether anybody has paid them 3000 baht or not - they will always push for as much as possible. Every guy they ever fucked could have paid them 2k at most, and they'd still try for 3k.

drew

Sorry Drew, I'm with Koro on this one. I realize you were there for a shorter period of time so money was less of an issue. It doesn't seem like you overpaid these girls overall but remember all girls in the world sometimes equate generosity for weakness.
Koro is right regarding the rise in prices if they believe some are suckered into paying more. Those prices will stay regardless of fluctuation of the baht. I think it's OK to tip or pay slightly higher for 10's or girls whom cater to your every need but other girls should be paid the going rate (1000 short time and 1,500 to 2,000 long time)...outdoor beer bar girls in Pattaya being cheaper. Paying a great girl 2,500 for long time is not so bad unless she's not drop dead gorgeous.

Drewwho wrote, re my multi-post rant on overpaying:

One of the girls I'd paid 3000 for long time was also one of the two I paid 1000 for short time a few days later, so I don't think your theory of expectation holds.

******

I meant to convey that I was speaking about general, long term effects, not a situation with one particular girl, or, in the case of that particular girl, with customers other than you.

The theory of expectation mainfests itself in practice over months and years, and as I thought I made clear ('Word travels fast') extends not only to the girl who is overpaid, but to every other BG she talks to. And you know what they talk about most!

As for the particular girl who was overpaid, she now knows she's at least occasionally worth B3000, and will be tempted to make that her initial asking price if she sees a well-off-looking guy with 'newbie' written all over his face - and maybe bargain down to a 'mere' B2500. Or when *I* walk in and start negotiations with her, she'll grandly extend me a 'deep discount' of B500, which is still B500 over the normal 'tip for me' of B2000. Add in the bar fine and, well, I can do simple math: I'm out B3000. Just unpacked and settled in, now the coffer's empty and it's time to leave - two weeks early. Just joshing, you'll see me in line at Don Muang for the next day's flight to Phnom Penh, where short time is US$3-US$5. No stretch marks either.

Remember that I wouldn't have brought this issue up as the initial post in this thread if it hadn't happened to me...somebody gave Mint, #55 at Rainbow II, an impression, or perhaps the *cash*, that convinced her she was a B3000 girl, s/t. Or else she simply has a great sense of humor. Two weeks later, though, on my recommendation of her to a friend, she pulled the same stunt. He politely declined any further proceedings with her, figuring her flippant attitude toward money would also be reflected in her performance in bed. (I recommended her on aesthetic grounds - 'Look, a girl right out of BKK pre-1995!' And she was fun to be around.)

On principle I would simply walk, or in my finest Thai, talk a girl with unrealistic expectations down to an agreeable amount - ie the going rate. But the stunners are gonna say, 'By Buddha and the King, if Mint can ask for (and maybe sometimes get!) B3000 for short time, and I'm prettier than her, I think I'll shoot for B3500.'

It's a totally natural reaction, I saw it rip through the King's Group on Patpong in the early 90's, and it's called price spiraling. Drives the resident farangs on fixed incomes mad. Something fuels the spiral, and I suspect it's the occasional overpayment that gives girls the audacity to initially ask for big money. I worry about the day - not tomorrow, maybe not this year - that the semi-serious initial offer becomes the final post-negotiation price.

This especially causes me grief due to the imminent squeeze-down of the scenes in Bangkok, which, as of this writing, would put NEP out of commission - we *are* following what Thaksin and Purachai are up to in BKK aren't we? Lower supply will also encourage higher prices. My bet is that they'll start at the half-humoured asking price of today.

(Mark your calendars - BKK's night scene is slated to be revamped by this summer, with a small and tightly controlled number of entertainment zones, a couple of them currently Thai only, and reputedly dead. The number changes by the week; Patpong's always in the 'keep alive' group, others slide in and out of the closure list. The number of proposed zones varies between 4 and 7.)

And I'm not too sure about greed being an inherent quality. Separating customers from their cash is the name of the game most of the time (I allow for exceptions here, I've been part of one), and you have to remember that many of these girls came from rural areas where B50 or B100 was a significant amount of money. So some of this greed factor is learned, leading one to ask, 'Who are the teachers?' Well, I think it's us. Too many purples and greys flying around.

Other than that, do, Drew, what thou wilt. I'm just issuing an early warning. I personally won't play that game so others don't burned by it. "Up to you," as they say.

Well guys you'll be happy to know that when I told my ex-pat Brit buddies who live in BKK how much I was giving the girls for LT, they reamed me up and down, saying that 1000 baht short time and 1500 baht long time was as much as I should ever pay. They went on to say that 500 baht short time should also be doable most of the time, and it didn't matter if the girl was from a gogo, beer bar, freelancer joint or Soi 33 - only the barfine should vary.
I thanked them for their advice and knocked 500 baht off what I was giving them. That also led to the 1000 baht short time sessions. I did backslide a time or two again though - sorry, but I couldn't help it. When I stop to think how much more important that extra 500 or 1000 baht is to them than to me... well I just can't help myself sometimes. I won't tell you that I'm really very sorry about that either.
I'll be returning to the LOS late March/early April, but you'll be happy to hear that I'll be spending the entire time with the VGF (virgin girl friend) - who I never gave a baht to and still havent recieved a "sick water buffalo" email from after daily emails for over two weeks. So I won't be contributing to bar girl inflation this time!
PS - when I was there I also heard that Cotton Mather may be on his way out soon and that many businesmen weren't too happy with the effect of his morality crusade. Wishful thinking?

drew

Drew,

I think you should spend your money as you damn well see fit.
It's all about supply and demand anyway. So Drew pays 3000 and leaves some girl thinking that she is a 3000baht lay. A couple of weeks later when that money is gone and nobody is buying she is going to figure it out or go back to the farm. No long term damage done to the eco-structure.
If you guys want to manipulate the markets do some thing about the Nasdaq ... I've lost enough from the beginning of the year to go long long time in LoS.

Mcdijj:

Drew mentioned short- and long-time figures which Brit ex-pat friends of his proposed (the 'reaming' in Drew's post). They've seen the spiraling to almost double what a girl's take was 10 years ago. So when you say 'no long-term damage to the eco-structure' I don't quite buy it. And it wasn't devaluation of the baht that did it, either. I saw Patpong reach beyond the Brits' suggestions at Crown Group clubs in Patpong in the early-to-mid nineties, then it spread to Nana - and went up from there.

If your NASDAQ stocks doubled you'd notice! Well, I noticed the doubling in BKK. Since the BG's are local resources paying for most things at local rates (except for the mandatory TV and stereo equipment), it's only coincidental that girl prices have doubled around the time the Baht devalued by half. Something else was/is going on.

One could have applied your supply/demand argument back in 1995, and predicted 'no spiral'...trouble is, that's not what history did.

It's worth remembering, too, that up-country brothels are steady at about B300, as they were 10 years ago. That's partially because the Thais don't overpay. In Chinatown, s/t was B600 last year, up a whole B100 from 1992 - that's B10 per year. So what's happened at NEP and other farang watering holes? It's not the clubs, they don't see any of the tip money.

I don't mean to jam this stuff down anybody's throat, but I think it's important to air the repercussions of overpaying. My initial post was based on the curious fact that the initial asking price I was given at NEP last September was 50% higher than the going rate, and I was wondering if a trend was developing. It appears there isn't, and that what I and my friend saw was a single-girl exception.

And *of course* Drew can do whatever he wishes, I'm not his accountant, and I certainly understand the temptations that exist - that's why I ended my last post to him with "Up to you" - that's BG-speak for 'pay what you want.'

Sawatdi, na?

i've received all kinds of shit from my buddies on the overpaying issue in phuket. the typical comment is "dude, you are ruining it for everyone". in fact, i even caught shit for overpaying my caddie at phuket country club !!!! I tipped something like 300B and it should have been 150B or so (that was back in the 25 to 1 rate so we were talking $6US).

i think it has alot to do with your own personality - which is probably obvious. i don't really enjoy the negotiation piece of the deal with the chicks while some of my buddies seem to enjoy that piece more than the sex itself. if they spend 30 minutes negotiating and save $10 to $20US, it is grand day for them. Not so for me.

half the time i'm so fucked up i can't even think straight. i might actually end up worse off after beginning a negotiation !!! so i've just gone with a "unit" as a general outline, w/ 2000B being one unit. I can play 18 holes for 2000B, i can get a chick for 2000B, i can eat/drink all day for 2000B, i can get nice bath/massage/fs for 2000B, and i can get a hotel for the night for 2000B. So, that makes 10,000B for a full day in Patong Beach, Phuket (doesn't work in BKK, much cheaper there). breakfast, 18 holes, lunch at the course, massage/bath at christin's, dinner, then hit the go-go bars for your overnight gal (with drinks going down throughout the day).

the pricing doesn't seem to have changed all that much since the exchange rate was 25 to 1. I feel like everything is half price ($400 a day down to $225 a day) and my buddies still tell me I am overpaying (by about 500B for the chicks).

I can't speak to BKK (haven't been there enough) but i don't care about shaving down the price in Phuket. Prices don't seem to have changed all that much and i don't care whether the gal thinks i'm a nice guy or a fool. all i care about is a generally hassle free, good session that doesn't leave me tied to one chick (tears just kill me).

not a flame war here just an opinion from a guy that gets grueled hard in phuket.

This is a great thread!

I don't think you'll make a lot of inroads into the opinions of those actively debating the topic, but I think this discussion definitely affects the hundreds or thousands or whatever the number is of people who silently visit and follow this discussion.

Koro, you bring up some great points. My opinion has typically been similar to Buick's above, but I do find myself moving in your direction.

There was only one occasion I can recall during my November trip where I was quoted a price beforehand. For the most part I just handed the ladies what I thought they were worth at the end of the night/session. This was usually somewhere between 1200 and 2000 baht and I never had any arguments or problems with what I gave them.

The only problem I can remember running into was Trip at Super Girl in Pattaya and I should have known better.

Asking prices I experienced in January of 2002:

Hat Yai
500B - 1000B ST
1500B- 2500B LT

Phuket
1000B - 1500B ST
1000B - 4000B LT

Hippie:

Thanks for the info - just out of curiosity, were you able to bargain down from these figures? That's kind of what I'm interested in, ultimately - the disparity between asking and actual prices.

(I only bargain down to what I know are the general going rates. But damn, I hope for your sake that that Phuket l/t at B4K was bargained down!)

Thanks.

P.S. to Xenono: it's pretty interesting that you weren't hit up with costs beforehand. Basically everywhere in the major entertainment zones in BKK except Soi Cowboy, including Chinatown, the girls I met brought up pricing pretty early in the discussion. Just as well, I prefer clarity in advance to early morning verbal fisticuffs like 'Why you give two? Me two-five. Me no same all Nana girl! Two-five!!!!) At that hour of the day, she automatically wins...and then runs off to tell all her girlfriends. So what started out as her being a two-five girl marks me among all her co-workers as a two-five man.

P.P.S to Buick: I'm not a whip-master, you can pay B10K to your girls if you want, all you'll get from me is a shrug that means, 'Well, OK, I hope you got B10K's worth of girl for your money.' I'm merely curious, as I said in my initial post starting this thread, as to whether the girls are learning a new game of asking high...happened to me at NEP, and of course they have nothing to lose by doing so. And maybe a lot to gain.

P.P.P.S. In any case, BKK can spiral as high as it likes since I'm typically only on layover on my way to Phnom Penh anyway. Prices there, incidentally, have remained the same since 1994, except to go down on occasion, usually due to civil unrest and fewer customers. There *is* no asking price, everything's always well known in advance, except for extremely exceptional girls, those in the 25-30 kg range.

And D'Artagnan, you're right, firmly held opinions won't change. Prices do, though, typically on a monotonically increasing curve.

Never mention money to women. Most of them really don't ask for money.
They just want to be held. Just kidding. I think I read that in Dear Abby. Usually
the amount you are handing over is two, three or five times what a job working at the mall pays per day.
A thousand is plenty for long-time. Get to know most women and it's free after a while.

koro, i don't believe my post mentioned paying 10,000B for a gal. that is my 24 hour total budget which takes me from 7:00 a.m. one day to 7:00 a.m the next day and covers several items (two chicks, golf, hotel, and food/drink).

hippie - where did you get quoted 4,000B when you were in phuket ? that sounds high and i'd like to be prepared for my Oct 2002 trip. my last trip was Feb 2001. i'm guessing it was at rock hard a go go.

Sadly, the bottom line is that the level of service that you receive is rarely in direct relationship to the amount of $$ you pay to the gals.

Buick: Gotcha. What I meant was "Even if you were to pay B10K for a girl, all you'd get from me is a shrug..." Remedial English time for me I guess -I should have been using the subjunctive.

I understood your B2000-for-this, B2000-for-that system perfectly well. I just pulled B10K from my hat, I meant a large arbitrary figure - unfortunate that it coincided exactly with your daily budget, leading to further confusion. Interestingly, some cultures use the figure 10,000 to mean 'infinity'.

And I certainly agree with your final remark - that performance is often in inverse proportion to the amount of money you've spent. I've been surprised at how many times this has been the case. Might mean that a girl is new to the game and/or hasn't been hardened and/or has taken to you. Lots of stories on ASFO re a new girl being quite bewildered at what to ask for at the end of a night. Often from Soi Cowboy, by the way, or Buckskin Joe's, where newer girls often start out.

And Doug's right that a girl will often go full-time fairly quickly for a pittance - food, rent, some entertainment, and of course a new teddy bear every week. That's what's great about Thailand - it can happen. You know you've got a keeper when that happens, if you want her - but you won't be butterflying as much, or as easily...

Patpong, Queen's I, actual transaction:
Bar fine 400 baht
ST for girl 800 baht, negotiated prior to paying barfine.
ST room 400 baht.
She came back for more the next night.

694me:

You did well, and you're on to a key tactic for reducing expenses - getting the girls to the point where they'll show up at your door after work - no bar fine - or if they're in a quasi-freelance situation, as exists at the skull bars like Star of Love and Lady Night (have to dig for diamonds in those places though), they just stop working, with no financial penalty for doing so, and go have a romp with you. You'll sometimes find that weekend nights they do get penalized...depends on the venue.

On the other hand, in normal go-go's, there's that frickin bar-fine, which you'll have to pay for her to bug out early.

Thanks for the info. Interesting that the bar fines in Patpong are lower than at NEP, and lower still at Soi Cowboy. It's price-fixing at its worst, but probably based on supply and demand, therefore subject to change. May become a moot point when the closures and zoning rules hit, courtesy of Thaksin and Purachai.

Koro,
Does that mean I get 5-600 baht credit for all my repeat girls that I used the "Thai Booty Call" on at 2am when I found myself without company?
I didn't feel safe unless I had at least 3 or 4 cell numbers handy!
So that brings my 3000 baht long time down to 2400 baht! Damn! I didn't know I was being so thrifty!
How much credit do I get for the "V" who spent about 7 nights with me for 0 baht and even took days off work?
Funny how that karma thing works...

drew

Looks like Patpong and NEP will be approved zones.
I think you should pay the bar fine since the girls do get paid by the bar and this keeps her in good standing.

like anywhere, it seems to vary with the gal and the particular guy and their chemistry...yeah, it is a business, but i feel that in Thailand it can be a lot more....if you speak a bit of Thai, and are decent enough to the ladies, my feeling is that a lot of doors are opened...some gals who are a bit wary of whom they go with are far more comfortable with you, not to mention that they know you know the ropes when it comes to money...they know you will give something, and if they feel they have a good time, then it doesn't matter too much...then again, there are the gals who only see dollar signs, and expect big cash, especially as they know they can get it, regardless of the guy.......chok dee

>>Never mention money to women. Most of them really don't ask for money.>>

I haven't met any of those women yet, in paradise or in the western world.

Drewwho: my accountant says you've got those credits coming to you, but they'll have to come through Thai banks, or else under the table, by the girls themselves. Might be a job to crowbar the baht out of them. Good luck!

694me: the news - which I pick up from the ASFO mailing list - is that determination of the venues is still not final, and that in many proposed zoning lists (typically the shorter ones, of course), NEP is not included. As I mentioned, Patpong is always in there. So is Suthisarn Rd.

But everything changes...and actually the latest news was from about two or three weeks ago (NEP was out) - but another poster later said he'd talked to a resto owner who was about to invest in one of the NEP bars, indicating an underlying feeling among the locals that NEP *will* make the final cut. Problem is that a lot, if not most, of the NEP bars are foreign-owned, and Thaksin's "Thai Rak Thai" platform is overtly anti-farang. Probably the bribery negotiations are underway right now...it's not over yet. But to repeat: many of the proposed lists of approved entertainment areas have excluded NEP, strange as it may seem, unless you remember that "Thai rak Thai" means "Thai mai rak farang".

As for paying the bar fine, I would leave that up to the girls to decide. Many venues have monthly bar-fine quotas which if not met result in deductions in the girls' monthly pay. The quotas vary by venue. If a girl's met her monthly quota, she's free to do what she wants without penalty for the rest of the month regarding BF's (she may still have to dance/juice customers, but we're talking about after hours). As far as I know, any BF overages in one month don't carry over to the next as 'bar-fines in the bank'.

Oldian: well stated. Speaking Thai allows you access to the newbies, the non-hardened girls. 'Hardening' is easily identified by: a fair command of English, ostentatious display of jewelry and cell phones, a wicked game of billiards, and maybe a high initial asking price. Add a bit of charm to your conversation, and they'll have you pegged as a possible low-payer...they'll want to make sure they're getting their time's worth, which I can hardly fault them for.

Indyla: as one of my posts in this thread pointed out, that's what I see as well: girls talk money up front. I speak only in Thai when I'm in BKK, so I presume the girls figure I know the score a little too well, ie, games aren't gonna work, so they want to confirm that their take will be adequate - ie, that I'm not one of Drewwho's Brit friends who's gonna say after proceedings are done, 'Take the B1500 for long time, or take a walk.'

Koro, I paid 600B and 1000B for short time in Hat Yai. The 1000B was because I thought the girl was going to spend the night, I had nothing smaller, and I did not feel like getting dressed and going downstairs for change at 3:00 AM to save 400 or 500 baht.

In Phuket I paid 800B and 1000B for ST. I am quite certain that the one who got 800 would have been happy with 500, from the way she reacted. We had not bargained first. The 1000B girl actually tried to hit me up for another 500B for a "barfine" after we had finished. She was the only real bitch I encountered. I paid 1000B for LT to the first 3 girls I was with. Only one asked ahead of time. Of the other two, the cuter one seemed a little disappointed that it was not more, or she may have only been disappointed that I did not want to spend the day with her. I am not sure which it was. The 4000B girl I bargained down to...


4000B. Oh, plus a 600B barfine.
There were various reasons why I paid it, and I will discuss her in detail when I get to my last day in Phuket in my trip report. I met two other girls who asked 3000B for LT. One of them would have come down to 2000B, I am sure, and maybe even lower. The other one seemed uninterested in bargaining, and to the best of my knowledge was hooked up with a guy every night, so I understand why. These two - the true 3000B girl and the 4000B girl, were both absolute stunners who spoke fluent English and knew the game.

its the season, so lets get real about prices
is this right?
NEP
barfine 500
1500 st
2000 lt
soi cowbaoy
barfine 400
1500 st
2000 lt
Patpong
barfine 600
2000 st
4000 lt
I got this from stick, seems high to me
Nana disco
barfine 0
1000 st
1500 lt
Lets have prices clear now that it is tourist season

Rickinbank.

It's a fair guide, as is most everything else Stick reports. Apparently Stick doesn't monger much any more so most of his info is now second and third hand.

Please note that while you do not pay a bar fine at Angel's there is a small admissions fee.

Typically NEP does not have a standardised bar fine. Usually runs 400-600 depending on the bar. I've run into an exception from this a couple of times. Last march during "SongKrang" and again 2 weeks ago on "LoiKathrong" Nana had a Universal 1000baht bar fine. (didn't pay it)

Things change faster than the direction of the wind. I've enjoyed some lower short time when it was late in the evening and it was apparent to the lady that it was my 1000baht or nothing for the night. However, I'm FAR more concerened with the quality of the encounter these days than I am with saving $5-$10. (the ultimate "cheap date" is my fist...free) People only get heated up about prices on this board when some fool is posting that he paid 5000baht at Soi Cowboy or some such rot. Be wise, be wary, be informed. Get rid of your Dollars and think Baht. But, most of all think fun!

McDIJJ

RickinBKK:

The price list looks good except for Patpong. The B600 bar fine may be in effect in some places, but certainly isn't universal. I didn't pay that this year, even at the Crown Group (King this, Queen that), and at Queen's Castle II I paid B400 after a couple visits. Note too that if you take more than 1 girl you may get a quantity discount - ask for it if it's not offered.

I've heard of a push at some places in NEP to go B600 as well, but never heard of anybody actually paying it, ie the mamasans have backed down when the customer objected. And I think you'll find B500 bar fines here and there at the more popular places at Soi Cowboy.

I've never paid B2000 for s/t or or B4000 for l/t in Patpong, including at the Crown Group. These numbers are "Let's see if this guy's stupid" asking prices. Tips for Patpong girls should be the same as everywhere else unless you're getting ripped...but to avoid misunderstanding later at the hotel(and wasted bar fines), clarify the money issue before you whisk a girl out the door.

Aside: if a girl tries to pull a fast one on you, like agreeing to overnight at B2000 and then suddenly needing to leave before the night's over...effectively giving you s/t service...don't be afraid to pro-rate the tip, to B1500 if it's just a short-time, B1750 if she stays a few hours.

So: Plus or minus B100, the bar fines look right, and the standard B1500 / B2000 prices are accurate, but should not be exceeded, Patpong no exception. I've seen b/f's go up a bit on Dec 24th and Dec 31st by a couple hundred baht at NEP; maybe they'll try to pull the B1000 rip now that a precedent has been set.

Basically you should be paying roughly the same in all three areas. Slightly lower bar fines and tips at Soi Cowboy if you're lucky, slightly higher if you go for the better looking girls at NEP (hence the name of this thread, which I started), some price differences at Patpong which vary between those at SC and NEP.

The only time I've found old-time prices recently is in what I think is called the Asoke Complex right next door to Soi Cowboy (toward Sukhumvit)...snagged a B300 bar fine there in May and paid an appreciative girl new to the scene B1500 for overnight...twice. Find a place that's slow, make the girl and the mamasan laugh, have a good time with them, and see if it doesn't get you a significant discount. Speaking Thai helps of course.

This area is less well established and at least in May was almost devoid of customers, hence the bargains. You can also sometimes get these kinds of prices at the skull bars in Patpong (Star of Light, etc.) as it approaches closing time, if you can stomach the 'talent'.

You can also play games at that hour in all areas whereby a girl arranges to meet you after closing time (read: no bar fine), but it's possible that the one you want may not be willing since she'd catch hell if management found out, or if she's got a boyfriend to run home to after work.

In the Golden Era (mid-90's) the Crown Group had a well-publicized 'customer appreciation night' near xmas when they dropped the bar fine to B35. No, that's not a typo. It was around December 23rd, so listen for it...Trink would announce it if it were on.

Those were the days when you could also snag a nifty credit card-sized calendar for the coming year with all the CG girls pictured in a group shot on one side...almost 100 girls! Made a great conversation piece back in the SFZ, especially with feminist-oriented co-workers. The CG club barkers would hand them out to regular patrons, they'd have a fist-full in their hands, and you could just ask for one even if just passing by. I always "lay over" in BKK near xmas, but haven't spent a xmas proper there since 1994, and with the CG hurting these days, I've no idea if these vestiges of better times still exist.

As far as I know, there's generally very little price variation between high and low season... your best bet for saving baht is on hounding out drink specials and only buying for girls you're actually interested in taking out...and for the mamasan if it's a club you like a lot.

Koro and others, thanks, great thread, forgive the rambling but it’s late.
I’m a quality not quantity or bargain guy myself.
But the first thing to know in any transaction is standard price.
Is the cover at Angels new? I was never charged anything there before
What's up with that 1000 bht bar fine at NEP?
It’s very helpful to know prices are more standardized among go- go bars. Is the scene as overheated as I felt it was last year at that time? There was a 2 A.M. closing then but there was a lot of action and a lot of nudity. You had to pick your girl by 9 P.M. if you wanted top shelf stuff. Are the Nana Disco (angels club) prices about right?
Also what bars look good to you guys about now? I wont be in Bangkok till January and I want to make my time count when I’m there.

RickinBKK:

I'll answer what I can in this post, then add a list of no-hassle bars to the thread Advice/Questions/Commentary > Bar Recommendations.

McDijj noted that the B1000 barfine was atypical, he saw it only during major Thai holidays...I made mention of Christmas and New Year's eve as other times I've seen the barfines go up. I personally haven't seen a B1000 bar fine, but I don't hang around BKK a lot any more. I'd walk on principle.

My xmas eve surcharge was B100 five years ago, for a total of B600, which didn't hurt. If they're charging B1000 for the full duration of Songkran then I'd take my business elsewhere... that's approaching grand larceny.

I don't know where you were last year, exactly, but I've never been a big fan of NEP because the guy to girl ratio isn't great, meaning the lookers don't last long. I'd roll out of my hotel near Patpong at 8:30, reach Nana a half hour later (pre-Sky Train days) and the place would be a study in leftovers. Patpong and Soi Cowboy aren't drained anywhere near as quickly.

In September places were closing at 2:00, but there's been a lot of fluctuation over the last year and a half. Other mongers would have more recent info.

Check out the list of "approved" bars I'm posting in 'Bar Recommendations' (it's getting a bit off-topic for this thread). Under Topics > Asia > Thailand > Bangkok > Bars, Clubs & Complexes there's detailed info on specific venues.

I get my latest from the newsletter put out from www.ASFO.com (you have to dig....get the digest format) - and there are plenty of other resources around that have current bar news.

January's the right time, as any is!...I hope to be on my way to Cambo around that time myself.

Any night action around Nakhorn Wat?
What's good in Cambo?

Rickinbankok:

(I personally don't know anything about Nakhorn Wat.)

Re Cambodia:

VN girls is what's good.

I keep an apartment in Phnom Penh, and have posted a fair bit of (increasingly out-of-date) news in the Topics > Destinations > Asia > Cambodia area in the past.

There's been a seriously bad downturn in the public venues in PNH over the last year. I'll be updating threads in that section when I learn more about the current situation. My room-mate usually keeps me up to date, but he's been busy for the last month, I've just been getting scraps lately when he has time. A lot of busts, customer shakedowns and closures over the last three months.

So the scene you descibe in cambo is going away?

I'm quite surprised that so many of you guys talk about quoted prices. In the past two years, I've only had a couple (stunners) give me a price. The ones that bring up Baht are not for me. I've found that smiling, being sweat-free (not easy in BKK) and offering to stop with my go-go girl at one of her friends bars in Nana prior to going back to my hotel makes them feel like their on a date. They love to show you off to their friends. When giving money to them when they leave that night or the next day, they often never even check to see how much I've given (although I generally give 1500 ST and 2000LT), all I get is a huge smile and wai.

Only the girls I've picked up from Angels Disco in Nana Hotel have ever asked how much I'd pay. I think the word "guess" is something that Thais can't translate. It usually is a bunch of fun when you teach them the meaning. Also, try to get them to understand that you're actually going to charge them for the night. I had one girl laugh so hard that she said "I like you too much, I want no money, you just take me."

I'm quite surprised that so many of you guys talk about quoted prices. In the past two years, I've only had a couple (stunners) give me a price. The ones that bring up Baht are not for me. I've found that smiling, being sweat-free (not easy in BKK) and offering to stop with my go-go girl at one of her friends bars in Nana prior to going back to my hotel makes them feel like they're on a date. They love to show you off to their friends. When giving money to them when they leave that night or the next day, they often never even check to see how much I've given (although I generally give 1500 ST and 2000LT), all I get is a huge smile and wai.

Only the girls I've picked up from Angels Disco in Nana Hotel have ever asked how much I'd pay. I think the word "guess" is something that Thais can't translate. It usually is a bunch of fun when you teach them the meaning. Also, try to get them to understand that you're actually going to charge them for the night. I had one girl laugh so hard that she said "I like you too much, I want no money, you just take me."

I agree charm is the way to go. I like the idea of visiting a friend on the way home.