(originally posted on Redsnake by Balam on 7/30/2000)

I posted this report 2 days ago under "trip reports" but I'd like to post it again, here, in order to start a conversation on Panama. It's a good place and I wish it were better represented on this board!

Here goes:

I had the good forture to be in Panama City in early July. I made an effort beforehand to gather the (scanty) info I could from WSG, here, and the neferious WSA (no I didn't pay for it).

According to reports, the options in Panama City are strip joints, classic brothels, and massage parlors. Even the Lonely Planet guide, written by a Los Angeles journalist with a really candy assed attitude toward our Avocation, acknowledges and lists items from the former two categories (but misses the last).

Strip joints are widely reported to have wonderful women but to be a rip off. I didn't even venture near.

The brothels that are commonly mentioned tend to be in seedy areas (near Casco Viejo) where you have to 'watch your back.' Didn't venture there either; and in fact didn't find it easy to locate the well-known places even by day--they MAY be a thing of the past but I won't claim to be an authority.

What I ended up exploring at first hand was the massage parlors.

Prior reports indicate a place called "River City' that is on the East side of Via Argentina just where it plugs into Via España (in a courtyard mall behind the Blockbuster Video on Via E.). My finding was that there are two places, not one, located there, one above the other; both times I checked, the upper one was open but not the lower one. The chicas were kinda chunky both times so I didn't ever spring.

Another place, called Club Miami, I went to with a cabbie my first night. I'm not sure where it was but the phone book says it's at Calle 17 norte y Via Rdo. J. Alfaro. I remember being underwhelmed and passing on the place.

Next after that my first night, the cabbie took me to Golden Times, in the huge and garishly lit Plaza Mirage Shopping Center on Tumbra Muerta in El Dorado. Supposedly this plaza is Japanese owned, or so said the cabbie. It was hyped as having great girls, esp. Colombianas, and the deal there is that you pay everything up front, about $80. It seemed clean and well run, but the girls looked kind of jaded. Also--you may believe me but no one in Panama seemed to--I'm not sure I really *like* the blond Colombiana look all that much--to me it's those afro-mestizo-everythingeña Panama chicas that tug on my heart-and-otherwise strings. So I passed that place up too.

I ended up patronizing two places that I'm virtually certain are owned by the same management--one was the Hawaii Center on Justo Arosemana, just west of the Hotel Roma. The other was the Carribean Center, in El Dorado, across from the "Do-It Center" (think "Home Depot"). The drill is this--you pay $20 to the receptionist, and then you pay the chica for services. The going rate seems to be $40/half hour. THe nice thing is that you can specify if you want a
masaje con sexo, o solamente sexo. Naturalamente, mi preferido estaba sexo.

I had four encounters. On my first one, at Hawaii, I made the mistake of asking for an hour and paying the chica double ($80). In fact, as I learned later, business is chronically slow and the chicas are really sweet--a half hour gets you simply a NICE TIME, with no serious clock watching (I was trained by the horrendously meticulous clockwatchers in the Netherlands, so forgive me my presumption). AND, at Hawaii, the airconditioning isn't very efficient, so my god, we were literally drenched in our sweat. I find that very very sexy but it's hard for me to keep it up for more than 20 minutes in such heat, so it did kind of dampen my experience in the long run even though the woman I was with (Yani) was wonderful. The shower facilities were good though.

My other encounters--3 of them--were at the Carribean Center. They too were good encouters. The chicas were Panameñas, really pretty, really nice, and willing to let themselves get off on our experiences together. But the CC had excellent air conditioning, plus good shower facilities. I liked the atmosphere. And I really appreciated the chicas' openness to just hanging out and talking afterwards (ya gotta know some spanish though, I encountered no english
speakers).

My one regret was this, and I admit your mileage may vary. There was some talk in the stuff I read about places where you could basically pick up local girls interested in spending some time with a foreigner and where you might be asked to pay some 'cabfare' or 'help with the rent' at the end, if at all. In other words, an encounter just on the borderline between a one-night stand and a paid-provider encounter. For instance, it was said that you might go to happy hour at the Hotel Panama, or the Hotel Cesar Park Casino, or to restaurants like La Cascada on Balboa, or Las Costillitas on Via Argentina. I went to the Hotel Panama and Las Costillitas but it didn't seem to me really like that was going on. At least not compared to the situation, e.g., in San Jose, CR, at the Hotel Del Rey. I also wanted to check out dance places, especially salsa places (I'm into that) but, despite the ubiquity of salsa *music* on every cab radio, didn't find places where people actually danced to salsa (lots of merengue though, and a merengue like dance to "tipica" panamanian music). The one place I found was Capo's, in El Dorado, in fact right across the street from the Carribean Center. Nice place, nice crowd, but again, maybe it was my shyness but I didn't find it quite what I was looking for.

The prior written stuff also mentioned a video bar as a big pick-up place, called "My Place", on Via Espana near the Hotel Panama (or according to the phone book, on Calle 55, just off Via Esp.). I never found it.

I also imagine that things in Panama have changed quite in the domains releant to us since the US withdrawal. Not nearly as many Yankees looking for action. This may account for the slow business at the massage places.

Overall, I give Panama high marks. I mean, the people are so NICE, and the chicas I encountered were lovely in every way.

I was in Panama City a few days before Easter. Known as semana santa. Learn from my mistake, do not vacation in Latin America during this period. I was well-acquainted with the city from my visits there in the mid-1980s. To state my impression in one sentence, the city was nowhere as good as it used to be. The three classiest nightclubs (two Josephine clubs and Le Palace) had a lot of chicas, but they and the drinks were expensive. Other clubs had only a handful of chicas, probably Dominicanas. The city has three casas and the two I visited had about ten well-used chicas in each. Also, the streets were dangerous. I was almost attacked by two young guys near Central Ave about 9pm, until I faked pulling a blade out of my pocket. Around Via Espana near the Panama Hotel, cab drivers kept following me in their car around as I walked from a nightclub to another nightclub and trying to get me to go with them to a fabulous nightclub where I could get a massage. They look too money hungry and like they could be muggers. So, semana santa was a bad time to visit and to compare with my previous visits.

Based on my Easter visit, I would caution non-black guys against vacationing in Panama City. You have to be an adventurous, dangerous-looking guy to survive and to have fun there, in my overly cautious opinion.

Oops, I meant to say Easter 2000 in my above post. I believe that was in April.

I just got back from a quick business trip to Panama and want to make a couple of corrections to RedSnakes post. The strip shopping mall is called Plaze Mirage and the massage place is called "Good Time".

I actually tried it out and found it to be quite pleasant. Went in and over 50 Chicas sitting around. Too many to view at once so the manager took me into another room with towel covered recliners and brought the girls in one at a time. They did a little pose, turned around a couple of times and exited. They all had numbers so you could remember which was which. I narrowed my selection down to three and he brought all three back in for a second showing. I invited them to sit down and we chatted for a few minutes. They were all three in the 8-9 category so I was "filtering" based on attitude, smile and eagerness. I finally chose a 20 yr old Colombian beauty, model figure with great hooters. We went upstairs to a very clean and pleasant room. It actually had a regular massage mattress with a place for your face to fit into. She stripped down to bra only and gave a very good quality massage. When ready to get down to business, she was neither shy, modest or unwilling. Supposed to be for an hour and at 1:15 the phone rang. We took a quick shower (it was very clean) got dressed and out I went; but, not before getting her number and making a date for the next day.

Next day, she arrived at my hotel lobby at 11:00 AM and we spent a very enjoyable afternoon (till 6:30) of making love, bathing, massaging each other, watching TV and sleeping.

I agree about the place on Avenida Argentina (between BlockBuster and El Trapiche restaurant (great place by the way for local Panamanian fare). Upstairs, called Aquarius and downstairs (not sure of name) both a little seedy, not many chicas and most in the 3-4 range. Although, I did manage to find a nice Colombian 7 there one night.

I have been to Panama about 25 times in the past 5 years and have rarely felt uncomfortable. Stay in the lighted areas, take taxi's (they are cheap $1.50-$2.00 most anywhere). Along the Calle between El Panama Hotel and Hotel Continental, there's always a bevy of non-pros walking around at night. Just catch their eye and start talking. Check their ID's though cause there are some underage ones around.

Even though many Panamanians speak some English (required in school) many don't so a little Spanish helps out immensely.

I normally stay at El Panama or the Hotel continental. Prices range from $55 at El Panama to $75 at Continental (but includes breakfast)
At El panama the bellemn and security eyeball you a little when you bring in a Chica but won't stop you. At Continental, no comments or anything (no extra charge either) The ones at Continental know me so well, when they saw my little Colombian find they all gave me thumbs up! I always escort the girls out because one time one of them told me they had to give the security guard a commission. My excorting them to their taxi eliminates that little rip off.

At Tocumen Airport, be prepared for a very thorough search of your baggage (implemented since Sept. 11th). I wouldn't carry anything you don't want 100 or so other people to see. No knives, scissors or lighters allowed. One guy got mad because they were confiscating his $200 solid gold lighter. One of the pilots offered to keep it for him in the cockpit and return it to him in Miami.

Panama is on the US dollar and their currency (the Balboa) is tied to same. Certainly more expensive than Colombia and can be less than CR but if you happen to find yourself in Cuidad Panama, don't miss out on the mongering fun.

I also agree with RedSnake. The Josephine strip joints are very expensive. I believe there are three. Josephines, Josephines Gold, and Josephines Elite. Elite is the best (IMHO) but watch the lady drinks. You can run up a $200 bar tab before you know it and don't have anything more than a few feels for your money. The girls are pretty, mostly Colombianas and DR's with a few from Ecuador and a few locals. But they can be damed expensive for a night as well.

Enjoy a quick visit to the Canal at Mira Flores while you are there. Good presentation on how the canal was built etc. The remains of the old fort where Morgan the Pirate used to hide is pretty interesting to see as well, but not much of it left. If you are ever lucky enough to be there in January when they have some annual festival/carnival and parade, get ready for an experience. It is held on Avenida Balboa along the waterfront. Streets are blocked off and all kinds of little stalls (mstly selling beer) pop up. (Watch your pockets). It has to be one of the best street parties in the world. When everyone starts getting drunk enough the show begins. Girls flashing, lots of groping (even with gringos). One girl got up on a wall, took off her panties and began doing some kind of latin dancing (her skirt was to say the least, very, very short and nothing was left to the imagination). I actually wound up with two in my room that night. They were pretty drunk but I was the closest bathroom and shower they could find (two blocks away). Wound up staying all night and no charge. Left the next morning after an early morning eye opener and never saw them again. One 19, one 21. Both Panamanians. What fun!

enjoy Panama

"non-black, adventurous, dangerous-looking" guy! that would be me... the places i had more fun in all the time spent in panama, were definatly in hot areas with the local folks... i used to be a well-known figure at acropole, i was the only white guy in the place and never even got close to have problems...