Introduction - There
is no denying that the go-go bars, girly bars and sex shows are a very visible
part of the nightlife scene in Patong and to a lesser extent Karon and Kata.
In this section we will not attempt to judge the sex industry or the people
involved. It is a complicated issue so we only try to describe it to give
you an understanding of what is going on.
Some people find the girly bars distasteful. For others it is all part of
the colour and vibrancy of the nightlife scene, while for some it is the
main reason for coming to Phuket. The sex tourism sector in Phuket is nowhere
near the scale of that found in Bangkok or Pattaya but it is still an attraction
for a large number of visitors.
You do not need to be an active participant to go to the go-go bars. Couples,
families and tour groups mingle with the sex tourists wandering around the
bars. For many visitors to Thailand, a visit to a go-go bar or sex show is
on their must do list. If you are not offended then it is a great place to
drink and people-watch. Everyone is welcome in the bars. If you go as a couple
or make it clear that you do not want the attention of the girls then they
will leave you alone (eventually). However if you want to talk to the girls
in the beer bars they will be happy to have a chat or play bar games such
as connect-four or dice games. If you want to reward them for their time,
then buy them a drink or give a tip.
Background - Prostitution was made illegal in Thailand in 1960. However, the Thai government
was never keen to criminalise a profession that has flourished in the country
for centuries and they only did so under political pressure from the UN
and US at the time. The 1960 legislation was replaced in 1996 by a new piece
of legislation called "The Prevention
and Suppression of Prostitution Act". This legislation has a vaguer
definition of what constitutes prostitution. The new act includes the
proviso that it is only prostitution if the participants act in
a 'promiscuous manner'. This gives the authorities leeway in allowing
what is clearly a thriving business to operate while still having the legislation
to control it if they think anyone has crossed the lines.
Clearly they are happy with most of what happens at the major tourist
destinations as it is so openly on display.
The fact is, it is a big money earner for Thailand. Sex tourism attracts
a large number of visitors from all over the world and a huge
amount of foreign currency. There are many influential business figures involved
and of course, many poor girls reliant on the money they make from the industry.
The unofficial attitude taken by the authorities is that as long as nobody
is hurt and it is a transaction between two consulting adults, then there
is no problem. They take a very dim view of anyone
caught having sex with an under age girl. This is treated as a
serious offence. The age of consent in Thailand is 15. However, in one of
those strange Thai contradictions, although prostitution is vaguely illegal,
the 1996 act still defines the age of consent for prostitutes as
18.
Prostitution in Thailand has never been limited to the tourist resorts.
In fact, this is a recent development. Almost every town in Thailand has
brothels, although much more discreet than those in the tourist towns. The
majority of prostitution in Thailand takes place between Thais.
The emergence of sex tourism in Thailand started with the arrival of American
servicemen from the Vietnam War in the 1960s. Pattaya became a favourite
destination for the GIs. They soon discovered the charms of the local girls
and a new industry was born in Thailand.
Prostitution in Phuket does not have strong links to human traffickers.
These things do unfortunately happen in Thailand but it is not a significant
part of the Phuket sex tourism scene. The human traffickers are generally
sending Thai girls to work in brothels abroad.
They may also use Thailand as a transit point for girls from neighbouring
nations such as Laos and Cambodia. The girls working in Phuket are mostly
Thai and mostly working by choice - although certainly through force
of circumstance.
Their Appeal - Thai women seem to hold great appeal in the sex
industry.
They have become something of an industry standard and are sent to work in
brothels all over the world, often under awful conditions. Sometimes, their
own families sell them to brothel owners. It is shocking to us that parents
could do such a thing to their daughters but they are living by a very different
set of standards. Even the sold girls will often believe they are doing the
right thing for their family.
Fortunately,
most of the girls working in Phuket have not suffered such a terrible fate.
They have at least made their own choice and are working in a
potentially rewarding environment.
It is easy to see the appeal of Thai women. They are often petite and slim.
They tend to have good complexions, silky black hair and big brown eyes. In
addition, they are fun. Probably not, if they are working in a squalid brothel
in a foreign country but generally, Thai women are lively and entertaining.
The Customers - We have previously stated that the majority of prostitution in Thailand takes
place between Thais. Of course, in the tourist towns such as Phuket, the majority
of customers are foreigners.
A common perception is that the customers are sad men, perhaps old, unattractive
or lacking personality. While this may be true of some, the truth is that
it is very difficult to generalise. The customers come from all walks of life,
age groups and backgrounds.
They come from all over the world. The most common nationalities are European,
American and Australian. There is also a good representation from other Asian
countries such as Japan and the Middle East.
The majority of customers are men but a small percentage are women who come
looking for male or female company.
Some customers fit the stereotype of aging, unattractive men picking up beautiful
young Thai women. However, many others are young men partying and taking advantage
of the readily available female company. There are also many very wealthy
customers. It is not unusual to hear of yachts arriving in the bay and taking
girls on board to party.
How it Works in Phuket : Terminology - The sex industry has its own set of terminology with phrases such as 'beer
bar', 'go-go bar', 'mamasan', 'lady drink', 'bar fine', 'short time', 'long
time', 'GFE', 'freelancer', 'butterfly' and many more.
Beer Bar - these are simple open sided bars often grouped
in complexes. Most of these complexes are in the sois (side streets) off
Bangla Road in Patong. There are stools around the bar and there are usually
a couple of poles on the bar for the girls to dance round. The customers
stroll around the complex until they choose a bar or are dragged to a bar
by the girls working there. The girls will then try to sell themselves to
the customer by talking to him or entertaining him with bar games. Typical
games are connect-four, jenga, dice games and hammering
nails into a block of wood race.
Go-Go Bar - these are indoor bars where the girls dance
on stages or on the bar. The girls usually wear bikinis - they are no longer
allowed to dance topless although it may still happen if the bar thinks the
authorities are not taking notice. The girls have numbers and customers can
request a girl they like by number.
Mamasan - a woman who manages the girls working in a bar.
Only the big bars and go-gos will have a mamasan. She will be an older woman
who demands respect from the younger girls. She will be responsible for
recruiting new girls, making sure the girls work well and liaising with
customers.
Lady Drink - a drink that a customer buys for a girl. These
will usually cost 30-90 baht above the normal bar price. The bar pays the
extra to the girl as reward for selling the drink. Effectively, you are
not only buying the girl a drink but also giving her a tip.
Bar Fine - the fee charged by a bar for taking a girl from
that establishment. The beer bars charge between 300 to 500 baht. This money
is for the bar - seen as an introduction fee and recompense for the bar
losing a worker for the night. The bar may pay a percentage of the bar fine
to the girl but the customer still needs to pay the girl for her company.
The go-gos charge higher bar fines. Some go-gos will ask for 3000 baht or
more but this usually also includes the payment to the girl so the customer
does not need to pay her directly
Short Time - the customer takes a girl to a nearby room
for a 'short time'. The beer bar complexes and go-go bars often have short
time rooms at the back of the premises. The customer will pay a bar fine,
a charge for the room and an agreed price to the girl for her services (500
to 1,000-baht). When they are finished, the girl will return to work while
the customer moves on to his next port of call.
Long Time - the customer will take the girl for the night
(a 'long time') usually back to his hotel room. The payment to the girl
is normally 1,000 to 2,000-baht. Some of the more up-market hotels do not
allow overnight guests while others will charge a guest fee. (See the bottom
of the page for some 'guest friendly' hotels.)
GFE - Girl Friend Experience. This is where the man takes
the girl for the full length of his holiday and treats her like his girlfriend.
The girl will act as a companion and guide. They will go to restaurants together,
take day trips together and generally act like boyfriend and girlfriend. Of
course, the girl is still working and the man pays for everything and pays
the girl for her time. The bar where the girl works will probably expect to
receive a bar fine for every day the girl stays with the man. Many a romance
has blossomed from the GFE and sometimes it develops into the WE (wife experience).
This may be followed by the divorce experience and the going home with no
money experience.
Freelancer - a girl that does not work from a specific
bar. These girls will pick up customers at nightclubs or off the street
hence saving the customer paying a bar fine. Freelancers are often attractive
girls who are confident they can pick up men without the advantage of a
work base. They may therefore charge more than bar girls. They are also
considered less trustworthy as they are harder to track down in cases
of theft from the customer.
Butterfly - someone, male or female, who flits around from
one partner to the next
Gay Area - The main gay area is Soi Paradise in Patong off Rat-U-Thit Road a little
north of Bangla Road. It is next to the Royal Paradise Hotel Tower, which
is one of the tallest buildings in Patong. There are gay bars, gay cabarets
and gay guesthouses. This area also caters to straight women. Some of the
boys working in the gay bars are not actually gay and are happy to go with
female customers.
You do not need to be gay to visit Soi Paradise. It is a very colourful area
and some of the gay cabarets are worth a look.
Ladyboys - Known
in Thai by the jokey term 'katoey'. You may also hear them called ladymen,
he-males or she-males. Katoeys are of course men who look like women. Some
have had varying degrees of gender altering surgery. Some take hormones to
increase their female attributes. Some just dress and make up as females.
While some (like the three in the photo) are easy to spot, there are others
that make very attractive women and if you saw them in the street, you really
would not know they were men. There are many stories of men picking up women
in bars only to find when they get back to their hotel that she is in fact
a he. These are not just legends - it really does happen.
Katoeys have become something of a tourist attraction. In Bangla Road, you
can see them at the entrance to Soi Crocodile, which is often referred to
as Soi Katoey. Many tourists come to drink at one of the surrounding beer
bars while watching the katoeys dance on the tables. You can take a photo
with the katoeys but remember to pay them a tip - they are notoriously spiteful
if they feel cheated.
There are also a couple of katoey bars and a katoey cabaret at the back of
Soi Crocodile.
Another place to see katoeys is Simon Cabaret at the south end of Patong
on the road to Karon. It is a simple but well-done cabaret show with katoeys
dressed in spectacular costumes and miming to a range of songs. You will be
amazed at just how convincing some of them are.
You can also see katoeys in the gay area of Patong at Soi Paradise.
Massage - Many massage parlours are just that - places to get a good massage. Most
massage parlours will give just a massage if that is what the customer wants
but some also offer extra services (a massage with a 'happy ending'). Open-air
massages and massage parlours where the customers are separated by curtains
will only offer massage. Massage parlours that provide a private room may
well offer extra services.
The most well known massage parlour offering extra services is Christin Massage
- a big pink building on Rat-U-Thit Road south of Bangla. This massage parlour
is just a higher-end sex venue. The girls sit behind a glass screen for the
customer's selection. The selected girl then takes the customer to a comfortable
private room for a soap bath, massage and of course, 'extra services'.
