Gay Bars in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket

Much like other Thai gogo bars. Entry is free, you buy drinks, and the dancers wear numbered badges. Buying a drink invites company, and paying an off fee to the bar lets a dancer leave with you, with his own fee agreed separately. Photos inside are banned. VIP members see which bars are worth your night and current prices.

Friday and Saturday are the busiest, and Silom Soi 2 and Soi 4 fill up from late evening, with clubs peaking after midnight. Individual establishments run their own theme or party nights during the week. Holidays and Pride events bring bigger crowds. Midweek is better for a quieter first look.

Yes. Male-only saunas are a long-standing part of Bangkok's gay scene, with several around Silom and more along Sukhumvit. Expect an entry fee that covers a locker and towel, then steam rooms and private cubicles inside. They're often busiest on weekend afternoons and evenings. Condoms are usually provided, so use them, and keep your valuables locked in your locker rather than on you.

Grindr is the main gay app in Thailand and is very active in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, with Hornet and Blued as popular alternatives. Some profiles belong to paid escorts, so read them carefully. When meeting a stranger, use a hotel that registers visitors' ID, lock your valuables away and watch your drink, because drugging and theft do happen. Never send money to someone you haven't met.

Yes. Silom Soi 4 in particular has a mixed, sociable crowd, and straight couples, groups of women and curious friends are a normal sight in its bars. Gogo boy bars and saunas are aimed at gay men, so go there only if that's what you're after. Be a respectful guest: don't stare, don't treat the scene as a sideshow and never take photos of other customers.

Yes, at a guest-friendly hotel, where same-sex guests are treated like any other. Reception will usually ask to see or hold his Thai ID card while he's in your room, which also confirms he's of age. Some hotels, especially family resorts, ban unregistered visitors whoever they are, and others charge a joiner fee, so check the policy in writing before you book. Lock your valuables in the safe before you go out.

Silom Soi 2 is a gated lane of gay clubs next to Soi 4, built for dancing rather than conversation. DJ Station is the best-known club, with several dance floors and a nightly drag show, and the lane is busiest after midnight at weekends. ID is checked at the entrance, so bring your passport. Start the evening with a drink on Soi 4, where the bars are more relaxed, then move to Soi 2 once it fills up.

Boyztown, on Pattayaland Soi 3 off Beach Road near Walking Street, is Pattaya's main gay strip, with boy gogos, cabaret bars and host bars aimed at visitors. Sunee Plaza, off Soi Buakhao, is smaller, more local and cheaper, with beer bars and a few gogos. At both, the off fee and the dancer's own fee work much like a bar fine. Many boys working there identify as straight: for them it's work, not orientation.