Bangkok Gogo Bar Reviews: Nana, Soi Cowboy, Patpong and Beyond

Bar fines at Bangkok gogo bars usually run from about 600 to 2,500 baht, depending on the bar, the hour and whether she leaves for short time or the whole night. Some bars lower the fine late in the evening, often after 1am. The fine only pays the establishment for letting her leave work; her own fee is separate and agreed with her before you walk out. VIP members see each bar's current bar fine, checked by Jimmy.

Soi Cowboy is the easier first night. It is one straight, neon-lit street with open doors, so you can see inside before you commit. Nana Plaza packs more bars into a three-floor horseshoe on Sukhumvit Soi 4, with more choice and a rowdier feel, and it includes several ladyboy bars. They are two BTS stops apart (Nana and Asok), so most people try both on the same night.

A lady drink is a drink you buy for a dancer or waitress so she can sit and talk with you, and in Bangkok gogo bars it usually costs roughly 200 to 400 baht. She earns a commission on each one, which is why it costs more than your beer and is often weak or a soft drink. You never have to buy one, and a polite no is fine. If you want company, one or two lady drinks is the normal start before any talk of a bar fine.

Checkbin is Thai bar English for asking for the bill. Most gogo bars run a tab: every drink adds a chit to a small cup on your table, and you settle at the end. The costly mistake is not checking it. Count the lady drinks against the chits as you go, question anything you didn't order straight away, and ask for the bill before you get drunk. Paying cash per round removes the problem entirely.

Most Bangkok gogo bars get busy from about 10pm and peak between 11pm and 1am, with many closing around 2am. Happy hour, roughly 6pm to 9pm at many bars, cuts beers to around 99 to 130 baht, but the stages are quieter and fewer dancers are on. Go early to look around cheaply, then come back later for the full show and the best atmosphere.

Catch her eye and smile, or tell a waitress or the mamasan the number on her badge, and she'll be called over when her turn on stage ends. Buy her a lady drink once she sits down. If you'd rather she moved on, a friendly 'no thank you' is fine, and a small tip is appreciated if she's been good company. If a dancer has already been bar fined, staff will tell you she's 'off' for the night.

Only when she invites it. A dancer who sits with you after a lady drink may be affectionate, but she sets the pace, and a moved hand or a shake of the head is final. Never grab a dancer on stage or a waitress walking past: staff will warn you once, then show you the door. Where a bar offers a table-side sexy dance, hands usually stay on your knees, and the mamasan's word on house rules is final.

Tipping is never compulsory, but 20 to 100 baht handed directly to a dancer who has been good company or put on a show is normal, and some bars keep a tip box by the stage. Leave the waitress a little change too. Keep well clear of the bell behind the bar: ringing it buys a drink for every dancer and member of staff, and turns a cheap night into a bill of several thousand baht.