The Soi Cowboy is part of what makes Bangkok what it is. It's not pretty. It's not culturally flattering. But it's very popular with tourists.
It's sadly schizophrenic: Thai culture's preoccupation with doing good, side by side with the sex industry. To say that Bangkok has a red light district (or several red light districts, for that matter) is an oversimplification. The statement ignores the fact that Bangkok basically is a red light district. The establishments may be discrete; but there probably is not a neighborhood in the city that doesn't have at least one small brothel somewhere.
Bangkok's Red Light Districts
That said, a number of areas in Bangkok are established as adult entertainment districts. Among them:
- Patpong, between Silom and Surawong roads
- Soi Cowboy
- Nana Plaza
- Soi 23, (sometimes referred to as "the Artist's Bars")
With the exception of Patpong, all of these are located off of Sukumvit Rd.
While the "ladies" are what's for sale in these areas, there's a big difference between a go-go bar in the Soi Cowboy area and the smaller mom & pop brothels of Bangkok's anonymous and scattered residential neighborhoods. That difference is entertainment: music, revues, live bands, neon lights, disco, etc.
The Soi Cowboy
The Soi Cowboy area has about 40 establishments, with names like Long Gun, Rawhide, Apache, and Hare and Hound. (Soi, by the way, is a Thai word that translates roughly as "street" and gets applied to the smaller back roads of Bangkok.)
Long Gun is one of Soi Cowboy's biggest success stories. With live shows every night, a 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. happy hour, no cover charge, and a 2 a.m. closing time, the bar does more than its fair share of business. The bar's biggest attraction is its shows, which stand out as more creative and well produced than most of Bangkok's bar scenes (or so I'm told). The Long Gun's biggest drawback is that it is small and usually overcrowded.
The Soi Cowboy area is probably the least expensive of Bangkok's established adult night spots. Bar fines (the fee paid to leave the bar with one of the ladies) are usually about 500 baht -- $16 US at the current exchange rate; of course, whatever you may work out with the lady is extra. Beer varies, but is around 140 baht. "Ladies drinks" cost a few baht more.
A good map of the Soi Cowboy area is available from Thailand.com.
Street or floor plans for the different districts are online through One Night in Bangkok:
A few words to the wise...
Running a tab for alcohol can be dangerous. On a slow night some establishments have a habit of over charging. And if you want to argue about it, there's a good chance you could get a short beating out of it. Tourist police can get your money back much of the time, but putting your teeth back in your mouth is another matter.
Studies have shown a direct correlation between price and disease: the less you pay for a girl, the more likely she is to carry HIV.
Many of the "ladies" are not there because they want to be. Perhaps they appear to be enjoying themselves on stage tonight, but many are simply trapped in this profession. Making you happy is the price they have to pay to support their children (or their parents) somewhere else. Spending much time in Bangkok's night spots can be bad for your social conscience and karma...
