Stickman Weekly, June 22, 2025
Mystery Photo
Where is it?
Last week’s photo was taken from Benjakitt Park, near the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.
This week’s photo is somewhere along Sukhumvit Road. The one clue I’ll give you is that if you haven’t been to Bangkok in a few years then I’d be surprised if you know it.
Stick’s Inbox – The Best Emails From The Past Week
Where is Soi Cowboy going?
You correctly reported that Kazy Kozy is now Kazy Closied! A long time ago it was The Old Dutch. It was never a gogo bar. It got turned into a live music venue pre-COVID. I was mystified at the time, but more and more places followed in its footsteps post COVID. Live music, beer bars and weed shops block-busting conventional gogo bars. I emailed you last year opining that Soi Cowboy was heading for gogo extinction. So what’s happening now? My theory is that conventional tourism sees a much larger low-season slump than the naughty boy trade. Evidence: last night I cruised Cowboy. It was dry, so there was no excuse to stay indoors. The forecourts of all the bars had no customers. A few months ago they were packed with mainstream tourists taking a walk on the wild side. The other problem with a beer bar on Soi Cowboy is that there is zero daytime trade. Stumble Inn Soi Nana does slow but steady trade through the daylight hours, unlike its sister bar on Soi Cowboy.
Lady drink hassles.
Lady drinks, and the hassle to buy them, is clearly on another level from my last visit 7 years ago, and detracts from the whole bar experience. This is driven by bar management setting targets for the girls who ruthlessly comply with the set objectives. In a quiet bar, early on, with a few customers, it’s quite off-putting. I often wonder if it’s worth asking a girl down off the stage when it may prove a waste of time and money. Historically, you could chat without buying a lady drink, if only to establish whether a connection was present or not. My solution? Engage with girls outside the bar when they’re taking a break! This works well for me. Last weekend I saw a nice girl and we chatted on the balcony. I went inside the bar with her and I was happy to buy the expected lady drink then.
Ditch the Pattaya trip?
Interesting question in your closing comments about Pattaya. I bought a ticket to Thailand and am considering cancelling it after watching YouTube videos. In itself, the concept of a family-friendly resort is of course nonsensical for Pattaya. A beach with seawater that is dirty does not fit this concept. Clean seawater is very important for a family beach vacation and number one, in my opinion. What also struck me in YouTube videos was the unattractiveness of the ladies on Soi 6. Many are small and fat in short skirts with half naked butts. Not sexy, but vulgar. The hello girls in front of the Walking Street gogo bars didn’t look attractive either. I hope I have got the wrong impression.
How Pattaya has changed.
I like coming to Pattaya to see how the city has changed. I haven’t partaken in the nightlife since the Covid days, but I do like popping into XS and Pin Up to see the lineup. I find the barfines, “call down” fee of two drinks, and five-drink minimum to barfine a lady a bit much. Can I afford it? Sure I can, but jeez it’s crazy!
The girlfriend experience.
Regarding the girlfriend experience, it’s practically impossible. The age difference is huge. There are no common interests. Conversation is stilted and usually awkward.
The harsh reality of bargirl life.
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Toilet rolls going the way of pa-yen?
Commenting on your recent observation that bars don’t provide cold towels regularly anymore, a similar trend seems to be taking place in restaurants. Just a short while ago street food spots, and certainly better restaurants, provided a box of Kleenex tissues or at least a roll of toilet paper to wipe your hands or clean your mouth. These have been disappearing recently and I believe it is a trend. I asked one vendor about it and they said they were trying to cut costs.
Walking.
On Thais not liking to walk, my wife once got a bus with me to go just one stop.
A quiet night on Soi Cowboy, fairly typical of how things are at present.
This Week’s News, Views & Gossip
Is it high season? No! Is it low season? Sort of. Some say it’s neither high season or low season, but India season! This week, Soi Nana saw lots of groups of Indians wandering up and down their favourite soi. Some were in and out of bars in Nana Plaza, while others preferred the Indian-themed nightspots on the soi.
On the other side of Soi Nana, not far from the plaza, you’ll find Las Vegas. Girls sit outside on plastic chairs with the door firmly closed, and vigilantly block passersby from getting a peek inside. That sounds promising! What delights await inside? The theatrics create intrigue, but inside there’s little going on. Step inside and you’ll find a bunch of ladies mostly sat around, along with half a dozen or so wait staff playing on their phone and generally looking bored. Punters? Hardly any, and it isn’t helped with Thai music being played. It’s been a good few months since Vegas arrived on the scene, but it has failed to make an impact. For excitement on Soi Nana, stick to the plaza.
Further down the soi the ladies in Arab garb are back, giving passers-by the sort of friendly looks not expected from those covered from head to toe. The question previously asked remains: Are they really Muslim ladies, or are they dressed up to look that way to appeal to those with a Muslim fetish.
Back in the plaza, let’s put to death the rumour doing the rounds last year that Sexy Nights would be sold. The Thai lady owner commented this week that she has absolutely no plans to sell. Her son who works in the bar will run it when she decides it’s time to step back and take it easy. As for recent reports that the small bar now has 2 DJs, the original DJ still plays the classic rock songs that draw many back to the bar. The second DJ? For a time this week he was playing Thai music. Hmmm!
Classic Nana Plaza bar, Sexy Night.
It was very much a case of low season blues in Soi Cowboy this week. The best bars will always draw a crowd, but reports this week were consistent – there were fewer people about and plenty just seemed to be there for a gander and nothing more.
There has been an uptick in Indians on Soi Cowboy. Word is that they are being welcomed into the bars with open arms. Unlike many of the mainstream visitors, the Indians stick around and enjoy a few drinks.
Following persistent rumours for more than a month, a leak from one of the mayor’s offsiders has it that Stumble Inn Soi Cowboy will close at the end of this month i.e. just over a week from now, and be redeveloped as a gogo bar. Will it become a ladyboy gogo bar? Why do I ask that question? Because the Stumble Inn Group’s success with gogo bars has mainly been in ladyboy bars.
There were two street fights reported in the mainstream news this week from the nightlife areas. The first involved a large number of ladyboys at the turning on Soi Nana in to Soi 6. Video of the incident which was leaked online suggests it was nothing too bad. It was entirely different on Sukhumvit Soi 23 where two groups of girls went at it in what was reported as a dispute over customers. Two ladies were stabbed and from all accounts the injuries were serious. This sort of thing can happen any time but given how quiet it has been some nights, a lousy low season was likely a contributing factor.
Low season blues can be bad news for the working girls whose income plummets. Not making enough to cover your bills and support family can be very stressful. Girls get catty, and fights can break out. Girls who are otherwise honest might be under such extreme pressure that they become tempted to take a peek in a customer’s wallet when he’s in the shower. Low season can be a great time for naughty boy to visit, but don’t forget there’s another side to the equation.
Soi Cowboy seems to be attracting more lookyloos than genuine punters.
With Indians making up greater numbers on Sukhumvit, I asked a couple of friends who stopped by Patpong this week if our Indian friends were floating around Bangkok’s oldest bar area in greater numbers? Word is there were few about, and it would seem that they prefer Sukhumvit.
On the main Patpong soi, King’s Castle is always right up there as the most popular chrome pole bar. Every night there are dozens of dancers – which isn’t something you can say about a lot of Patpong bars. Despite its popularity, King’s Castle is one of those bars I’ve never been too keen to say much about. There has long been – and I’m not talking years here, but decades – concern about the age of some of the ladies. King’s Castle is a large, long-running bar group so I can’t imagine in this day and age they would hire ladies not of legal age, but word is that some look no more than late teens. King’s Castle is particularly popular with Asian men.
Find yourself in Patpong and are keen to check out somewhere you’ve never been before? You might like to stop by Swing, which is up one floor on Patpong soi 2. Swing is one of the few remaining hostess bars in Patpong. It’s a more private, discreet alternative to the open-air beer bars on the second Patpong soi. Run by some of the staff from the closed Cosmos bar, it opens around 7 PM but like many bars it doesn’t get going until after 9 PM. The bar stocks a wider selection of drinks than you’ll find at most bars in the area and even has various wine options. In a throwback to the days of old, if there’s something specific you’d like to drink or eat, the girls will happily venture outside to get it for you. Best of all, I’m told there’s little pressure from the girls to buy drinks – which makes a big change from so many bars today. Swing attracts a mix of Thai (yes, Thai! – so the ladies will be decent-looking and pleasant-mannered), Asian and Western customers. Some of the old Cosmos regulars stop by too. Swing is located on Patpong soi 2, above French Kiss.
Swing, Patpong soi 2, where you can find a taste of the Patpong of old!
In last week’s column I noted that Thermae was becoming something of a reader’s favourite with more and more of you mentioning it. Some of you have reported very positive experiences. What’s driving this? Could it be that prices – for everything – are lower in Thermae than in the bars that get more coverage in this column? Could it be that being a freelancer bar, there is no lady drink pressure and no barfines? If you’re fed up with what is happening elsewhere, Thermae might just be what you’re looking for.
There are other alternatives for those looking for a more laid-back, more affordable night out. The bars scattered around Sukhumvit soi 22 don’t get much coverage in this column. Outside of high season they tend to be rather quiet. In high season when the hotels in the soi are packed, there tends to be more bums on seats – but at this time of year, they can be quiet. If you’re looking for the laid-back vibe of the Bangkok of old, Soi 22 might be worth exploring. The one thing I’d say is to walk past the bars at the start of the soi, venture further up the soi and explore. There are some interesting bars down some of the side sois where you might find yourself the only guy in the bar – and in Bangkok that opens up all sorts of possibilities.
A little further down Sukhumvit on the other side of the road, the nightspots on Soi 33 don’t get many white faces these days. One bar on the soi that still gets more white guys than Asians is Demonia, the fetish bar. Demonia is not for everyone, and is not for those on a budget. That said, if you’re looking for something different – an experience I think the younger generations call it – then Demonia is worth visiting at least once. Take a fun attitude and you might just enjoy yourself. I am told by those who are serious about fetish clubs that the likes of Demonia and Octopus in Patpong soi 2 are themed BDSM bars, and perhaps not the real deal. Simulated fetish was how a hardcore fetishist described it to me.
Demonia, historic photo from the Stickman archives.
And even further down Sukhumvit, Soi 24/1 – yes, Soi 24/1 is actually a good deal further down Sukhumvit than Soi 33 – is dying a slow death. Soi 24/1 with all of its massage shops will be redeveloped – but exactly when is not clear. As leases come to an end, the landlord doesn’t renew them and the business closes. The new development won’t get underway until all of the leases have expired – and that could be some time yet. With fewer businesses operating on the soi, it is less of a destination, attracts fewer customers and dies a slow death. While some of these massage shops might relocate elsewhere, my best guess is that the girls will scatter and turn up in various venues around town. That could be anywhere from similar venues for Japanese and Korean men to places where Thai men like to venture after dark. I can’t imagine many of the ladies on that soi will end up in gogo bars.
Speaking of naughty massage outlets, in a small soi behind Robinson’s on Sukhumvit soi 19 is a place called The Canary. It’s well-known by Asian punters, and a friend who works in the area says he has never seen a white guy stop by. Most of the customers are young, and word is that the ladies who come and go are very easy on the eye.
It feels like several years since Spasso on the ground floor of the Grande Hyatt Erawan closed. Early evening it was a fantastic Italian restaurant, before transforming later in the evening to a very comfortable bar with many attractive local women who made quite the effort to look classy. What was Spasso has been redeveloped as Gaston, a French-themed bistro that also transforms into a bar with live music later in the evening. It doesn’t attract the same number of local ladies these days, I am told. Many of the old Spasso staff can be found in Gaston.
Notice anything missing? Where’s the sign for Walking Street? Photo kindly provided by ChristianPFC.
Down in Pattaya, word is that it is very quiet. People I trust tell me that it is shaping up to be the worst low season in quite some time. Revenge travel post-Covid meant 2023 and 2024 didn’t really have a true low season but it’s very different this year. It’s like the pent up demand due to Covid is over, and economic realities bite as people cut back on non-essential spending. I’d expect a few tough months for many businesses in Sin City.
As in Bangkok, it’s very much Indian season in Pattaya. And just like the capital, you’ll find lots of Indians in some areas and very few in others.
Signs have gone up around Pattaya telling pedestrians to walk on the footpath. The signs are in English, Thai and……Hindi! They have been paid for by the local Indian community. Soi Nana and a few other sois in downtown Bangkok could benefit from similar.
I know Pattaya has seen a surge in new Indian restaurants in recent years – but how many are any good? Which ones are recommended? I hear good things about Tarka House on Soi Pattayaland 2, which I must stop by one day. Any recommendations for primo Indian eateries in Pattaya would be much appreciated.
As per the photo above, the start of Walking Street looks bare with no sign. A new 3D LED sign should be going up soon.
While we’re talking about our Indian friends, word is that another giant Indian nightclub is going up right at the start of Walking Street – see the large building behind the sign for Jannaat Club. I’ve lost count of how many large Indian nightclubs there are on Walking Street today. They are the area’s most impressive venues and even the best of the large, modern gogo bars along the strip pale compared to these gigantic Indian nightclubs.
What’s the story with the Pattaya’s foreign Tourist Police Volunteers carrying ASP expandable batons? A long-time reader who is himself former law enforcement recognised them immediately. The Tourist Police Volunteers don’t have powers of arrest but they’re carrying batons. Strikes me as strange.
SW1 Market, at the start of Sukhumvit soi 12.
Back in Bangkok, the SW1 Market next to Sukhumvit soi 12 has not gained the same sort of traction as the Art Box market at the start of Soi 10 did several years back. Maybe the grassy areas at Art Box made for a more relaxing area to relax? Maybe the rains have put people off? I like the motto of SW1 Market – “Live local, feel global“.
As mentioned in last week’s column, Siam Commercial Bank really did swing the axe on foreign customers this week. In a nutshell, banking regulations required face scans to be set up by customers at their branch which allow them to transfer more than 50K baht in one transaction. For whatever reason, SCB doesn’t allow foreigners to do this so foreign account holders can’t transfer anything above 49,999 baht in one transaction. So the obvious work-around is to make multiple transactions, right? Apparently there is a daily transfer limit of 200K baht / day. The current solution is to contact the call centre and arrange for a 1-hour waiver so you can make a larger transfer. Perhaps this is all moot – many foreigners in Thailand don’t even have 50K baht to their name. Don’t bite, I’m joking!
You can now join the green walkway that runs from Benjakitt Park to Lumpini Park, from the end of Soi Nana. Do note, however, that the walkway is currently closed between Soi 10 and Soi Nana.
Work continues on the green path between Benjakitt and Lumpini parks.
I don’t read much about Thailand online and BangkokEyes aside, I don’t look at anything related to the naughty nightlife. It’s not that I’m not interested, it’s more that I seldom come across anything I enjoy, or find myself in agreement with. I recently came across the musings of a fellow by the name of Tom Tuohy whose writing and thoughts I enjoyed. You can check out Tom Tuohy’s thoughts on life as an expat in Thailand here.
I am still in regular contact with my old friend Dave, AKA Mister Nana. Over the history of this column, no-one has been as helpful as Dave in providing news and gossip from the bars. When I was living in Bangkok, there were long periods when I really didn’t spend that much time in the bars. I had a full-time job and if I went out mid-week, it was only until 9:30 PM or 10:00 PM as I had to get up early for work the next day. Most Friday nights I’d drop by and see Dave, catch up, enjoy the show at Angelwitch and Dave would give me a run-down of what was happening in the plaza and beyond. Today, Dave and I each live about 10,000 km from Bangkok but we still frequently gossip about the bar industry. We often talk about the people we know who are no longer with us, and reflect on how the bar industry can suck you in and spit you out. This is especially the case for bar owners and managers, the latter of whom might spend all but a couple of nights each month in the bar. This week we chatted about a bar owner we both know whose profile is on the up, and who looks like death warmed up. “His eyes looked fxxxed up, dark rings around them and wrinkles like a 80 year old man”, Dave commented on this fellow. He was on the money. This fellow has aged terribly and looks like sxxt. Like I say, long-term involvement in the bar industry does that to you. Why do you think I only used to go out once, maximum twice, per week?! Care to guess who we were talking about? Truth be told, it could be one of many. Working in the bar industry might look like fun from the outside, but it really does takes its toll.
Dave AKA Mister Nana.
I’ve noticed a phenomenon whereby some people of moderate means choose to fly business class, but at the same time they stay in rather average hotels. This seems quite prevalent – and I don’t get it. Let me first say that how someone lives their life and spends their money is entirely up to them and I am not criticising someone’s choices, more it’s something that’s a bit of a head-scratcher. For the record, I always fly economy class. It probably helps that physically I live up to the moniker Stickman and can slink in to an economy-class seat quite comfortably. I am quite choosy about hotels and prefer to stay somewhere comfortable, and have a preference for smaller, quirky properties. Big hotels with hundreds of rooms aren’t for me – I much prefer boutique hotels or at least boutique in style. Nice, but not somewhere really flash with 5-star facilities. I don’t have the budget for that. Such properties in Bangkok often run around 3,000 – 4,000 baht / night. I notice that many people seem much less concerned about where they stay – and are much more concerned about flights. They fly business class and then go on to stay in mediocre hotels where rooms run as little as 1,000 – 1,500 baht / night. If you’re paying around $4,000 or so to travel to Thailand in business class, and then spend a couple of weeks there, would it not be better to perhaps fly in economy class and stay in a nicer hotel? You spend so much more time in a hotel than you do on the plane, even if you only use the hotel as a place to sleep. 14 nights in a comfortable room with a nice bed, pleasant surroundings and friendly staff strikes me as a lot more appealing than a bit more space on the flight, faster boarding and better food. If you’ve got the budget for business class, all power to you. And if you are a sizeable fellow who finds it takes time to get over being folded up tight in economy class, I get it. But for me personally, I’d rather sleep in a comfortable hotel and sit at the back of the plane than stay in a less comfortable hotel and sit at the front of the plane.
Fancy staying at The Royal River Hotel, where the signs notes there’s a Chithole?
Thailand-Related Links & News Articles
Quote of the week comes from a friend and relates to certain things going on in South-East Asia at this time, “My theory of nine-year-old mentalities holds – “I can’t stand you, waaahhhhh, I’m gonna wreck your sand castle!”
From The Stickman Archives, Thais And Loneliness was the first column published in 2011.
YouTube video of the week is from Laos and highlights the new Lao National Art Museum which looks very impressive.
The Bangkok Post reports that Thailand is to crack down on expats in jobs which should only be held by Thais.
A German drug dealer arrested in Pattaya is found not just with drugs, but with a gun.
A jealous Korean is arrested for detaining his former Thai girlfriend who had taken up with a Chinese man.
A scam gang AKA boiler room of 13 farang men including Aussies and Brits targeting Australians in financial scams are arrested.
Cyber police arrested an Australian man and a Thai woman for ordering gun silencers online.
Thailand accuses Cambodia of harbouring the world’s largest cyber-crime networks and says they are backed by the ruling elite.
A Swede was critically injured after being run over while lying intoxicated in a car park outside a Pattaya nightspot.
Huge, flash Indian nightclubs are the most impressive venues on Walking Street today.
Closing Comments
Many of the bums on seats are Indians as regular bargoers from the likes of Europe and North America enjoy summer at home. For some inexplicable reason, this gets some white men all hot and bothered. Silly stories have long done the rounds like the group of Indians entering a bar, ordering one glass of Coke and asking for 6 straws. As I’ve said before, not one bar owner I know has ever seen this happen. Sure, some of the low-class Indians might be a like a fish out of water on what may well be their first trip abroad. Can the same not be said about many of the low-class white guys visiting for the first time (or second, or third?!) I imagine that many of the Indians doing the rounds in the bars are of reasonable means. Personally, I’ve found them to be friendly, engaging and unfailingly polite. Rather than dissing them, perhaps you should be celebrating the fact that there are Indians visiting at this time. Plenty of bars are doing it tough and Indian customers are supporting bars when Whitey isn’t. No way can that be a bad thing.
Your Bangkok commentator,
Stick
Stick can be contacted at : stickmanbangkok@gmail.com
