Big Mango Bar
drink and blog

How I am learning to play the member clubs – Part 1

Posted by sideshowBOB | Reader Submissions | Posted on July 31st, 2007

Interesting times in Thailand as usual. Head on over to the latest article at the Asia Times for a view into the politics. First time I have seen so much public talk about the coming era of succession. Was talking recently to a large supplier (Thai company) of kitchen, beer and concession equipment about how bad Thailand is really doing. The media keeps pointing people to the stock market, the baht and public projects as signs of strength but this guy was telling me that his business and that of most of his Thai friend’s businesses have experienced record year over year declines. He was frank in explaining that it is the fault of the current political environment where lackluster tourism, foreign investor rules and so on have spooked people out of growing or starting their businesses in Thailand. I agree.

On to the member clubs!

Just to put a disclaimer on this post so I don’t have to read a lot of comments that won’t do anyone any good. If your idea of a good time in Bangkok is negotiating 1000 baht short time rates while shooting down Soi 4 at 3 in the morning then you may not enjoy the member clubs. Funny thing is – I like them and I like Soi 4 at three in the morning as well. Imagine that. If you think Go Go bars are the prime pulling spot in Bangkok. Point, pay bar, go home and etc is your idea of a big night out then Sopranos may not hold a lot of appeal for you. If you are concerned about the beer prices during happy hour at The Big Mango then chances are buying a 300 baht lady drink at Forte seem ludicrous to you. That’s cool. Like I have always said – Bangkok is the ONLY city in the world where you can hit on all cylinders on any given day and still eat on 100 baht a day if you really had to. That’s why I love it. So here is my take on how I am enjoying the member club scene and how I am learning about it. The member club school of hard knocks. For those who know more than me – please chime in. Write your own post. Contribute but don’t berate me for trying. Hopefully people will learn from my mistakes and hopefully I will get some pointers as well.

When I first started coming to Thailand it was for business. I had at one point experienced most of everything Bangkok had to offer and was impressed, bewildered and at times even in shock. This gorgeous little naked Thai girl will go back to my hotel room with me, spend the night and so on all for the cost of a nice dinner out in San Francisco? Are u kidding? Okay. I will take 2. U get the point. I am from a conservative Christian right household and spent most of my childhood in home school in the mountains. Bangkok was a mind blower. Still is. Remember though – we evolve.

The first time I was taken out for business entertainment by a local Thai company I had the distinct feeling that they wanted to impress the dumbfounded Farang as to why San Francisco could not hold a candle to Bangkok. After dinner they took me to Poseidon. 3rd floor. 2 girls approached me and whisked me to a big room. They got naked, got me naked and we got into the tub. I honestly did not know that I was about to have sex with both of them. I was naive. It was amazing. They were stunning. Not the best sex I have ever had but I can’t knock the experience. I never saw a bill. I was quickly becoming intoxicated with Bangkok.

A few months later I was back. Another business trip. This time the gang took me to the Piano. An older member club on Ekkamai. It was kind of stuffy and boring but it was for business and the girls were hot. I spoke no Thai and many of them spoke no English but that did not change how hot they were. It was a Thursday night and I was trying to think about how to play my impending Friday. One of the Thai guys I worked with asked if I liked the girl I was with. Well. She is gorgeous. He said she would meet me at my hotel the next night to take me to dinner and clubbing. So Friday after work she met me at my hotel. She was stunning. At the time this was easily the hottest Asian girl I had been out with. We went to some cool Thai restaurant that I will never find again. She ordered. She took care of everything. You know how the real polite Thai girls are when it comes to servicing you during your meal in such a way that you can hardly take it. Then we went to the now defunct Ministry of Sound club on Suk Soi 12 for an amazing night of clubbing. Then she took me back to my hotel. Kissed me good night and gave me her phone number. I was in awe. I also had to admit that Thais knew how to host people and took pleasure in impressing their guests with the best Thailand has to offer.

After a few trips I got to know some other Thais and ended up meeting a manager for another Thai member club – Orbit. Sopranos on Suk Soi 26 is the new Orbit. I went a few times and honestly could not get past the 2 identical twins who danced there on the weekends in between their gigs for Maxim magazine. They were a 10. I was in awe. I am sure I never had a chance with them but I enjoyed looking.

Fast forward. 2007. Some people say the scene is not as good as it used to be. I don’t know but for me I was not here until I arrived. It is what it is. I can imagine that 20 years ago it was better but that does not mean it is not good today but I think you have to look harder, explore more and keep an open mind. Maybe it is not as cheap as it was either but nothing in the world is. So deal.

The member clubs have been around a while and are not just a fade brought on with the coyote craze that took over Thailand as some people purport. The member clubs are how the Thais  and other Asian party in Bangkok. You would not see these guys in Nana but they like to go out, buy drinks, sit with girls and take some of them home but they won’t do it where the Farang are for the most part. I will just say this right now – I think some of the girls in these clubs are the hottest in Thailand when it comes to their looks, their bodies, their fashion sense and they way they carry themselves as women. End of story. Are they amazing in bed – some are. Are they cheap? No. Are they all available as easily as the girls on cowboy? No, but the girls on cowboy don’t look like this for the most part but that is not to say there are not some stunners in the Go Go scene.

The general layout of a member club is varied among the different locations but they are generally organized around a stage that is used for the Thai bands and the dancers. The bands are usually some of the best party bands in Thailand and sing Thai and English songs. Usually the bands have hot lead singers. I am love with the singer at Forte. I am sure she loves me just the same but has yet to realize it. Some of the big clubs have VIP areas, pool tables, separate bars, dining areas and all of them have spots to for the dancers to do their thing.

All of the clubs have girls. 100s of them. I think 100-300 in each place depending on the size. Their appears to be a separation of sorts at each club between hostesses and dancers. I would say the dancers are the hottest and the ones I aim for but some of the hostesses are smoking as well. The dancers are young, fit, scantily clad and fun. I always go for the dancers because they have great bodies and they are wearing tight outfits. Many of the dancers are uni girls working at night to pay for school but I honestly can’t agree with some people who think these are the best the unis have to offer. Many of these girls are working 5 plus days a week, working late, getting drunk and sometimes out with customers while going to school. I am not sure how they get it all done. Either way I would agree though that these girls are a step above the Isaan girls who can’t speak English and get barfined every night.

I am not sure I understand the hostess side of the house but it appears to me one can pay to take them home. Maybe they say no, maybe they don’t go every time but I see them leave too many times with Asian customers to not think they are for hire. Many times I look at the hostess girls and see go go looking or Soi 33 girls all dressed up and in a member club but this is not the pick of the bunch. Many times I see the hostess girls hanging at the after hours spots in Bangkok. So I never really wasted my time on them. I go for the dancers. The dancers are hotter. Pick up the hostess girls at The Tunnel or Spicy. Believe me they are in there.

The member clubs are called member clubs because most of them require a membership – not all but most do. Yes you can walk in without a member card but it kind of defeats the purpose. One cannot go to a member club on any one night and expect success. A member club is a place you have to go back to, work your contacts and begin to get a sense of which girls you like, which mamasan likes you and so on. You have to work it a bit and that is just the way it is. If this is not your idea of fun then my suggestion is don’t bother going since you would be wasting your time and money.

Membership at the end of the day is essentially pre-paying for your chosen booze. Meaning you agree to pay an upfront for your chosen booze which entitles you to membership. It generally is around 15,000 to 20,000 baht for a year – meaning you spend about 2000 baht for a bottle of booze. Not bad really. You always get in free for every event(they tend to have a lot of special parties that non-members are not able to go to), get discounts, can make reservations and get treated like a member. This membership step is important because if you can’t afford that then chances are you won’t get very far with these girls. Also – I don’t recommend publicly haggling over the membership too much since the girls will see this and that is not a great start to your member club career. Remember face is a big thing in Thailand and the member clubs are their domain – not yours.

I will disclose that I am 2 year member of Forte. I like it because it is on RCA – so I can pop into Forte, get my free booze, get worked up over some hotties and then head out to a club to try and hunt in a less defined environment. Many of the member clubs are in such areas that they are basically a night out in and unto themselves. If I am bored at a club in RCA I can go to Forte. So for me it is about the location. I have been to Sopranos many times and enjoy it as well. I hear great things about the Pent and Resort as well.

I will also disclose I have not been going enough and have made some rookie mistakes that have probably kept me from enjoying Forte to its fullest but I have made steps to turn it around and will cover that here. So this is post #1. I will get into the economics, the girls, the myths, the customers, the pulling potential, the after-hours effects and so on. As always – feel free to constructively chime in.