Well - has after hours finally jumped the shark? Is after hours not really after hours if there are many places open? We have talked about this before - there seems to be a slow easing of rules around how late places can stay open. I guessed before that one way for the current government to gain some support would be to let the nightlife go later, ease up the visa rules and encourage foreign direct investment. There are signs that the Democratic party is already looking to roll back some of the recent FDI measures and there seems to be more and more after hours popping up around town with very little resistance. Almost the way Bangkok used to be…
Here is the latest entrant to the after hours scene:
*KINGS LOUNGE | Kings Corner 2nd floor | Patpong *
This Saturday
1am-5am
200 Baht with 1 drink
With King’s group, the main player in Patpong, joining the after hours scene are we seeing the basic quality of after hours taking a turn for the worse? Tough to say really. Back in the good ole’ days the King’s bars were the place to pull but not so much anymore. 200 baht with a drink to get in is cheap enough to check the place out. I have no idea if girls get in free or what the model is but with the closing of After on PP soi 2 then for sure we could use another option in Patpong. My guess is the girls without a customer after work or the energetic after short-time crew will be present.
Have to check it out. Happy hunting!
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Kings Lounge used to be open years ago,Many good nights there till 5 in the morning
View all comments by kennynana
I can recall ‘Peppermint’ on PP1 back in the day. Trink called them ‘constallations’ although I never knew why..
You could spot the odd movie star in there back in the 80’s.
A buddy of mine crawled on his back halfway across the floor to look up some starlet’s dress only to realize he had his sunglasses on once he got there.
….and of course the original Thermae was seemingly always open…..
View all comments by bo
bo, you put stars in my eyes taking me down memory lane. At one time I was both young and in Kings Lounge girls used to pull my member as I would stroll by. Oh the glory days. Or maybe it was just my interested look that was enough to encourage them. Then there was the other King’s disco opposite and upstairs as well. Pulled quite a few from off the clock Patpong go-go girls from there as well, can’t remember the name of the venue though, but last time I checked a couple of years ago it had become a short time hotel. And then there was Peppermint which at times seemed like as mini rave party where girls were hunting men.
By then I think Thermae had already moved to the new building. Do miss the original Thermae where you always had the option of the full Monty with one of their girls upstairs. Never needed to patronize the upstairs bit, but the fact that it was there added extra poetic value to the place.
Long Gun at Cowboy was still a single width shop house and Shadow Jack’s had nude Polaroid crotch shots of all the dancers pinned to the wall so you could try and guess who’s was whose.
Ah, the glory days when the Bangkok night life still had a bit of grit and edge to it. Now the scene is so user friendly my grandfather could even navigate it.
Oh well, there is still some nude go-go dancing on Cowboy to remind of us what it the whole scene really used to be like.
View all comments by Bangkok Biatch
bbiatch - u bring tears to my eyes but I will still take living here now over not living here but I can imagine how used to be a little more wild. Time must march on. I wish some of you “old timers” would write some stuff about how it used to be. I don’t even recognize some of the names u are bouncing around.
View all comments by smitty
Im sure the one opposite was called Kings Castle
View all comments by kennynana
I remember when I used to walk seven miles in the snow with no galoshes (but always a “raincoat”) along Sukhumvit to meet Noi, a paper-pusher by day, dream maker by night. Ah yes, the “good ol’ days”.
View all comments by Jack Dawson
Ah, the good ole days. Back when there wasn’t a single Katoey in King’s Corner and there was a choice of 150 hotties with a 300 baht barfine; back when you could mellow out with an afternoon bj and watch a video in the bar above the pathetic hovel that is now club 99. Back when there were cocktail lounges everywhere; Casiopia next to Holloywood was my favourite, and a “super-star” was 4k (1 USD = 25thb). When you could order 2 girls and 4 joints at Darlings (you can still order 2 girls but it is just going through the motions now) and it only cost 2k for the lot …
STILL - it is all still there, it just has a different shape. The other day I bumped into an old mamasan from Patpong, I’ve known her 20 years and she still remembers the first time I ordered drinks from her (and what I ordered), and we got talking about the changes - and then just before she hit me up for the obligatory 500 tip - she motioned to a gyrating cutie to come and keep my knee company for a while - well, a while later, with a soaked knee and 500 baht wiser, she said to me … this one’s younger than the one you bar-fined 20 years ago - I said no shit she’d be 41 now… she said, “no, she’d be 43 and this one’s 19″ …
it is what you make it
View all comments by psi100th
Oh Yeah good old Patpong times,
On my first trip to Thailand -15 Years ago- I stranded with my backpack direct coming from the airport, in Patpongs Peppermint.
Having big plan`s to stay some day`s in BKK and fly forward to Bali. I can`t remember my first night at all, but on the first night in Peppermint I became acquainted with a large group of nice girls. Next morning i waked up in a small appartment house in Yannawah district. The room was packed with girls. The appartment house had 12 rooms. All rooms were rented from girls of the Patpong Kings group. So i stayed 3 and a half months in Yannawah. No Bali, no postcards, no Beach. Hey this 3,5 months were a dream for a greenhorn as me.
At this time I was never, not a second, alone. 3,5 months I was the event in the dwelling house. It applied to consider each day, what you make with whom next.
I never experienced this emotional intensity, for such a long period in row, again.
Oh Yeah, good old Patpong times.
View all comments by tomtobkk
Good old Patpong in the 1980s. There were a bunch of bars owned by Vietnam vets. One was the Texxan near Silom which had the best cheeseburger in Asia. They were a lunch and drinking place by day and a B-Girl place by night. The day girls were cute and coy and, would go with you when they got off at 5:00pm. No bar fine and all night.
They never expected money but they would accept a “present” so they could quit BKK and go back to Issan and start a chicken farm. No pressure though. If the girls didn’t like you, “so sorry”. A friend of mine married one of the day girls and is happily married, living in the U.S. The night girls were all very good looking. Nights had the standard bar fine action.
Toward Suriwongse, across the street from Goldfinger’s was a place called the Grand Prix owned by an American who was I believe, a contractor in Vietnam during the war. Cute girls pole dancing and NEVER a problem with the bill. Standard bar fine stuff without an attitude. The mamasan was just great and would buy a beer for regulars.
What was cool about this place was that there was a bar in the back which was for the boys. The owner, Rick, was there and there was always U.S. sports on TV. He had boxing, baseball, and, most importantly, the NFL. From time to time there were some VERY scary guys there doing God knows what in SE Asia. They all looked like SEALS or Berets.
A bunch of us had regulars at the Grand Prix. (I was living in Singapore at the time.) When you knew you were going to BKK, you sent the girl a letter and told her the dates you wanted to see her. You would be on the hook for the bar fine on those dates whether you made it or not. In return, the girl would not go with anyone during those dates and she got checked out (the only thing you had to worry about those days was the clap.)
Mine was a cutie from Chang Rai called Jim.
It was a pretty simple way to operate. No illusions she would ever quit the business and no sending money, either. The only downside was you didn’t DARE barfine any other girls from ANY bar on those nights you had “reserved”. That would be very bad for your health unless you were immune to straight razors.
There wasn’t much at Cowboy in those days and Nana didn’t exist. Another favorite was Darling’s for a Darling’s Cheeseburger.
What’s a Darling’s cheeseburger? As the mamasan explained to me.
One girl bun,
Other girl bun,
One girl cheese,
YOU DA MEAT!
1500 Baht @ 25B/$. 2000 Baht for two hours.
View all comments by The Asian Badger
Every Saturday, Rick would show boxing all day from like noon, and the place would be full.
SuperStar was one of the hot places on PP1 as the manager ‘Frank’ opened a disco upstairs that was open all night. He played the best music and it was always packed. I had an interesting time there with some Kuwait Air Hosties back in 1983.
Downstairs, Superstar would show videos all day. You could get something to eat as well.
If you want to go even further back in time, who remembers the Joker Club/Cock ‘n’ Bull at Suk Soi 19 ?
View all comments by bo
@JD: now THAT’S funny!
View all comments by werewolf
Upstairs Kings Corner has been around for years depending on the crowd still swinging until sunrise:
Good old Peppermint was great, met my Burmese partner of 4yrs there, great romance while it lasted, think she’s in the States now, married some GI?
Eighties through early 90’s many a bar, subject to punters were still rolling until 3, Safari, Goldfingers to name a few I can remember. The Tavern Bar [now a dump but still open] was the only bar open 24hrs/365 and still is today, used have stunning hostess:
God, all this shit is bringing back memories>>>>>>>>>>
View all comments by laocowboy
jd - nice one!
great comments guys. I may roll this into one post for easier reading by people. quality stuff.
I want more info about the cocktail clubs and the old petch road scene.
View all comments by smitty
I told you JD was funny.
I can’t wait til am old and can speak about the Big Mango Bar & the Rainbows packed with 100’s of hot girls. Cowboy with it’s relaxing long time attitude (they use to clean your room and feed you). The Ratchada clubs and sopies. Gentlemans clubs and Lolita’s. Afterhours….
To the good days.. What a country!
View all comments by Young Royal
Went to the King’s Corner After Hours Club opening last night (look for the huge King’s Corner sign on Patpong I, the entrance is right around the corner). It was a star studded affair with balloons and everything. Well, no stars but plenty of after work Patpong girls around.
The club is average size, holding a hundred or so folks. The music was amazing. The DJ was spinning great house and they had a guy in this crazy drum cage complimenting it nicely with freestyle bongos/drums. I bought him a shot of Tequila he was so good.
The crowd was about 60-70% freelancers with a sprinkling of Farang men, Ladyboys, and Thais.
200baht door with a free drink included. Great add to the After Hours scene. Patpong is seriously alive after midnight. GoGo’s go until 3am and various bars on Patpong II go all night. Funky Dojo’s was cranking as well.
One note about King’s Castle II I believe, the one that has been doing 50% ladies and 50% ladyboys for the longest time. It used to be fun to take newbies there and play “Guess the Ladyboy”. Well, it’s 100% Ladyboy now with most of them cut. We’ll just have to take the “Guess the Ladyboy” game to the street now or I believe Lollipop in Nana is still 50-50.
View all comments by pmmp
I was in Kings Castle III two weeks ago and it was 50/50. The girls and the “girls” took turns on stage.
View all comments by werewolf
ww: yeah, I was there about a month ago and it was 50-50. I believe it just switched over or the Ladyboys ate the Ladies. I went with my friend FOD and one of the boys/girls took a liking to him. He asked him/her if there were any ladies there. He/she said he/she is not supposed to say and then asked him if he wanted his/her phone number so he could call him/her later. FOD declined.
View all comments by pmmp
Thanks KennyNaNa, King’s Castle it was. Back then Nana had 200-300 Baht Bar Fines and 500 Baht was the standard for a short time. Even long time sometimes if you were extra friendly to the girls.
The Disco in Nana Hotel was just starting to get popular and there was of course never an entrance fee back then.
After hour’s places where you could see a whole bunch of go-go girls who wanted to party (and choose their own bed mates for the evening) went to venues like Country Road II at the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 19, but most went to Gung-Pao on Ratchada.
Shadow Jack eventually sold his bar at Cowboy situated between Long Gun and Raw Hide and moved up to Esan. He was a good friend of Trink and the two of them could be seen sitting outside in front of the bar, Trink with his big Owl Medallion, and Jack would probably give him enough tid-bits to fill half his weekly column. Remember, back then there was not the internet in the form it is today, so night life reporters like Trink had to actually hit the streets to gather intelligence, as opposed to readers writing. You can read more about the Trink legacy here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Trink
Unfortunately I believe Jack is no longer with us. Rumor has it a few years after moving up to Esan he got lynched. According to the girls who worked in his bar, although he had seemed like a hardened pervert, he could not perform as a result of an accident he encountered during the Vietnam war. Jack RIP.
View all comments by Bangkok Biatch
Now they have stolen my girlfriend killed my fatrher murdered my children all 5 of them and damaged my mother’s heart to make 20,000.00 in a health scam….
Erik Young
View all comments by Erik Young