editor’s note: Although I do not go to SWSM often, I have been a few times and all of my pulls there have been good. One of them so good I wrote about it here. All in the name of balanced reporting.
Unknown to most Nana/Soi Cowboy/Sukhumvit-centric farang is a girl supermarket (OK more like a minimart) located within a 50 THB round trip cab ride of the Asoke BTS. This is the street behind the Siam Hotel on Petchaburi. You can tell the taxi driver to head north on Rachada from Soi Cowboy, turn right on Petchaburi, drive past the Siam Hotel and take the first left. You’ll usually see some girls standing on the street as soon as you turn left.
Behind the hotel is a by day nondescript street that at night is a Streetwalkers Gallery. The girls spread themselves out along a 300 meter stretch and there is enough activity to support an infrastructure of food carts and snack and alcohol vendors.
The street comes alive around 9PM and is still going strong at 3AM on weekends. The girls stand singly or in groups along the street, and cars and taxis turn onto the street from the eastern end, form a line, and slowly cruise down the line of girls. If you spot a girl you like, roll down the window, the girl(s) stroll over and you attempt to transact. The girls are very friendly and happy to chat.
You can also get out of the cab, get a drink at one of the carts, sit down on the lawn furniture, scope the action, and take your time to chat up the girls.
Depending on the night and time there are 15 to 75 girls standing out on the street, sitting at the food carts, or relaxing on the curb.
I haven’t figured out the logic of what makes the street busy so a visit can be a hit or miss affair. The market is usually going strong around 2AM when the Rachada clubs start to empty out. Nothing ventured nothing lost so if the street is dead you just have to come back another night. If you wanted a boring predictable life you would have stayed back in The World—right?
Girl quality is surprisingly good. On average the TG’s are better looking than Nana Parking lot and the Biergarten on Soi 7. Many are nicely dressed in short shorts, miniskirts, heels, and, of course, many wear the ubiquitous TG working girl uniform of low rider jeans and tank tops. The girls are mostly made up for Thai customers with white powder on their faces to lighten up their complexions. English language ability is usually limited.
Bored between Midnight and 4AM? The 75 THB taxi tour of the SWSM is highly recommended. Rather than wasting your time and paying a big cover charge at one of the hit or miss after hours clubs, it is economical and time efficient to take a short taxi ride to the SWSM and quickly scope the action. Occasionally when heading home alone late at night on my motorcycle I’ll make a detour, get in the line, and check out the girls.
I recommend getting out of your taxi at one end of the street, walking down the street, and talking with the girls that interest you. When you try to transact from the car, there is unwanted pressure to make a quick decision because the cars behind you cannot move down the line until you move on to the next group of girls.
The girls are available for ST, LT, and for backseat action (provided you have your own vehicle). If you do not want to take them home the Siam Hotel has short time rooms available.
Everything sounds rosy, so why is the SWSM a Place to Avoid?
On the surface the SWSM looks like an ideal setup. There is a good selection of girls to choose from. There are no fixed costs to be covered like a traditional beer bars or Go Gos that have to pay rent, electricity, police bribes, etc. The customer base is almost exclusively Thai, so Thai prices should prevail, and the numerous girls are competing with each other putting you in a good bargaining posture. For the girls to net 1000THB for ST and 1500THB for LT the girls should go for 1000THB and 1500THB—there are no extra costs that must be covered by the girls or the owner of the venue.
The problem is that the SWSM is not the ideal farang friendly setup it appears to be.
I’ll be upfront and admit that I am not 100% certain of my conclusions. I’ll relate my experiences and my conclusions. You can draw your own conclusion or visit for yourself, do some investigating, and report back.
The first experience occurred when I visited with two friends—one an obvious farang (6 feet tall and white) and a non-working TG. My farang friend wanted to check the place out and the TG just happened to be hanging with us.
My friends and I got out of the cab and started walking down the street. The TG friend wasn’t interested so we left her behind as we walked. When we got 25 meters away from my TG friend, two Thai dudes quickly approached her and told her that she couldn’t do business there and if she didn’t leave immediately they would beat her up. She told them she was with us and not working but they were adamant about her leaving the area. My friend and I came over and explained that she was with us and that seemed to defuse the situation–at least she was left alone while she was within 6 feet of us.
The second experience occurred when I parked my motorcycle at the eastern end of the street and started walking down the street to check out the action. I was approached by one of the Thai dudes, asked where I was from and what kind of girl I liked. This was followed by the normal Bend Over the Farang Routine of I Take Care of You etc. etc. etc. He proceeded to follow me down the street trying to act as intermediary between me and the girls. At the time, my Thai was not good enough to follow the conversation, but I am pretty sure some type of middleman fee was involved. Shedding this guy was not easy.
The third experience happened a couple of times. I am Asian-American and to the untrained eye can pass for a non-farang. Of course, as soon as I open my mouth or an educated person takes a close look, it is obvious I am a farang.
In Thailand, this works for and against me depending on the situation. When visiting the upscale massage places on Ratchada with two-tiered pricing I keep my mouth shut or say I am from Singapore. This is usually sufficient to secure the cheaper Asian pricing. When hanging around Sukhumvit, girls are sometimes reticent to talk and transact because they prefer Caucasians.
At the Streetwalker Supermarket, I like to park my motorcycle at the eastern end and walk down the street. This is better than getting in the line of taxis because you can get a better look at the girls and have a little conversation without the pressure of a line of cars behind you waiting for you to place an order.
Twice while talking to girls, the Thai dudes lurking along the curb came running out to tell the girls in Thai to charge ST 1500THB/ LT 2500THB– 500 to 1000 THB higher than what the free market price should be given the low operating costs and seemingly competitive setup. Never being able to carry the illusion of being Thai through to the quotation stage the “regulated” price for Thai guys remains a mystery but my guess is 500 to 1000 THB lower.
If any readers are Thai and have a car, they could perform a public service by cruising the street and reporting back what prices the girls offer obviously Thai men.
My supposition in that there is some externally enforced pricing system enforced by the Thai Dudes lurking along the curb.
I tentatively conclude the SWSM is not the free market it appears to be. Pressure is applied to charge above the free market price. This is supported by the quality of the girls on the street. The low quality girls who cannot get 1500/2500THB STLT cannot find customers at the regulated price and end up going elsewhere (Lumpini Park—another Place to Avoid simply because the girls there are pretty awful).
I also strongly suspect that the girls either have to pay something to work the street or do not keep 100% of the money they charge.
Girls are not free to just take a taxi to the street, pop off the sweater, strut their stuff and do business. Whether they pay a per customer fee, pay a percentage of what they make, or a lump sum fee that covers a fixed period of time is not clear.
This could explain why the prices on the SWSM are higher than they should be.
It is also possible that some of the girls are working in a white slavery/pimp type arrangement where their handler keeps all their money–a similar arrangement to the Russian girls at CM2 and the Rajah Hotel Coffee shop.
Personally, I am wary of these types of situations. It is fun to drive over and check out the action, but I really do not want anything to do with an organized crime situation— both for personal safety and moral reasons.
If someone could talk their TG into driving over to the SWSM and try to do business, see what happens, and report back, the result would be pretty interesting—and quite an adventure. You did come to Thailand for an adventure right?
Just when you think you have everything figured out new information comes along …..
This week I received contradictory information from a long time bargirl friend who had a “friend” who was a university student and, for a time, worked the Streetwalker Supermarket. This is a different friend from the one who is working Conrad and Spasso mentioned in Places to Avoid #2 Part 2.
A friend of the girl worked the SWSM for a time. She worked without outside interference or fees. She quit after she got scared when she went to a short time hotel with a Thai customer and was robbed of her money, jewelry, and cell phone and on a subsequent day was scooped in a police raid and forced to pay the police 1000 THB or be arrested and booked.
So maybe the pricing is justified—the extra 500-1000THB being charged is a risk premium to compensate for the risk of transacting in an unprotected venue.
I am not sure how this new information integrates with what I already know. In my own mind a definitive judgment about the SWSM has not emerged.
The SWSM is a Place That Warrants Further Investigation not yet a Place to Avoid.
Kenny,
I have a brother-in-law who is Thai Cop in Bangkok and I asked him about this place. He said not to make your investigations to personal with these guys. Some of those Thai dudes you are referring to are, or could be, Laoation, and/or Cambodian. They are really a bad element and they are not beyond killing someone if need be. Don’t get too pushy with them. You should consider labelling this place as one of those places to avoid.
MJ
View all comments by MJ in USA
MJ - Interesting indeed. I don’t see why I would need to avoid the place? I would never take another girl there nor would I engage the so called middleman in any transaction. For sure BBK has hit on some fine points and it would be nice to get some answers but I don’t think I will attempt to. However I see no reason not to pull there and I think the girls are fairly hot, look different than the go go girls and so far I have never heard of or seen any shit going on there. Not to say it does not happen though and for sure this is not a newbie pulling plus but BBK has outlined the issues well. But he appears to be on the fence about the place as well.
Hoping some readers will share their experiences about the place to see what the general consensus is.
Nice post!
View all comments by smitty
I have limited experience so far, but it is close to my home so I will check it again, perhaps with some company.
My one experience was about 10pm on a weeknight. There were only a dozen girls on the road and they all ignored me completely. I’d recently taken a shower so I think it must have been they were for Thai men only. I didn’t see any pimp-types lurking, but if I had that would have put me off.
I also checked the coffeeshop of the Siam Hotel. It was deserted at that time. A “helpful” Thai man tailed me in the car park and said it does not get interesting until midnight but then goes on all night. He said the hotel has short time rooms for 300B - i.e. the same as PB, PP etc.
He then attempted to take me to the nearby Mona Lisa massage place and get me a “special rate”. Specially high I am sure. I politely declined.
I thought the road behind (I think it is called Kampheng Phet Road 7) is not well lit. I would prefer the coffeeshop. I wonder what causes the ladies to choose one venue over another?
PS I am typing this using the free WiFi at Coffee World Esplanade. The girl at the counter is flirting with me and the eye candy walking by is amazing. Oh how I love Thailand.
View all comments by Arthur
I have yet to check out the hotel but need to. The road is not overly lit but I don’t think it is that dark either.
Good to know the wifi spot works.
lots of eye candy at the esplanade.
nice…
View all comments by smitty
The action used to be on the main strip of Petchaburi in front of Saim Hotel but the cops started cracking down so it moved back onto the back service road. Best way for a farang to negotiate the strip would be to do it from a car with a Thai friend transacting. That way the pimps won’t get too involved. And yes, I’ve noticed there are more pimps these days than say a year ago when it was primarily freelancers who didn’t manage to pull in RCA or the Ratchada bars. But now it looks much more organized. I’ve seen girls out until 6.30 in the morning. They were a pretty mangy bunch though.
View all comments by joebkk
Many have reported that the taxi drivers from so-u-wanna-boom detour here on the way to drop them off at their Suk/Nana hotels. In January and April I had this happen to me when I arrived on a late flight.. It appeared to me that the taxi drivers have some arrangement with either the pimps or the SWs. Next month I’ll have to tell the taxi to hurry because my tee-lac is waiting for me
Hopefully he will bypass the detour.
View all comments by zingy
As the Streetwalker Supermarket is on my way home from most places I frequent, I’ve had dozens of opportunities to cruise the isles. I would first and foremost suggest that if you are a newbie and don’t speak thai, it would be best to avoid this place.
I’ve been down the street both in taxis and in friends’ cars. Once, while enjoying a ride with my thai acquaintance and his Hong Kong friend I watched and listend while several pushy mamasans or “pimps” were quickly told to shut up and let us look. My thai friend took his time idling down the street and didn’t seem pressured. However, venturing down the same location by myself, in a taxi after too many beers, the pressure was not as avoidable.
It’s fairly obvious which girls are farang friendly and which are not. I’ve gotten away with 1000 ST and paid as much as 1500. Usually the girls want to go to the A One Hotel on Soi Sumvitjai but can be convinced to visit other quarters.
Best times to visit seem to be between 11 PM and 2 or 3 AM. I’ve seen a number of delectable treats that would suit just about anyones’ tastes. One of the girls I took previously often calls to see if I want to join her and her friends at RCA (I’ve never accepted since I know how much working girls can drink and I know I would be liable for the bill). All in all a good experience. But caveat emptor, if you’ve had a few too many and the sun is coming up, trust me, just go home.
View all comments by The Heckler
Good intelligence Kenny. Way to go deep cover.
One interesting thing mentioned is there being freelancers at RCA (although I guess there may be freelancers at any place in Bangkok where more than 3 girls gather together).
Anyone ever pull from RCA (and I mean pull for money)? I’m not interested in free sex; it costs more.
View all comments by Jack Dawson
I think SWSM is best taken after 12, not drunk and on foot. Worked for me many times and just avoid the thai guys and don’t bother the girls who don’t have farang interest. Almost every time I have pulled there they have been RCA regulars. One was a uni girl looking for book money.
jack - rca. have not pulled myself but my friend did one night. a uni girl but wanted pay for play. he said it was a great pull. shagged her in her room. problem in rca is getting to the girls since the places are so packed u tend to only be able to chat with those around u. so it is kind of like a crap shoot. hanging around during close is when I have had my best shot and chatting people up. then I sometimes head to swsm and see some of the same girls. one way to do it.
good stuff bbk…
View all comments by smitty
I think I came down this street inadvertently in a taxi one night. Is it anywhere near Night Beatz?
There were certainly some nice looking girls about, and the ghostly war paint you describe was much in evidence, but we were going a bit fast for me really to get a good look.
View all comments by Combover
night beatz is at the bottom of Asoke.
Street walker street is behind Siam Hotel - near Petchburi and is called Kampheng Phet Road 7.
And I am a big fan of the place…
View all comments by smitty
So there’s another street with lots of pretty street walkers then?
Woohoo!
View all comments by Combover
Word is that the Siam Hotel is destined to be razed sometime in the near future (they had their closing party for staff last night) and there is to be a new luxury hotel constructed on the site. Wondering if any of you punters have also heard of this and how this would affect the nearby street market (change of location?).
Very informative and fun site to read guys, keep up the good work! Great idea to have an open forum of sorts where everyone can contribute. Congrats on the 2 year anniversary, and hopefully I’ll have a chance to stop into the bar sometime soon.
View all comments by mr. june
mr June - I have not heard anything about it but given how this is happening all over Bangkok - the idea of it does not surprise me. I wonder though if the street has more to do with the location to petchburi and RCA than about the hotel but I guess only time will tell. I have not been by the street in a while. Been too focused on the clubs lately.
Thanks for the info and the compliments.
c u around…
View all comments by smitty
i believe siam hotel is owned by the controlling family that owns natural park public company so would not be surprised that they finally decided to demolish it and build a serviced apartment given it’s close proximity to the airport link. once the airport link is done and the service road is functioning again i think we can kiss this great meat market good bye.
View all comments by joebkk
J - good info. I am sure this is the temptation for any property holder with an old property. What will happen to the Naughty Nightlife of Bkk as the venues keep going away?
The Soi 10 beer bars - gone.
The corner of Asoke - gone.
Eventually soi 33 which is already shrinking
Cowboy?
Nana?
Where will it all go? Seems we need more real freelancer venues that are a step up from Soi 7 beergarden.
Are things moving online? Not super fun but an option. I think the shrinking of venues is why the after hours scene keeps growing for freelancers
One would think the go-go owners would use this opportunity to make what is left of the scene better but it does not look that way.
View all comments by smitty
Well, I accidently stumbled upon this street after leaving RCA about 2AM last month. Many of the girls appeared to dressed as if they were at RCA. Many lookers and younger than the average Sukhumvit regulars.
Apparently as my cab slowed down for me to talk to one of the girls, she realized I wasn’t Thai and abrutly ended the conversation. I have an Asian face(I’m American) which can possibly pass for Thai but once my mouth opened she knew I wasn’t. She told me and the cab driver she only took thai customers. Go figure….
View all comments by thaistyx
thaistyx - some are the same girls who were dancing at rca looking for some cash. no different than some girls working lumpini or a massage parlor - some only want thai customers due to the language issues. that is not to say they all only want Thai. I have pulled there myself a few times. One of my greatest pulls ever was on that street.
View all comments by smitty
A better strategy is to get out and walk down the street. You can check out the girls better, talk to them a little, and gather more information before deciding anything.
Were any prices quoted? I am curious whether the artificial pricing structure is holding up.
BigBabyKenny
View all comments by BigBabyKenny
Been there several times over the years.
In Oct. it was still 1000 ST.
Might have gone up.
They like to go to the A-1 these days They used to come back to your place if you wanted. No more.. . . . . a few street-ish mamasans (pi-sao types) there helping the more unsure newby gals with “decisions”. If one of them “helps” the girl might hint for a couple hundred taxi money.
If she’s cool, why not?
Anybody heard about hotel discount cards? A few years ago a friend told me that Thai guys have these “buying cards” that qualify them for half? price in some of the “smaller hotels”. This innovation may have supplanted the ST joint concept. (So no new ones ?)
I’ll get back to you with more info.
View all comments by thongsuk
passed by this street around 11:30 pm last night. was rammed. taxi driver says it has been busy lately with the economy not going so well. I usually hear 100-1500 st and 2000 lt. there were some hotties.
View all comments by smitty
This is a dangerous place!! Keep out of here.
Another minor detail: there are many ladyboys standing here.
View all comments by Ato
ato - I disagree. It is not dangerous per say but you should know what you are doing. I do not recall in my numerous visits to seeing a lot of ladyboys.
View all comments by smitty
I made multiple runs by The SWSM in the last three weeks.
The best time to go there is between 1AM and 3AM Th-Sat. These are the prime club days for the Rachada clubs and the days/times when there are the most girls and most variety.
There are a smattering of ladyboys there so be careful when you are choosing.
The fixed pricing structure seems to have collapsed and it is more of a free for all than when I originally wrote this post.
The girls ask 1500 THB for ST and only a couple out of the 40 or so girls standing around had any qualms about going with a farang.
95% of the customers are Thai.
My impression is none of the girls hang around the Biergarten, the Thermae or the Sukhumvit and there is no overlap between the girl populations at the SWSM and any of the Sukhumvit venues.
At the recommended hours there is a limited selection of normal girls with their friends looking for spending money.
The normal girls are usually standing around in pairs or small groups and their dress, attitude, and body language make it pretty obvious they are just normal girls and not out there on a regular basis.
If you are tired of GoGo girls and not just looking for an ATM style bang, I recommend approaching the “normal” girls and bringing them back to your place in pairs or groups, liquoring them up, and playing cards, dice, or Nintendo Wii Sports where the loser gives up her clothing and has to perform various lesbian sex acts on the other girls.
For 3000 THB for 2 or 4500 THB for 3, a party with The Normal Girls of The SWSM costs about the same as barfining a single GoGo girl and they can be a barrelful of fun if you know what to do with them.
BigBabyKenny
View all comments by BigBabyKenny
Now you are talking BBK!!!
View all comments by hanuman
Hey Kenny: As you know, my experience is a bit dated. Sounds like things have loosened up a bit for sure. Also, any resistance to going back to your place? I’d really like to see a field report on that cards and dice scenario.
View all comments by thongsuk
Thongksuk,
The Normal Girls of the SWSM are sometimes a bit reticent about going home with a farang.
That is why it is a more comfortable situation and you sometimes have to invite them and their friend(s) back as a pair or group.
If there are two girls and you are only interested in one, you can offer the unwanted girl 500 THB for coming back, just hanging out and getting drunk and offer the one you are interested 1500 THB for banging. Most of the time The Normal Girls of The SWSM will go for this.
It is surprising but when you get home, talk, play games, and such, you not infrequently find yourself interested in banging the one you originally weren’t interest in or at least including her in the banging.
It is Thailand, so no one in The World will believe it, but when you renegotiate to include the previously unwanted girl, they sometimes think it is quite the compliment.
It only costs about 80 THB to take a taxi from SC to the SWSM, get out take a look, and catch a taxi back if you don’t find anything.
Personally, I find the SWSM as productive as Nana parking lot.
It is not for everyone but it definitely has sanuk potential.
View all comments by BigBabyKenny
I am with BBK on this one. The place can be hit or miss but it is always interesting. I have at times seen girls who clearly had just come from RCA and are looking for some extra cash. Other times I see not so hot ones, ones with pimps and some ladyboys. Variety. Anyways. Nothing wrong with checking it out from time to time.
View all comments by smitty
Another positive feature of the SWSM is it is outside the reach of the Sukhumvit TG intelligence network.
Others have written about the common problem farangs have after they have been around Sukhumvit for a while.
The girls have lots of friends and wherever you go there is frequently a friend of a girl you know texting your whereabouts, who you are with, what your doing etc. to girls you have been with or are currently seeing.
You can avoid this problem by going to the SWSM.
Of course, after you use the SWSM a lot, you will probably be registered in the intelligence network of the SWSM girls and have the same problem there.
Life in Thailand is tough isn’t it?
BigBabyKenny
View all comments by BigBabyKenny
bbk - great point and one of my primary reasons for also exploring the g clubs.
View all comments by smitty
how much is for back sit action? where do i park my car and the business? how much do they ask for usually?
what should i say in thai?
View all comments by shontrashi