The Bangkok Scene
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Suriwongse, Silom, and Sathorn are the three major streets (sois) that offer the most gay venues for the visiting tourist and are the most popular areas for the gay tourist and most of the expat community. Everything you need is here;
Suriwongse Road is where the boy go-go bars are; located on Soi Duangthawee right up the street from the Tarntawan Hotel—a great gay hotel. Stop in at Dick’s Café or Maxis Restaurant for some great Thai or western food before hitting the bars. Silom has the most to see, with three Sois offering some great gay venues. Silom Soi 2, featuring the famous DJ Station and other pubs, is the most popular soi on Silom. A two-minute walk from there is Silom Soi 2/1, where @Richard’s Pub & Restaurant and G.O.D nightclub (after-hours dancing) is located. About 4 minutes from here is Silom Soi 4, with Sphinx Restaurant, Balcony Pub, and Telephone Pub.
In between Silom and Sathorn Road, there are several massage salons, and on Soi Sala Daeng, you can have a great dinner at Fab Cuisine. The Sathorn area is spread out, and has many places for you to enjoy. Everyone has heard of Babylon Sauna featuring a fantastic sauna and guesthouse. Not far from here is Vincent’s Seven Rooms, another nice guesthouse. For the typical foreign traveler, Silom, Sathorn and Suriwongse Roads are the biggest draw. But, in reality those only account for about 15% of the gay scene in Bangkok. There are several other areas where groups of gay venues are located.
Ramkhamhaeng (Lamsalee) is the most popular area, located out on Ramkhamhaeng Road, Soi 89/2, it is probably the busiest gay area in Thailand. It draws hundreds of university students, working professional Thais, and those that just like a good time. With names like See Men, Club 9 Café, ICK Pub, Crazy Dance Club, and Lamsalee Dance Pub, it is a night to remember. Although it is probably 98% Thai, the casual foreigner and expat are welcome. Here the Thais can be themselves without having to worry about the “stigma” of being seen as a “money boy” to the foreign tourist. It takes about 45 minutes from Silom area by taxi.
The next area that is a big draw for Thais is Kamphaeng Pet Road (Oa Tor Kor). Again, very popular with the university students and working Thais, it is located very close to Chatachuk (Weekend Market). With names like Asian Pub, ICY Pub, August Sum, El Ninya, Fake, Greedz, and the most popular Celebrity, it is a great place to check out and being not far from the BTS, it is easy to get to.
About 10 minutes from there, is Saphan Kwai (Pradiphat). The area has
mostly karaoke pubs (host bars) and a couple of saunas: Adonis Sauna,
Farose, I Sauna, Adam Karaoke, Eagle Pub, Stax (formerly go-go), and
Charming Pub. This
area is where the Thai’s go looking for a young Thai man to spend the
evening with, or go to a sauna to “relax.” Located between Aree and
Saphan Kwai BTS, it is very easy to get to.
Keep in mind that these last three areas are very much the “Thai Scene,” with different culture and rules than what you will find in Silom. This is mainly a Thaifor- Thai culture; they are not moneyboys nor looking for a foreigner to date.