A Night To Remember

[camerata]

I came across this old news story while cleaning out my hard disk:

(UPI Spot NewsFeature) (12 July 1996)

Bangkok expats mourn Thermae closure

By John Hail

BANGKOK (UPI) -- A late-night Bangkok expatriate institution

for 35 years, the Thermae Coffee Shop, will close its doors for

the last time Sunday.

During the Vietnam War it vied for the prize of "favorite G.I.

bar" with such legendary late-night haunts as the Thai Yanok and

the Grace Hotel.

Only the Thermae survived Bangkok's frenzied modernization and

building boom basically unchanged -- until Sunday when a wrecking

crew is due to begin carting away the tacky chairs and tables

that supported the Thermae's distinctly Thai floating world.

Seven nights a week, barring coups and Buddhist holidays, the

Thermae was packed with mainly Western men and mainly

Northeastern Thai women from midnight through the wee hours.

Their intercultural interaction varied from a "short-time" to

a lifetime.

There are no statistics on how many marriages began with a

furtive glance -- or grope -- at the Thermae. But there can be no

doubt that the crowded, subterranean coffeeshop in the heart of

Bangkok's Sukhumvit Road tourist belt was a prime breeding ground

for a vast number of Thai-foreigner romantic liaisons.

"The first time I dropped down to the Thermae was in 1967 and

most of the customers were G.I.s," recalled Norman Smith, 54, a

long-time American resident of Thailand. "In those days there was

a lot of rivalry between the services, mostly between the Marines

and the Army, so there were lots of fights."

He said intense rivalry also existed between the American

servicemen on "rest and recreation" visits from Vietnam and the

more than 50,000 G.I.s based in Thailand, referred to derisively

by the combat veterans as "Bangkok warriors."

"After the bars closed the Thermae would fill up with G.I.s

and a few civilians," Smith said. "The juke box played the song

'San Francisco' over and over. The girls from the massage parlor

upstairs drifted down in their pink hot pants. It was great."

The name Thermae is of Greek origin, a kind of bath house

where Romans gathered to discuss the issues of the day.

Bangkok's Thermae reputedly sold more beer -- mainly the

potent local favorite, Singha -- than any other outlet in

Thailand.

High volume and, it was whispered, first-rate police

connections, made the Thermae resistant, but not immune, to

periodic vice crackdowns and coups.

Post-coup curfews would generally push the Thermae's prime

time back a few hours. Then, as the midnight hour approached, a

mating frenzy would sweep the coffeeshop.

Those who managed to pair up in time would then have to deal

with the taxi drivers whose greed knew no bounds in the countdown

to curfew.

The Thermae has survived by bending with the prevailing

political and economic winds.

When the G.I.s pulled out in 1976 the breech was filled by a

surge of European "sex tourists," and waves of youthful

back-packers.

The Thermae partied on.

Bangkok-based Canadian novelist Christopher Moore found

inspiration in the Thermae for a series of novels. In "A Killing

Smile," the thinly disguised Thermae is called "Headquarters."

Like many of the Thermae's "old hands," Moore mourned the

closing of "HQ" as the end of an era.

"The Thermae was the perfect crossroads where people of all

nationalities dropped into the underworld, the nightworld," Moore

said. "No one was excluded. Old hands. New hands. People with no

hands. The Thermae was the ultimate party, a celebration of

conversation, local gossip, travelers information and of course,

there were the women."

The Thermae women have, in general, accepted the nightspot's

imminent destruction more philosophically than the men. "Mai pen

rai" (Never mind), is, after all, Thailand's unofficial national

motto.

"We only came here because the coffee was cheaper than at the

Grace, the Nana and the Thai Yanok," shrugged one distaff Thermae

25-year veteran. "There will always be another place."

Indeed, a "new Thermae," located in a basement a couple of

doors up Sukhuvit Road is scheduled to open Tuesday.

"I'm sorry we have to close," lamented a Thermae waiter. "But

what can I do? They want to build a condo or something. Come to

the new place. It will be just the same."

But old Thermae hands already have started complaining it's

just not the same.

[chiang mai]

You had to love the old Thermae with it's entry way through the kitchen. Experiencing the old Thermai is akin to experiencing flying in to Kai Tak, just as thrilling. Sigh...

[Ulysses G.]

The second one, you can go in through the toilet!

[chiang mai]

The second one, you can go in through the toilet!

I wouldn't know UG.

[IMA_FARANG]

You had to love the old Thermae with it's entry way through the kitchen. Experiencing the old Thermai is akin to experiencing flying in to Kai Tak, just as thrilling. Sigh...

Through the KITCHEN...well I haven't been there for a good 20 years at least....but I don't recall entering through the KITCHEN. You came in through the toliets. Nothing like entering to the sight of a Thai ladyboy hiking his/her skirt to use the urinal as you entered.

Once had an English acquaintance, Mike,who was with me in the Thermae and was approached by a Farang guy in drag, not even really attempting to look much like a female. He swished over to my friend and sat down beside him, put his arm around my friend, and said,"Hey big boy, why don't we get out of here together?" Mike was about to punch him out, when the guy introduced himself. Seems that he and Mike had been mates together in school in Liverpool.

Never knew what you would find in the old Thermae.

It just dawns on me that we might be talking about different places....maybe your talking about an old Thermae...However I;m definately talking about the one on Sukhumvit, where you went in through the TOILET.

Edited March 15, 2008 by IMA_FARANG

[Ulysses G.]

I think that they were BOTH on Sukhumvit and the NEW one is where you go in through the toilet if you enter on the first floor.

Edited March 15, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[Mobi]

I used to frequent the Thermae and Grace back in the 70's, and even recall being "locked in " during curfew periods. No great hardship.

Around 2 a.m., when things were getting pretty quiet in the Grace, was the usual time to adjourn to the Thermae, which used to buzz all night long.

I don't reckon I've been in the Thermae for at least 25 years, but I do recall entering through a toilet, although there was another entrance.

I wasn't aware that there were ever two Thermaes, and I didn't even know it was closed down. I thought I'd seen a sign for it on Suk in the same location it always was, or maybe my memory is playing tricks on me.

[Neeranam]

The old one was great - what a night we had there on my 30th birthday - 1994.

The new Thermae was ok too re. 96-99 - many a morning I'd come out at daylight.

[chiang mai]

I think that they were BOTH on Sukhumvit and the NEW one is where you go in through the toilet if you enter on the first floor.

Indeed 'tis the case. The original (or old) Thermai was much smaller than the more modern newer Thermae and only had a single entrance, via the kitchen and was located in a soi off Sukhumvit just South of the newer location. Perhaps my memory is playing tricks now but as I recall the room was very small and full of old wooden picnic style benches - I also recall there being multiple juke boxes which for a room of its size was ludicrous. The newer or current Thermae is pretty characterless by comparison and as someone once said, resembles the bar in the Star Wars movies.

[chiang mai]

For the sake of clarity: The old Thermae closed down because I believe the land/building was sold to developers and the new one opened just one or two blocks North as the old one closed. Entry to the new or existing Thermae is from Sukhumvit, down a long flight of steps, or via the rear exit which involves going past the toilets. I cannot remember the year the Thermae transitioned but it was certainly after construction had started on the sky train so I guess that would mean post 1997.

[Enigma56]

For the sake of clarity: The old Thermae closed down because I believe the land/building was sold to developers and the new one opened just one or two blocks North as the old one closed. Entry to the new or existing Thermae is from Sukhumvit, down a long flight of steps, or via the rear exit which involves going past the toilets. I cannot remember the year the Thermae transitioned but it was certainly after construction had started on the sky train so I guess that would mean post 1997.

Was the access not from Sukhumvit as the basement to the Ruamchit Hotel or a I thinking of another worthy etablishment!!!

[taxexile]

there was an entrance from sukhumvit to the old thermae , but to avoid the walk of shame , the more discerning clients used the rear entrance/exit via the toilets and the kitchens , accessed via a narrow covered passage between two buildings that led to a small car park at the back.

[Prakanong]

For the sake of clarity: The old Thermae closed down because I believe the land/building was sold to developers and the new one opened just one or two blocks North as the old one closed. Entry to the new or existing Thermae is from Sukhumvit, down a long flight of steps, or via the rear exit which involves going past the toilets. I cannot remember the year the Thermae transitioned but it was certainly after construction had started on the sky train so I guess that would mean post 1997.

Was the access not from Sukhumvit as the basement to the Ruamchit Hotel or a I thinking of another worthy etablishment!!!

Thats the new one

The old one was amazing

[chiang mai]

there was an entrance from sukhumvit to the old thermae , but to avoid the walk of shame , the more discerning clients used the rear entrance/exit via the toilets and the kitchens , accessed via a narrow covered passage between two buildings that led to a small car park at the back.

Call me discerning if you like but I never realized there was any other entrance! I mean, it's not as though customers went there during the daytime hours and could see much of the layout, unless you call 6:0am daytime!!

[Spaniel]

You had to love the old Thermae with it's entry way through the kitchen. Experiencing the old Thermai is akin to experiencing flying in to Kai Tak, just as thrilling. Sigh...

I have only been to the "new" Thermae a few times so I'm not much of an authority on it but I do recall that if you enter by the rear entrance you do go pass the toilets.

Now for the "old" Thermae I do consider myself somewhat of an authority having first gone there first in 1968 and spent many a night there. First there were two entrances. The front one on Sukhumvit you entered by going down a short flight of steps and entered with several booths on the left and the bar straight ahead. The rear entrance you came in the door and there were the toilets, procede down a short hallway then down a short flight of steps and you were in, the bar being on your immediate right. Some mentioned going thru the kitchen. That isn't exactly right. When you came in the back door you came to the steps the kitchen was off to the right. You never actually went thru the kitchen. I never remember seeing more then one juke box in the place.

Norman Smith in the article mentioned seeing "many'" fights. I recall seeing a few over the years but I wouldn't hardly say it was many and I really doubt that Norman was there more often then myself.