Thai Karaoke Bars

[simon43]

It is regretable that so many posters here assume that all woman who work in a Thai karaoke bar are available 'for hire'. Perhaps that is why many 'farang' guys in Thailand have such a poor reputation with the locals....

Anyway, back on topic. I have been to quite a few Thai karaoke bars (the tinshack style of operation). Sometimes I have been alone or sometimes with my wife/ex/GF. Never had any problems, always very friendly atmosphere.

I actually prefer them to bars/venues that attracts foreigners because I can have a drink, chat with the staff, even sing a bit and not be hassled by those seeking to be 'hired' and not being forced to listen to Sven the drunken Swedish tourist tell me about his sexual exploits in Patong

Simon

[nidge]

It is regretable that so many posters here assume that all woman who work in a Thai karaoke bar are available 'for hire'. Perhaps that is why many 'farang' guys in Thailand have such a poor reputation with the locals....

Anyway, back on topic. I have been to quite a few Thai karaoke bars (the tinshack style of operation). Sometimes I have been alone or sometimes with my wife/ex/GF. Never had any problems, always very friendly atmosphere.

I actually prefer them to bars/venues that attracts foreigners because I can have a drink, chat with the staff, even sing a bit and not be hassled by those seeking to be 'hired' and not being forced to listen to Sven the drunken Swedish tourist tell me about his sexual exploits in Patong

Simon

Exactly.

[eek]

It is regretable that so many posters here assume that all woman who work in a Thai karaoke bar are available 'for hire'. Perhaps that is why many 'farang' guys in Thailand have such a poor reputation with the locals....

You get an "exactly" from me too. Also, maybe from how the OP worded it, im not sure, but seems some assume he wants to know what the price of a girl would be. Apparently you can barter lower than 500 baht. Geez learn something everyday. For a moment i thought i was reading about cattle, not women.

[mca]

Most of the time i went to Karaoke alone it was in Issan. Chaiyaphum to be precise. Not too far from Korat but i never had any experience of problems or boyfriends. Possibly because they knew I was not interested in taking a girl? Who knows!

A Farang is seen as a different entity, as you know living in Issan for any period of time.

Had you been a Thai guy from a different town, you may have had a problem with the locals.

Where I live it's the same, some guys from different Villages will not set foot in another village cos they will be beaten by the locals, it's usually teenage gangs that are involved.

But as I'm the only Farang in the Village, I can, and do go wherever I want whilst getting along with everyone.

That's the truth. We seem to exist on a slightly different plane of existence to them. When I wander down the local minimart the local roughnecks usually offer me a gak or two or completely ignore me. Once one of them was really shitfaced and tried to manhandle me in a "You're my best pal" sort of drunken stupor. 2 of his "Karabou" tattooed mates pulled him away offering profuse apologies.

[TAWP]

not be hassled by those seeking to be 'hired' and not being forced to listen to Sven the drunken Swedish tourist tell me about his sexual exploits in Patong

I resent that, I wasn't talking about Patong as I have never been there, and I wasn't that drunk and my name isn't even Sven!

[simon43]

Sorry Tawp, it was eating the meatballs and spitting the meat sauce in my face as you spoke that made me think you were Swedish

Simon

[TAWP]

Sorry Tawp, it was eating the meatballs and spitting the meat sauce in my face as you spoke that made me think you were Swedish

Well, I am Swedish, so the meatballs did give me away...

And at this time I would like to bring a Simpson's quote to the witness stand:

Grandpa: My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot, a communist, but he is not a porn star.

[otherstuff1957]

I've been in a few Karaoke Bars varying from the slick one's with loads of girls sitting outside to little shacks made from scrap wood & corrugated iron. I would say the the girls at a couple of them were probably available, but most of the Karaoke Bars I've seen seem to be just like bars back in the US, but with singing.

[JimSiam]

I received an email from an old friend today, he heared that some karaoke bars charge you 70B/hour for a girl sitting next to you...

Some in Chiang Mai are 200b/hr for that

[Heng]

I much prefer the ones where there's an actual hotel like lobby, and prefer to have the gals sing as opposed to me singing.

[senshusband]

My wife and I have went to Karaokes in different parts of Thailand and have usually had a good time. It is strange though, that the ones we went to had about 3 songs with english lyrics and I was the only non-Thai. Still had a good time. Heck, after 2 bottles of Regency even the Thai men sounded good. LOL As far as feeling threatened, never. Usually made chat with the Thais and enjoyed the company. We prefer to go to the live band discos around Udon. I thoroughly enjoy going to Sawaan Daeng because it is the same atmosphere I like being in back in the States, only its in Thai. Also, they occasionally have well-known artists come in and rock out. One time my wife and I got there and the singer from Marijuana (Thai rock band) was there and I rocked out just like I would in the States. I think there was 1 or 2 other non-Thais there, but not really into it that much. I had so many Thai guys (straight) buying me drinks and rocking out with me that I couldn't see straight after the show. Part exhaustion, mostly drunk. When I go into karaokes or discos, I am there to have a good time just like everyone else and act more Thai than American. I seem to earn more respect from others that way. But hey, that's just me. Everybody's different.

[TheGoodDoctor]

"It is regrettable that so many posters here assume that all woman who work in a Thai karaoke bar are available 'for hire'."

I am 24 and well off, so perhaps my experiences differ from your own, but yes, all of these girls are available to me * (not that I am overly interested). I don't think this is a very well respected profession in Thailand and I do not think its a profession that women take up if they are not looking for this type of relationship with men. Therefore, its sort of funny to see people rushing to defend the honor of the girls working in these places. I doubt you would see a Thai (male or female) doing the same thing.

*I have not been to any of the tin shack local man karaokes with the stray dogs running around the dirt floor spreading disease.

[oevna]

I feel a long story coming on...

(Apologies in advance -- feel free to tl;dr)

Once while riding in a taxi in Bangkok and having the usual taxi ride conversation with the driver, he asked me if I "like Thai lady" and said that he has a sister back home in Ubon. He then pointed at two ladies walking down the street and said "she look like that. You want meet?"

I tried to dodge the issue, but he kept bringing it up. He insisted that I at least take her phone number, and give her a call some time. So I took the number, never intending to call it. Can you see where this is going?

Soooo.... it turns out she is one of these girls who works in a Thai karaoke bar. I had never been to Ubon and had no plans to, so I figured I'd never end up meeting her. However, towards the end of this particular six-month stay in Thailand, and after taking a brief trip to Laos, I re-entered Thailand through Ubon and spent the night there, before returning to where I was staying in Thailand. Can you guess who I called? That's right, Mr. Taxi Driver's sister.

Oh boy, turned out to be a total disaster! The karaoke bar that she worked at was across the river in Warin Chamrab, not in Amphoe Meuang (central district) where I was staying. I hunted around outside for a tuk tuk that would take me there, and gave him the directions that the taxi driver's sister had given me.

When I arrived, P' Taxi's sister met me outside and led me in. She didn't look much like the girls that he had pointed to on that taxi ride! But no matter, she seemed nice, and I was up for an adventure. The place was dark and had several high-walled booths that you could sit down at and order food. Each booth had a large television playing various karaoke songs, accompanied by a video slideshow of scantily clad women. You could choose which songs you wanted to play from a book, but since I didn't know much Thai music at the time, I left it up to P' Taxi's sister.

She also invited several of her friends to sit down at the table with us, who apparently hadn't eaten yet. They asked if "we" could order some food. Well, being the gentleman that I am, I obliged. They then proceeded to order plates of seafood, larb, som tam, neua yang, sticky rice, etc. I had a beer, since I had already eaten. This was all adding up quickly (from scanning the prices of the things they were ordering and making a rough tally in my head), so at some point I mentioned that I wasn't sure how much this was going to cost, and I didn't have a huge amount of cash on me. This precipitated uncomfortable looks, which signaled me to request the bill.

Fortunately, the bill (plus tips for my company) came to just a little less than the amount of money I had brought with me (I fully expected to lose it all, and I left all valuables and other cash hidden in my hotel room). This left me just enough for a tuk tuk ride back to my hotel, which I returned to (alone).

Don't take this to mean that I think all karaoke shops will turn out like this. I'm sure there is great variation among them, and some are probably a lot of fun. I just wanted to relate my only relevant experience to this thread. Hope my story wasn't too long!

[senshusband]

Speaking of Karaoke bars, my wife was reading Thai news the other day and told me about a man in Chiang Mai who went to a karaoke bar and after spending about 3 hours was charged 30,000 baht for his food/drinks/songs/whatever he had. I guess the man was shocked by the amount or didn't have the money and the police got involved. Anyone know more about this?

[Heng]

Pretty easy to run up a bill like that in 2-3 hours at Forte, Piano, Resort, etc., no need to go to CM.

[mca]

Speaking of Karaoke bars, my wife was reading Thai news the other day and told me about a man in Chiang Mai who went to a karaoke bar and after spending about 3 hours was charged 30,000 baht for his food/drinks/songs/whatever he had. I guess the man was shocked by the amount or didn't have the money and the police got involved. Anyone know more about this?

It was in Bangkok

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/search/rea...keyword=karaoke

[JimsKnight]

Most people have probably seen Thai Karaoke bars but has anyone been to some Karaoke bar/pub?

We have seen some pretty girls around some Karaoke bars, I don't do karaoke but I do drink a beer here and there with my friend, we speak "Thai nidnoi" and we like to try something new. Anyone been to a Thai Karaoke bar/pub outside Sukhumvit area?

If you have been there: What did they charge you for a beer and how about the girls?

Please share your experiences with us.

Jns.

Some are good, some are bad. You just have to find out for youself really. Get a feel for the ones you like.

The good-looking girls *usually* have thai boyfriends or sponsors. So hunting for the girl isn't really doable unless you hit it lucky.

Beer tends to be in the big bottles, small ones are usually unheard of. It's best to bring your own drink and just pay for a mixer and ice.

For the girl to sit with you it's usually not much more than 100 baht an hour.

If you buy her a drink this tends to be at lady drink prices. If she sings a song you need to put money in the machine.

Scams are not unknown. If they ask you if you want food it might be a good idea to take a pass. The price of food can be quite high.

If multiple girls are sitting down and leaving after 10 minutes then this is often a scam as you might get hit with multiple 100 baht fee's.

Did I say you need to speak at least passable thai? If not you're out of luck in most cases.

For all that you can meet some ladies in there that are indeed keepers and genuinely interested in a foreigner who is off the beaten track...

Trying to hit on the girls is hit and miss.

She may not like farang guys (hence the reason for not choosing a beer bar) she may not want to piss off her bf etc.

Play the slow game and develop ties progressively, rather than all-in like in the bars.

You can meet some good thai lads out on the lash in these places, but also a few alcholic losers you ought to steer clear of. Again, choosing the right kareoke you like is a good idea to reduce being hassled or pan-handled.

So my advice is learn thai. Go down to one and see how you like it. Compared to the beer bars it's not all bad

[JimsKnight]

EDIT

[senshusband]

Thanks mca for that link. I didn't the full story before as it was in a Thai language news coloumn and it was "summed up". The media does make the bars out to be the "thugs", but there might be something more that a lot of people don't see. For instance, I have been to hotels and resorts that have some hidden fees that pop up at check out time. The charges apply to everyone, but its not something that most people would think of as a charged service. For example, a man goes to a karaoke bar, sits down and orders a drink, and then looks through the menu. Out of nowhere a girl comes and sits next to this man and strikes up a conversation. They chat, maybe sing a few songs together, eat a snack, whatever. When it is time for this guy to go home, he is presented with a bill for X amount of baht because this girl came and sat with him! I seriously doubt the ladies tell you straight out, "hey can I come and hang out with you for 70 baht an hour?"

Something that my wife and her friends do everytime we go out to places like this is pay as we go. We never keep a bill. We will order a bottle of Regency and bottles of soda water and coca-cola. When it is brought to us, we pay right then. I never thought anything about it before, but it looks like a good way to keep track of everything that is being billed for.

[katana]

Speaking of Karaoke bars, my wife was reading Thai news the other day and told me about a man in Chiang Mai who went to a karaoke bar and after spending about 3 hours was charged 30,000 baht for his food/drinks/songs/whatever he had. I guess the man was shocked by the amount or didn't have the money and the police got involved. Anyone know more about this?

It was in the Tharath last Wednesday. Appears to have happened in Chiang Mai too on 17/10/09. The charge was 31.5k Baht for 3 hours for 2 people.

The police captain was saying the over-charging is not an isolated incident there and he's received reports of it before.

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/41318

Only been to a karaoke bar a couple of times, but personally never seen the attraction (seemed to have mainly singing going on and nothing else). Over-priced drinks and plates of fruit and food that could be had for a fraction of the price elsewhere, mixed with vocals that are invariably out of key.

[jns72]

Speaking of Karaoke bars, my wife was reading Thai news the other day and told me about a man in Chiang Mai who went to a karaoke bar and after spending about 3 hours was charged 30,000 baht for his food/drinks/songs/whatever he had. I guess the man was shocked by the amount or didn't have the money and the police got involved. Anyone know more about this?

It was in the Tharath last Wednesday. Appears to have happened in Chiang Mai too on 17/10/09. The charge was 31.5k Baht for 3 hours for 2 people.

The police captain was saying the over-charging is not an isolated incident there and he's received reports of it before.

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/41318

Only been to a karaoke bar a couple of times, but personally never seen the attraction (seemed to have mainly singing going on and nothing else). Over-priced drinks and plates of fruit and food that could be had for a fraction of the price elsewhere, mixed with vocals that are invariably out of key.

That must have been pro karaoke singers..

[tangqian86]

We usually go some Karaoke Bars which sponsored by Taiwanese, cos we Chinese like to play Karaoke, but can only sing Chinese songs. The one that named "I karaoke" is on Rachada, and the other is near RCA. I think the girl at "I karaoke" is beautiful, but they r just waitress. The expense for drinking is average.

[shawndoc]

One more link about the 30k baht bill.

http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2009/1...oke-scam?blog=8

[Ijustwannateach]

This kind of scam is old as the hills... pays to ask for a menu or price list anywhere to make sure you're not going to get fleeced. Don't assume, especially if the place looks expensive (and if they have 'hostesses' for company, they are expensive!). Applies to restaurants and bars, too.

[ThaiEye]

One more link about the 30k baht bill.

http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/2009/1...oke-scam?blog=8

LOL.. that final bill is around 12,000 baht just for 3 hours of female company.

[gvallee2]

i gotta add again:

Everytime i have been to a karaoke, every single girl there even the waiters are interested in having sex upstairs for a small fee or obviously sometimes for free. Lies about them not wanting it are produced by the old farang who speaks thai and has been here for a long time thinking that his thai ability makes him as attractive as a non-fat younger guy.

I have also never heard from anyone else that wasnt asked for a trip to the upstair room by most girls in those small karaoke joints.

They do love to drink all your cola/ice while you're not looking and charging you a ton for it.. but hey. Again thats the fault of the long-time expat which is perfect thai that only order 30baht and spends the whole night there. they make the normal people pay for those cheap bastards that beg for sex untill the joint closes

[nidge]

i gotta add again:

Everytime i have been to a karaoke, every single girl there even the waiters are interested in having sex upstairs for a small fee or obviously sometimes for free. Lies about them not wanting it are produced by the old farang who speaks thai and has been here for a long time thinking that his thai ability makes him as attractive as a non-fat younger guy.

I have also never heard from anyone else that wasnt asked for a trip to the upstair room by most girls in those small karaoke joints.

They do love to drink all your cola/ice while you're not looking and charging you a ton for it.. but hey. Again thats the fault of the long-time expat which is perfect thai that only order 30baht and spends the whole night there. they make the normal people pay for those cheap bastards that beg for sex untill the joint closes

Not all long time expats are old. Not all karaoke bars have upstairs rooms. Some only have 2 rooms and one of them is the toilet. Perhaps you should get off the steps of 7/11 and get out more.

[gvallee2]

i gotta add again:

Everytime i have been to a karaoke, every single girl there even the waiters are interested in having sex upstairs for a small fee or obviously sometimes for free. Lies about them not wanting it are produced by the old farang who speaks thai and has been here for a long time thinking that his thai ability makes him as attractive as a non-fat younger guy.

I have also never heard from anyone else that wasnt asked for a trip to the upstair room by most girls in those small karaoke joints.

They do love to drink all your cola/ice while you're not looking and charging you a ton for it.. but hey. Again thats the fault of the long-time expat which is perfect thai that only order 30baht and spends the whole night there. they make the normal people pay for those cheap bastards that beg for sex untill the joint closes

Not all long time expats are old. Not all karaoke bars have upstairs rooms. Some only have 2 rooms and one of them is the toilet. Perhaps you should get off the steps of 7/11 and get out more.

what was the point of your post, you're clearly unattractive to thais if you have not been propositioned by working girls(its their job?) and should just leave it at that.

Even in the west almost all bartenders are manwhore or simple whores, they just don't charge you directly when you get with one of them because the whole lot of guys at the said bar paid her 'taxi cab fare' already with every order bringing them the equivalent of 50baht to 100baht

what would be the difference in a country where prostitution is one of the main way to make money without education and is widely accepted and used by the male population? in a country where having orgies in the 9th grade without protection was the in thing to do 10years before it was in the west?

Oh ya hte main difference is the average thaivisa poster who can't accept that there is prostitution and scams in the only country they can afford to live in.

it's simple. Ask a thai male where to go to get puuying, he will bring you to his favorite karaoke joint, 5mins later if you're not disgusting looking you'll be off with almost anyone from the staff. this is a simple fact. wrap your head around it or just disconnect your internet and keep dreaming in your fake world.

[nidge]

The point of my post is that just because every karaoke bar YOU have been to is full of bar girls it does not make EVERY karaoke bar the same. You must be so handsome that you are beating girls away from yourself with a shitty stick. Your experience and opinion has no more value than anyone elses. Someone elses experiences are not wrong just because they differ from yours. Thai guys that go to karaoke bars to get girls will only go to the ones where they know you can get them. There are plenty of other karaoke bars where women go to sing or even for families go. I've been to places where mums and kids have been singing without a br girl in sight. Thankfully narrow minded whoremongers do not frequent places like this.

[rics21]

are discussing on prostitution?