Soi Cowboy in Bangkok-Bangkok Hot Spots

Soi Cowboy in Bangkok

Bangkok Hot Spots

Soi Cowboy was named after the cowboy hat-wearing African-American who opened the first bar here in the early 1970s, this red-light district has a more laid-back, carnival-like feel to it than Patpong or Nana Plaza. Flashing neon lights up a colourful streetscape comprised mainly of middle-aged expats, Japanese and western tourists, and of course a lot of sexily dressed girls. With cries of 'helloooa, welcome!' the latter try to lure you into one of the 20 or so A go-go bars that line its sides... don't be shy, it's pretty easy going and open-minded. Remember: you might not see this again anywhere else in the world!

  Each is brightly lit and colourful, playing loud music, offering lines of seats typically arranged in tiers around a UV-lit central stage. If you like to be close to the action, another row of stools is available directly around the stage... first timers tend to sit in the back. The girls sway and shimmy, wearing little more than a tiny skirt and a bra... sometimes even less. It seems that the later you come, the less they'll wear. Girls rotate from pole to pole until a full round has been completed, or until a show starts.
Soi Cowboy is fairly straight forward, no traps or scams... so just sit and order a drink: expect to pay 100 to 150 baht, which is rather fair. A girl (or two) might sit next to you and ask for a drink, but never in a pushy way. If you want to enjoy your new friend's company, it's a nice gesture to buy her one and it is not too crazily expensive. Don't hesitate to offer another if you are having a good time, and you will feel good about yourself too. If you chose to sit next to the stage, you are welcome to tip the dancing girls if you feel like... and you will certainly get a bit more attention.

 

Deja Vu A Go-Go

Deja Vu A Go-Go is a fun place with a typical design - a long high stage with poles accommodating up to eight girls and a transparent ceiling above that doesn't seem to be used very often. Unfortunately, shows seem to take place only at the end of the week (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). Staff members are friendly, not pushy and rather more educated than average (that means that their English conversation goes beyond "what's your name?", "where you come from?" and "you buy me a drink?"). Drinks are around 100 baht.

 

Sheba's A Go-Go

Another long stage with eight to ten shiny poles and... what a surprise! A transparent ceiling almost unused. Friendly staff, not pushy. Girls wear less than in other bars, but as usual, everything depends on the time and circumstances. Shows are usually performed at the end of the week when there are enough customers and sometimes include a four-girl lesbian show and a slightly acrobatic and nicely executed four-girl pole dance set to rock music. Girls seem to take it seriously, but with a fun attitude. Price for a beer is 100 to 150 baht.

 

Spice Girl A Go-Go

Not so spicy... Unless this was a bad night. This place offers nothing more than just few girls dancing on the usual stage without much conviction. Staff were too busy having fun in a corner to really say anything interesting about it. No show was available.

  Other establishments include 'The Dollhouse', where girls dance with little enthusiasm. With its transparent glass ceiling and 'schoolgirls' in unfeasibly short skirts, 'Bakara' belongs in a shady Tokyo backstreet - and is predictably a big hit with Japanese punters. 'Rawhide' features exactly that - raw hides, only alongside choreographed dance troupes that vary from the accomplished to the atrocious. We could continue, but the truth is that variables - bars, girls - fluctuate fast in A Go-Go land. Beers vary in price, the general rule of thumb being that the cheapest are in the tattiest bars. 'Lady drinks' will set you back more, but for the premium expect your lady companion not to act like one (leg rubbing, dry humping etc).

  Soi Cowboy is also home to some of the city's most outlandish sights... The street's hue of sleazy pink neon makes everyone look less than human. A couple of times each night an adolescent elephant trudges forlornly down the street, a reflective CD dangling from its tail.
Rickety street carts serve meat skewers, insects and other unidentifiable snacks to the Isaan girls who comprise the workforce and shots of mystic herbal whisky - yaa dong - to foolhardy farangs. On rainy nights, when neon shimmers off electronic puddles, it all resembles a dystopian backstreet from some sci-fi film set. Call us sentimental but it's these surreal pleasures, hidden amidst all the iniquity and perversion, that make Soi Cowboy what it is.
How to get there: Less than 100 metres from Sukhumvit Road, between Asoke Road and Sukhumvit Soi 23 (the nearest Skytrain station is Asoke, or MRT station Sukhumvit).

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