Pattaya Thailand Essentials

One of the things Thailand and Pattaya in particular is known for is Ladyboy’s.  Also called Kathoey (or katoey) in Thai, Ladyboy’s are the third gender of Thailand.  They are males who live their lives as females. Some Pattaya Ladyboy’s are very beautiful and more than a few people have been mistaken in thinking they were talking with a genetic woman.

They consider themselves born the wrong gender and feel and wish to be treated as women.  Some take hormones and others go through various plastic surgeries to become more feminine.  This can include breast augmentation, facial surgery, and silicone injections.   Some even wish to go the full distance and get the ‘chop’, become a full woman.

Ladyboy’s are all over Pattaya.  You can find them working in restaurants, hotels, malls, and of course bars and gogo’s.  You could pass one in the street and not even know it.  Ladyboy’s are not necessarily more accepted in Thailand, but they are tolerated to a greater level than in most other countries.

There are posts all over the internet about how to spot a ladyboy.  The Adams apple, large hands and feet, taller than the average Thai women, etc.  Though these maybe essential tips if you are looking for a night time companion and ladyboy’s are not your thing, but you don’t have anything to fear.

Ladyboy’s in Pattaya are regular people and most are quite friendly and entertaining.  They can be quite fun to have a drink and a chat with.  Some are so convincing that chances are you wouldn’t know you were drinking with a ladyboy, others just stand out and there is no mistaking them.

One of the popular tourist attractions are the Ladyboy Cabarets in Pattaya.  Here they put on full song and dance shows, usually lip synched.  Afterward you can have your picture taken with them in full costume outside the venue for a small fee.

Thai Ladyboy’s can also be found in most bars throughout Pattaya.  There are several bars and go go’s that are ladyboy’s only.  Often you will find one or two scattered throughout the girl bars.  Soi 6, 7, 8, as well as Walking Street will have several ladyboy’s on staff or as free lancers in the bars and clubs.  There are also a large number of ladyboy freelancers on Walking Street later in the night.  Check out our Pattaya Ladyboy Bar and Gogo Guide for more information.

One topic that always comes up when talking to people about Pattaya – Women.  It’s no secret that Pattaya has a reputation for wild and seedy nightlife that is known around the world.  The city has tried to clean up its image over the past few years, yet everyone still  wants to know about the Pattaya Girls.  It’s not much of a wonder to anyone who’s been there, as there are beautiful Thai women all over the city.

The main thing that comes to a lot of people’s minds is prostitution.  Although illegal in Thailand, officials tend to look the other way when it comes to this aspect of the nightlife and culture.  Sex is on sale pretty much 24-7 in Pattaya.  That is the reality, no matter how people would like to sugar coat it.

However it is not like a lot of western people envision. Most drum up some horrible vision of the worst, and assume that is what Pattaya is like.  On the contrary, it is much more respectable than that, even if you disagree with the pay for pleasure mentality.  It is out in the open for anyone to see, yet it remains a bit discreet to those that partake.  What do I mean?

First, let’s make sure you know that all women in Pattaya are not prostitutes.  If you approach women in an inappropriate manner you will get yourself in trouble.  Just use your head and show respect.

You can meet girls in Pattaya at a variety of different venues, from beer bars to go-go bars, discos to restaurants.  You can find girls that are willing to go with you.  However it doesn’t have the seedy feeling of prostitution that most would associate with it.  It is more like you are flirting with a girl in a bar.  You hit it off and she goes with you.  You take her to dinner, dancing, and back to your room.  It is more like a date, which I think is most appealing to most men that come here.

If you find a girl that you really like, she may stay with you through your entire vacation.  You’ll find yourself taking her sightseeing, shopping, to the movies, out to dinner, just like you would a girl back home.  You’ll be paying for these things as well as her barfine and daily rate, but it feels like you’ve found a new girlfriend.  This is really what they mean when they say she was a girlfriend experience.

Pattaya Girls – Things to Know

You have to realize that even though you think you’ve found your new girlfriend, this is still a working relationship.  Unless you sponsor her and take her out of the bar, she is still a bar girl in Pattaya and will go with customer to make her living.  When she is with you, she will be devoted, as long as you are paying her.  When you are gone she will be looking for a new customer.

The Bar Fine

A lot of people still don’t understand this.  The barfine is the amount of money (baht) you pay to the bar to take the girl off premises, nothing more.  You are essentially taking one of the bar owners girls off duty for the night and you compensate the bar for this.  Any additional ‘services’ you require are on top of that.
The typical bar fine can run from THB 200 – 500 (that’s Thai Baht if you don’t know).

Negotiating with Pattaya Girls

The additional services are negotiated directly with the woman of your choosing.  It is often advised by people that have been in the pay for pleasure realm for some time that it is best to agree upon a price before paying the bar fine and leaving the bar.  I can’t say this a bad option.

There will be a different rate depending on whether you want to take a girl long time or short time.

Long Time vs. Short Time

What’s the difference between long time and short time…about 500 Baht.  Seriously though, there is more than just price involved.  It also has to do with time, location, and intent.

Long time (LT) is where you take the girl from the bar for the entire night.  She will stay with you until morning (or early afternoon depending on how late you were out the night before).  This is like a first date.  You take her with you to bars, discos, maybe a bite to eat.

If she likes you, she may try and stay with you the next day.  If she is up early and getting dressed, it’s time to pay her and let her go.

Short time (ST) with a Pattaya girl is all about satisfaction.  You meet a girl in the bar and arrange to take her short time.  Most bars will have a room available onsite or you can take her back to your hotel if it is guest friendly.  It is all about a quick session and then back out to the bars.  There is no overnight stay involved.  If you took a girl for short time and find there is a connection, you can ask her if she wants to stay with you long time and go from there.

There is a lot more information that can be passed along, especially to those who are making there first trip to Pattaya.  Hopefully this answers some of your initial questions about Pattaya girls and what to expect when you get there.

Massage in Thailand is a traditional and revered art, passed down through many generations.  It is not the typical sex massage that a lot of people associate with it.  If you are looking for information on an adult massage, check out our article on soapy massage in Pattaya.  This article is about traditional Thai massage.

The typical Thai massage involves a lot of stretching an deep massage.  It is believed to have it’s origins from a doctor to Buddha 2,500 years ago in India.  Once these techniques made it to Thailand, they were influenced by Ayurvedic disciplines and the traditional Chinese culture that was so prevalent in Thailand.  It was traditionally performed by Thai monks and is still part of the tradition of Thai medicine.  Wat Po, the oldest temple in Bangkok is home for teaching of the traditional Thai massage.

A Thai massage is very therapeutic, energizing, and relaxing.  Though it can be quite taxing at times as they stimulate the muscles.  You may find yourself being put through a series of yoga like stretches during the course of the massage.  The massage therapist will use hands, feet, elbows, and anything else that seems relevant to give you a complete full body massage.

Unlike the ‘happy finish’ massage, the traditional Thai massage is done fully clothed.  You will be on a raised table or perhaps a mat on the floor.  There is no soap or oil involved.

As part of traditional Thai medicine it is meant to cure or treat a number of ailments.  However it is also taught and practiced by numerous people not in the main stream Thai massage school.  This isn’t to say that these practitioners are not good, just in a different school.  Thai massage has been gaining popularity in both Europe and the United States.

Thai massage believes in the theory that the body transmits air or energy through thousands of pathways throughout the body called ‘sen’.  The practitioner seeks to spread and relax the body so that this energy travels freely and is uninterrupted.  It is very similar to many Easter beliefs such as Tao, that believes that there are meridians throughout the body which energy passes and any blockage could be causing the person harm or discomfort.

The traditional Thai massage seeks to unify the mind, body, and spirit.  It will help focus a persons energy, re-energize them, and help reduce pain and tension.

Traditional Thai Massage in Pattaya

There are many places in Pattaya to find a traditional Thai massage.  Actually there are more traditional places than naughty ones, contrary to popular belief.  You will find a wide range of establishment, from a small shop with one or two practitioner, to large scale facilities equipped to handle 15 or 20 clients at a time.

You will usually have your choice between several types of massage.  The full body and foot massage are two of the most popular.

The foot massage is a unique experience.  The Thai massage practitioner believes that you can control the meridians of the body by affecting several pressure points located on the feet.  They will give your feet a thorough massage and open the sen pathways by manipulating certain points on your feet.  You will be amazed at how good you feel from something that seems so simple as a foot massage.

You can also find a large number of hotels and spas that offer traditional Thai massage in Pattaya.  These experiences come complete with all the pampering that accompanies a high rent resort.  However, the massage itself can be just as good in one of the smaller establishments.

It is not hard to find a massage establishment in Pattaya.  From Walking Street and throughout the city they are readily available.  You will often find that as you walk by the massage girls will call out to you as they try and drum up business.  You want massage?

Massage in Pattaya is all too often incorrectly associated with sex, however in this case, it is spot on.  The soapy massage has become a time honored tradition in Thailand.  We don’t know the history, but it is quite popular, along with a few other variation such as the oil massage.

Not all massage places in Pattaya cater to this.  A lot of them are above board and offer simply a thorough Thai full body massage.  You have to make sure that you are in the right kind of establishment if this is what you are looking for.  Some of the major establishments are Heavens Entertainment, Sabailand, and Diamond massage.

You will find many large scale massage parlours around Pattaya, as well as many smaller ones.  In the larger ones, you will quite often be escorted through the entrance into an area where the girls all sit behind a glass wall.  You are able to look at the girls and find one that you find beautiful.   As the massage girls all where numbers, you tell the attendant the girls number, and he will be off to arrange things.

Now the variety and quality of massage girls will depending on the day and time you arrive.  It can also depend whether or not it is high or low season in Pattaya.  If you don’t find one that you like you are always free to leave.

Most of these places will have a variety of different options on the menu for you to choose from.  It could be an oil massage, soapy massage, or numerous other combinations.  You will typically get the actual massage first, followed by the well known happy ending.

With the Soapy massage, the girl usually begins by washing you down as you sit together in a large bath tub.  Then you proceed to get out of the tub and onto and inflatable air mattress.  The girl will then soap you down with her body as the main instrument for applying the suds.  It can be very erotic.  What happens after that is up to you.  You will probably spend an hour, maybe more in the parlour.  Fees may range from 1000 – 2000 baht.

The Coyote Bars in Pattaya are quite popular and have been catching on in the last few years.  These bars are slightly different then your other beer bars and gogo’s.  The concept is a bit different but like other things in Thailand a bit of the same.

The bars are typically laid back, TV screens, pool tables, a bar, and places to sit.  The coyote girls, are dancers who are paid to dance around the bar on platforms or raised areas.  Typically these girls are stunners, truly beautiful.  They are eye candy for the patrons to ogle at while they are drinking and having a good time.

One thing about the girls in the coyote bars of Pattaya is that they all do not go with customers.  They are usually paid pretty well to dance and attract customers into the bar, however it is up to them if they wish to go with someone.  In the beer bars and Pattaya gogo’s, they are there to attract customers, but their goal is to find someone to take them out of the bar for the evening.

In Pattaya’s Coyote Bars, it is not uncommon for a man to be turned down, when he offers to pay a ladies bar fine.  The girls can afford to be a bit choosier as to who they want to go with, if anyone at all.

These bars are are usually quite popular just based on the beautiful women that work there.  You can sit back relax and have a few drinks while looking at the talent on stage performing.  There are now shows, but some would say the girls dancing around to the music is the show.

Prices in the Coyote bars can range from reasonable to expensive.  It really depends on the place and the owner.  You may find some deals, but don’t be surpised if the drink prices are on the high end in some of these locations.  But then again, this is Thailand, and compared to back home, even the high prices seem cheap.

One of the most entertaining and desired shows to see while in Pattaya, is the Ladyboy Cabaret.  These aren’t your ordinary ladies, but they put on one heck of a spectacular performance.  Ornate costumes, lavish decorations, and a giant cast, make this an undeniable tourist attraction.

The most popular Pattaya ladyboy cabaret show are Tiffany’s Cabaret and Alcazar Cabaret Show. Both of these are institutions in Pattaya and have been running almost 30 years.  They will amaze you with singing, comedic shows, dancing, and impersonations.  There are hundreds of performers in each company, and you will be amazed at the elaborate numbers they perform.

Prices for the shows average about 500 baht.  You can arrange to go to the venues by baht bus, taxi, or through an booked tour package.  They usually run several shows nightly.

The Tiffany Cabaret is also well known for putting on a Miss Tiffany World pageant.  A beauty pageant to find the most beautiful and talented Ladyboy in Thailand.  It is a well known show and attracts huge crowds.  If you are lucky enough to be in Thailand during this time, you can be a part of it.

These shows are put on by Thai ladyboys, also known as Kathoey in Thai.  They are males who live their lives as females as they believe that is who they truly are.  Some others may call them transvestite or cross dressers, but that is not the case at all.  They feel they are women born in the wrong bodies, and live their lives as full time females.

Now whatever you may think about this, they put on one heck of a show.  Dancing, singing, the performers are very talented and yes, beautiful.  Don’t be scared, go and check out one of the most recommended tourist attractions in Pattaya.