DivineMadman

There is a fairly longish covered elevated walkway that gets about 95% of the way to the MRT station (Petchaburi). After you go down the escalators to street level there may be a very small uncovered bit before you get to the MRT entrance. Personally, if you are going to Sala Daeng BTS/MRT I think this is a bit faster than going to Phayathai, transferring to BTS, then changing lines at Siam, but to each his own. Here, as in so many areas, there is no right or wrong answer.

Nice report. Chakran Sauna has had a reputation for being asian only/farang not encouraged. VCK the massage shop is not so discriminatory, being on Ari Soi 4 it might not get as many farang customers as it might if it were closer to the central business district. (It is, however, worth the trip.)

Reader- Nice meeting you and always love a good "Cheers" reference.

Just to be clear I wasn’t trying to start a pile on ggobkk. Actually I am fortunate to have met him and know he has a simpatico view towards the bars. Rather I was responding to these nonsensical things like boycotting. It’s fair to comment that maybe you didn’t like show. Or gee the drinks are expensive. That’s of course valid observation. But it’s just nonsense to suggest that somehow dreamboys is outrageous or hurting soi twilight. It does a good business and is an anchor for soi twilight and attracts and retains some great guys. Btw the upstairs bars would be x-size or hot male.

When Dreamboys is at the top of its game, it has the most good looking all Thai guys of any bar, as well as a long energetic show -- if formulaic by this point. The mamasans are non-intrusive. It can be a fun place to go. NO ONE IS BEING FORCED TO GO THERE. The European manager of Dreamboys is just applying market principles to pricing, so I don't really see why people get in uproar. It's a premium product for a premium price. When other bars make pricing decisions they seem to get mocked for something derisively called Thai logic, but Dreamboys is straight up capitalism in market for male-for-male entertainment. IF YOU DON"T VALUE IT, YOU DON"T HAVE TO GO. The guys who work there generally have their choice of places to work. As some of us were chatting about the other day, they rather famously do not budge from their set minimum off fee. They clearly see the value of working there and not undercutting their own high, premium, prices. ( A precious few of the guys are on Hornet, but I have yet to try hooking up with one from their. I doubt they cut prices, but they might.) IF YOU THINK IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE FOR YOUR PARTICULAR TASTE, YOU DON"T HAVE TO GO THERE. DON'T IMMEDIATELY PIEGEON HOLE THE PEOPLE WHO GO THERE AS CHINESE OR NEWBIES. I thought the often-derided Chinese tour groups that go there got special pricing for the cover (or drinks). But regardless, more power to Dreamboys and roping them in. Also, with cover/drink prices posted outside, even a newbie or friend from China can make the decision on his own. I certainly don't go there all the time, but once a season -- at least -- I'll go just to see the guys and the show. Sure it's expensive, but I know that and I budget for it and it's all good. I've even offed guys from there. And they were all good too. It's the same as every once in a while I will go out and have a nicer more expensive mean, and other days just fired rice from the street vendor. A vibrant, often busy, usually successful, go go bar in Soi Twilight that brings in people to the soi. Good for Dreamboys and good for Soi Twilight, which by extension, is good for me too.

grrrr. not great when i think they advertise their hours as opening at 13:00. Hmmmmm. Sorry to waste your time.

best wishes for bypass

A quick thumbs up review of a new massage shop in Bangkok called "Ganymede Spa." Map Line ID: Rubyricher Ganymede Spa opened two weeks ago near the Phayathai BTS station. It's easy to get to. It's towards the end - on the left - of a private road that leads to the Pathumwan Resort Condominiums. A short walk from Phayathai BTS Exit 2. Reception is upstairs, and the massage rooms are up another flight of stairs. Everything is very nice and new and tastefully done. Photos of the guys are on Line. It's a small shop, and new, so hard to predict how many guys will be available. On a Sunday at 5:00 one guy was available and the others (1 or 2?) were with customers. The nice young manager said that more guys would be available starting March 12. I was able to select my masseur from a live line-up (albeit a lineup of 1). But I expect booking ahead based on the photos shared on Line will be the preferred way of booking for those of us who are comfortable doing so. Despite the "Ganymede" name the guys working there so far are in that Bangkok sweet spot of athletic fit good looking guys in their mid-to-late 20s. Prices are a bit less than the more established top-of-the-line shops: 90 minute was 700 Baht with minimum tip of 1,200. 60 minutes would be 500/1000 The rooms are not large but nice and clean with massage tables w/face cut outs. Tall people might not be able to use the face cut out because the tables are not long. Shower and bathroom are shared at the end of the hall. Shower is in a bathtub, so beware getting in/out. My masseur was an older muscled type. The massage was outstanding/excellent. Very Strong,, started on the back and shoulders, which is minority practice over here, and just the right amount of oil used (i.e., not to much oil). And the oil seemed to be of good quality. Special services were very good. Perhaps it was just my masseur, or with luck it will be the shop's attitude for a while, but there was definitely a real trying-hard-to-please attitude. Masseur was in his briefs to start, but those came off at the right time. Shower alone before or after A nice shop in an area without a lot of other M4M shops. Perfect after a tough day at Chatuchak or MBK. I hope everyone gives it a chance.

I spent last year in Ubud and will be going back again this year. The descriptions of Nyepi are accurate, although I wasn't really aware of the roving enforcement gangs. I have even read that some hotels turn off the TV systems, but I don't think that is the norm. That might have been a guesthouse. Nevertheless, probably download some movies ahead of time. No entertainment and no "pleasure" are two of the prohibitions. Fortunately not really enforced in hotels. In my experience you do have to stay in your hotel and get all your meals there. The hotels in my experience set out the rules when you check so you can stock up ahead of time. I can't specifically speak to the beaches, but I think they mean it when they say you have to stay in your hotel. The afternoon and evening before is a very festive special event where each village has parades with colorful demon effigies and purifies the village for the coming year, etc. That's the reason to go. It's a photographer's dream party. The days leading up to it all are very active as the villages prepare. Traffic is really a nightmare all over the island, even more than usual. But still it's all very raucous and fun. On the day itself everything shuts down except the hotels. Certainly in Ubud there was a noticeable decline in tourists in the couple of days leading up to Nyepi, when I think a lot of tourists start fleeing the island, but I'm not sure that's really necessary if you can just face a day of doing absolutely nothing around your hotel. I don't remember if the hotel spa closes or not - I assume it does. If you want companionship for those 24 hours you probably need to bring it with you on the trip or scramble to arrange it with a local guy ahead of time once you get there. I don't know how amenable a local guy might be. A least for the Bali natives it's an important holiday, with reduced staff usually working at the hotels. (Ubud makes Luang Prabang look like Bangkok as far as the gay scene is concerned - as I recall there was about 1 cute guy on Hornet close by, and he was the Thai guy I brought with me. (Only a slight exaggeration.) The scene is closer to the beach.) I think guys from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar (among other countries) can go to Bali without a visa so it's a favored trip for them.

Just FYI Nyepi - the day of silence - is March 17. If it's something you may like then plan for it. The lead up to it is great, at least up in Ubud and the surrounding villages. But a lot of tourists seem to try avoid the island that day.

A nice thing about Bangkok (and Pattaya also) is that it provides lots of different choices. The gogo bars put on shows and provide a parade of guys to select from. That costs money and that's why they're more expensive. For those who don't value those extras, it's of course silly to pay. But for those who like the shows, the scene and the live selection, they can and should of course go and have a great time with their hard-earned money. A drink and dinner with friends, old or new, at Maxi's, Dick's or the Soi 4 spots may be a bit more expensive than some other neighborhood restaurants, but provide a fun, gay-friendly, gay-crazy, convivial atmosphere that's hard to find anyplace else in the world. A drink at, let's call them the "host bars" on Soi Twilight -- Hot Male(s), Banana Bar, Scorpion and the other little spots that dot the alley, or Banana on 4 -- may be a bit loud and a bit more expensive than 7-Eleven takeout, but a chance to meet new friends, chat with old friends, a bit of a cuddle, all for the cost of a drink and, if the mood strikes, an off-fee for more. The massage shops provide their services at levels and price points across the spectrum (and open up early for those interested in "afternoon-delight"). There are saunas for those so inclined, at a comparatively modest cost. And the apps are there for those who like that particular back and forth and enjoy the convenience of room service. The apps have their advantages and their disadvantages. Cost-per-encounter or cost-per-orgasm is only one piece of each individual's decisions. And that's fine. Golden ages of the past didn't have the apps. Maybe, just maybe, right now is the golden age, because right now we have all of these choices. Regardless, I'm in favor of all.

Thanks!

Most of you all probably follow the Banana Gayllery on Facebook, but if not here's a Valentine's Day favorite, and a couple more for your amusement. https://www.facebook.com/TheBananaGayllery/

Songkran in Bangkok is a delight. GO and have a great time! I don't know about the sauna scene. I believe they have special parties. DJ Station is of course a scene. It's crowded. You're wet. You're dancing. The people who don't enjoy it aren't there, so everyone there is having a good time. It's possible to meet people. RCA is another crazy spot. As you note, there will also be the the Circuit parties, which is mostly for the out of towners. Some locals go of course, but I bet the majority are visitors. For the locals who might be on more limited budgets, one of the Thai-for-Thai clubs (App Arena) usually takes over an outdoor space and has big wet fun parties. I think if you're with a group of youngs or are young and comfortable on your own they can be fun but not a place for "action." The Thai-for-Thai clubs in general are not the spot for older guys to try to pick up younger Thais. As for Bangkok in general: Silom is the main spot in Bangkok, and Soi 4 is completely taken over by the water revelers. It's a time to go crazy and get wet. You can buy a drink and parade up and down the soi and get soaked or be a soaker. It's noisy and raucous. Not a place for "action" but you might make some friends. In the afternoon, a lot of the guys who work together on Soi Twilight will hang out in groups, enjoying the festivities and occasionally making it over to Soi Twilight for a break and water party. You can usually hang out at one of the outdoor bars by the entrance to the soi or grab a chair at Maxi's and enjoy the scene and maybe buy the guys a beer. In past years, after 8:00 pm the sois have tried to limit the water in the actual sois themselves, particularly after the first night. This is usually well-intentioned but with all the alcohol flowing and the problem of how do you actually get to the safe haven of the soi without getting wet as you enter or leave, you just have to accept that you will get wet. Enjoy!

+1

I have not heard anything about it being closed.

oh. ok. i thought your comment was that there were line id's in the bkkmassages.wordpress.com site that were wrong or not working =- those I could fix one way to track down some line id's is to search by phone numbers. that might work for prince. At least as of right now if you search to add a friend using the phone number rather than id, under mr. joe's number you get the right line account. 0857402222 I don't know what's going on with thaimassageboys. For me the thaimassageboy line group has become mostly irrelevant. I end up getting the same info just from timeline posts, plus more from the other shops tat are active. I mentioned to the owner of banana club that the Line should be fixed. I think advertising or building the business through social media just isn't a priority for him (right now).

which Line ID's aren't working? Maybe I can update them.

yes!!

+1

you can find the line ids for a a bunch of shops here: https://bkkmassages.wordpress.com/shop-specifics/

I think it would be a bit of a waste to go to a place like this for a massage only. But of course that's up to you. The smaller shops where you pre-select from photos in person or via Line aren't going to have lots of guys there for you to chose from if for some reason you don't like the guy you picked. From their perspective you have sort of undercut their "please book ahead" rationale. And the guy that you booked ahead will of course be a little miffed. So I do not think that's the proper way to proceed. You can just message the shop and say you will would like to visit at whatever time and ask to have a selection of guys available. They likely will arrange to have a couple/few guys there no problem. And if they can't do that they will tell you. But specifically booking a guy and then saying "oh no I think I would like someone else" is a practice that I think you should avoid. If you want to book via photos it's no problem you can first ask who does what you want, or you can say you are interested in "X" does he do what you want. (The default is that virtually all guys will top, but often 60% (plus/minus) will be top only.) It might be better to go to one of the larger shops where you pick in person from a lineup and avoid the anxiety. This also gives you an opportunity for some easier back and forth with the manager about which guy does what. You can of course do that via Line, but it might be easier in person. The place where you might feel the least rushed would be The Prince. It's easy to go there. When you sit down they hand you a glass of water and you can just say you would like some time to relax before selecting. Then you can eye the eye-candy at your leisure and then call the manager and chat with him to make a selection confirming that the guy will do what you want. Also an advantage of Prince is that the minimum tip is full service, so no need to worry about that. All this is also true for VCK and My Hero. Personally, I think Prince is the least pressured or intimidating. But that is probably a very personal opinion. Arena is another choice but with the guys so much closer I find it a bit more intimidating to peruse at my leisure. Also the Soi Twilight shops might seem a bit awkward (but of course there's really no reason to worry). Arena and the Soi Twilight shops the "full service" tip price has to be negotiated with the guy. At the extreme end of don'ts -- don't wait until the massage is over and say "I didn't enjoy it/it wasn't good I don't want to pay" or something like that. This sort of thing actually happens. The gone and not forgotten shop Adonis had a simple rule that if you think it's not working in the first ten minutes then say so and they'll get you a replacement. That seems a fair rule to me to protect the interests of all concerned. Don't complain if the guy puts a condom on you to give you a blowjob. Let him know ahead of time if you have a particular concern or part that needs extra attention. Communication is key. One thing I have noted is that even though I have confirmed with the manager what I want when selecting the guy, the manager doesn't necessarily pass that information on to the masseur. So I usually reconfirm with him as we are walking to the massage room. Especially first experiences should be measured on their own. Not compared with fantasy.

they're still in business. i get their Line photos pretty much every day.

This topic does seem to pop up frequently. Very strange. Of course that could mean that "where's there's smoke there's fire." But my experience is so different I just don't get it. Contrary to what was stated above, I think there are more than "a couple" of members who have posted favorable reports. I am one of them. Personally I find guys from Vietnam to be the same as from the other countries. I've had great experiences with them, travelled with a guy throughout Vietnam with whom I've stayed friends. (Also he started refusing money from me and it become one of those friends with benefits situations. So obviously they're all not out just for the money.) My general perspective of course starts with the idea that people are people all basically the same. I have also made the point in the past that there are guys from Vietnam at most if not all of the gogo bars and major massage shops in Bangkok and they are among the most successful guys at their respective establishments. So they must be doing something right. I think there may be a greater reluctance to self-identify as "bottom" - but that can and should always be confirmed up front anyway, so that can't really be an issue with a customer. If a guy says he doesn't bottom then move on. (Also, as others have said in the past, once you get to know many of these guys as a repeat customer or someone they feel more comfortable with, who knows what they may end up doing with you.) I believe that the you non-offable guys at Scorpion Bar have long since gone. In any event, if anyone is to be criticized surely it should be the bar's management, not the guys who simply had a job where they were able to set their limits. So maybe we can move on from that particular shibboleth.

Several of the fancier Bangkok massage places have VIP rooms with large bathtubs or jacuzzis. I've never tried but maybe they offer a soapy experience? I don't really know. Places with VIP rooms that I am aware of: Prince, VCK & My Hero.