I haven't been in there yet and haven't spoken to anyone about the goings on yet, but last night I passed by and Happy bar is open again. I'll try to stop in within the next several days.

Please have a look if the second floor is open also again. Will arrive in 15 days to explore again.

Ooops I got mixed up between Happy and Honey. I'll post about Honey separately.

 

"I wish I knew where I am at" Dorothy Parker

Is there more than one Happy Bar. I went to the one on Pattayaland Soi 2 this evening. It's owned by the Wild West/Crystal/Cafe New Orleans and many girl go-go bars people.

 

I believe you went to Honey Boys, not Happy Bar. Happy Bar is the one off of Sunee Plaza, the Po Pot restaurant side, to the left, next door to the Family Mart.

I haven't been in there yet and haven't spoken to anyone about the goings on yet, but last night I passed by and Happy bar is open again. I'll try to stop in within the next several days.

 

Is this the place? Looks nice!

 

http://www.happyboybar.com/

And the old link still works http://www.happythebest.com/

Is this the place? Looks nice!

 

Yes, that's the place. I still haven't been in there since they reopened, so I don't have any idea what changes have been made or if the same boys are still working there. I'll try to get there soon.

This evening I finally made it to the newly reopened Happy Bar. Other than an entirely new wall decoration scheme (modern abstract art) you wouldn't know it had ever closed. It is exactly the same as before, including the upstairs and the "activities" that go with it. As a matter of fact, much of that same "activity" was also occurring downstairs.

 

With the exception of one boy, all of the boys working there are new to Happy Bar and most are new to the Pattaya bars. At least, I didn't recognize any of them from elsewhere. I will say that shyness is not among their attributes. I think I'll just leave it to your own imagination to figure out what I mean by that.

 

Drinks are still 99 baht. I didn't think to ask about the "off" fee, but I'll bet it is 250 baht.

 

If you have no other reason to visit Happy Bar, I'll give you one. No mama-sans! Not one. Thank goodness. Happy Bar had no mama-sans before and they don't have any now. I hope they keep it that way.

 

I'm not really sure why bars feel a need for mama-sans in the first place. There are excellent ones out there, but in my opinion they're rare. In my opinion, most of the mama-sans do more to drive away the customers than any other factor I can think of. I have yet to meet anyone who appreciates an aggressive mama-san, especially the ones who plop themselves down, uninvited, next to customers, try to get the customer to buy them a drink, and try to high pressure customers into calling a boy over, buying a drink for him, and taking him "off." Personally, I think most of the bars would be far better off if they get rid of the mama-sans, along with aggressive street touts too.

 

In all these years, I still have never understood just what purpose the mama-sans serve. What, exactly, is their function? What are they supposed to do? What do they do that is so vital that the majority of bars have mama-sans, sometimes several of them? If their purpose is to cause customers not to want to return to the bar, then most are doing a great job of it. There are several bars I refuse to patronize, and in most cases it's because of the aggressive mama-sans, not the music volume or the drink and "off" prices. Fie on them, I say!

 

The new owner is Michael, a gentleman from Germany. From what I was told, the previous owner, the one who closed the bar and left Thailand without paying his bills or the boys, returned to Pattaya, paid off his debts and also gave the boys their back pay. I have no idea how Michael became involved, but there he is.

 

The only negative, in my opinion, is the music volume. Previously, the music volume was at a comfortable level. Now the volume is up. Not exceedingly so, but it is up to a level that causes you to have to speak loudly to be heard. That's my only suggestion to the bar. Turn down the damned volume. As a matter of fact, how about every bar in own following the same suggestion?

 

The uncomfortably loud volume, and in some bars the dangerously loud volume, is something the customers don't want, and no matter what we say on the boards, as far as I can tell not one bar has ever taken the hint and reduced the volume. WHY?

 

That's just one more item on my ever growing "I Don't Get It" list.

gaybutton wrote: "I didn't think to ask about the "off" fee, but I'll bet it is 250 baht."

 

I was in Happy Bar the night before last and the boy I was with told me the "off" fee was 300 baht. He also mentioned that the room for rent was 200 baht.

The only negative, in my opinion, is the music volume. Previously, the music volume was at a comfortable level. Now the volume is up. Not exceedingly so, but it is up to a level that causes you to have to speak loudly to be heard. That's my only suggestion to the bar. Turn down the damned volume. As a matter of fact, how about every bar in own following the same suggestion?

 

The uncomfortably loud volume, and in some bars the dangerously loud volume, is something the customers don't want, and no matter what we say on the boards, as far as I can tell not one bar has ever taken the hint and reduced the volume. WHY?

 

That's just one more item on my ever growing "I Don't Get It" list.

 

Well, I think perhaps one reason they keep the music so loud is because the average patron is an overweight, over-the-hill, hearing-impaired old queen (much like you, Gaybutton). That being said, I also think that no matter what we wish to believe the go-go bar owners aren't interested in what type of music or what volume of music the falang customer wants. They want the boys to dance and to "look alive" and this only happens with the pulsating, heavy base, techno crap they play in each and every venue.

 

So, bottom line -- suck it up. It aint gonna change!

 

(TR) The Rose

The uncomfortably loud volume, and in some bars the dangerously loud volume, is something the customers don't want, and no matter what we say on the boards, as far as I can tell not one bar has ever taken the hint and reduced the volume.

One bar has - Funny Boys in Boyztown. As a direct result of such comments the owners adopted a policy of low-level music when it opened and that is maintained today. Hurrah for them.

 

p/s the Lofoten Islands have come into the 21st century and got internet access at long last so I am not in computer purdah until the New Year after all (I can hear some of you saying Oh Damn from here !!).

One bar has - Funny Boys in Boyztown. As a direct result of such comments the owners adopted a policy of low-level music when it opened and that is maintained today. Hurrah for them.

 

p/s the Lofoten Islands have come into the 21st century and got internet access at long last so I am not in computer purdah until the New Year after all (I can hear some of you saying Oh Damn from here !!).

 

After reading your post had to go to Google to find out where you are

Very pleasant looking place .Had a great read

 

the go-go bar owners aren't interested in what type of music or what volume of music the falang customer wants. They want the boys to dance and to "look alive" and this only happens with the pulsating, heavy base, techno crap they play in each and every venue.

 

Whatever the answer is, that ain't it. They want the boys to look alive? Great! When do they start looking alive? Most boys in most bars I've been do the "one-knee shuffle" and that's about it. If it takes music at that volume just to get the "one-knee shuffle," then I'd prefer no music at all and the boys can just stand there. That's pretty much what most of them do anyhow.

After reading your post had to go to Google to find out where you are

Very pleasant looking place .Had a great read

Yes, beautiful place (especially in summer) but effing ffffrrreezing at the moment (-10C last night).

 

Nice place to visit, especially if you like sea-fishing, but awkward (and expensive) to get to - three seperate flights from London.

 

Because of the cold would exchange it for a smoke-filled gogo bar blasting out loud music in Thailand right at the moment even though, like GB, loud bar music is a major hate of mine.

 

This evening I finally made it to the newly reopened Happy Bar. Other than an entirely new wall decoration scheme (modern abstract art) you wouldn't know it had ever closed. It is exactly the same as before, including the upstairs and the "activities" that go with it. As a matter of fact, much of that same "activity" was also occurring downstairs.

 

With the exception of one boy, all of the boys working there are new to Happy Bar and most are new to the Pattaya bars. At least, I didn't recognize any of them from elsewhere. I will say that shyness is not among their attributes. I think I'll just leave it to your own imagination to figure out what I mean by that.

 

Drinks are still 99 baht. I didn't think to ask about the "off" fee, but I'll bet it is 250 baht.

 

If you have no other reason to visit Happy Bar, I'll give you one. No mama-sans! Not one. Thank goodness. Happy Bar had no mama-sans before and they don't have any now. I hope they keep it that way.

 

I'm not really sure why bars feel a need for mama-sans in the first place. There are excellent ones out there, but in my opinion they're rare. In my opinion, most of the mama-sans do more to drive away the customers than any other factor I can think of. I have yet to meet anyone who appreciates an aggressive mama-san, especially the ones who plop themselves down, uninvited, next to customers, try to get the customer to buy them a drink, and try to high pressure customers into calling a boy over, buying a drink for him, and taking him "off." Personally, I think most of the bars would be far better off if they get rid of the mama-sans, along with aggressive street touts too.

 

In all these years, I still have never understood just what purpose the mama-sans serve. What, exactly, is their function? What are they supposed to do? What do they do that is so vital that the majority of bars have mama-sans, sometimes several of them? If their purpose is to cause customers not to want to return to the bar, then most are doing a great job of it. There are several bars I refuse to patronize, and in most cases it's because of the aggressive mama-sans, not the music volume or the drink and "off" prices. Fie on them, I say!

 

The new owner is Michael, a gentleman from Germany. From what I was told, the previous owner, the one who closed the bar and left Thailand without paying his bills or the boys, returned to Pattaya, paid off his debts and also gave the boys their back pay. I have no idea how Michael became involved, but there he is.

 

The only negative, in my opinion, is the music volume. Previously, the music volume was at a comfortable level. Now the volume is up. Not exceedingly so, but it is up to a level that causes you to have to speak loudly to be heard. That's my only suggestion to the bar. Turn down the damned volume. As a matter of fact, how about every bar in own following the same suggestion?

 

The uncomfortably loud volume, and in some bars the dangerously loud volume, is something the customers don't want, and no matter what we say on the boards, as far as I can tell not one bar has ever taken the hint and reduced the volume. WHY?

 

That's just one more item on my ever growing "I Don't Get It" list.

 

That is the one thing I noticed last week when I walked by Happy Bar - I could hear the music from the street and the front door was closed - that was never the case before - I always enjoyed this bar specifically for the low music volume and of course, the great cloth panels the guys almost wore.