Minimum Tip Increases

[macaroni21]

14 hours ago, colmx said:

Interesting that nobody has yet mentioned that there is also a different tipping rate for Asian (non Thai) and White Farang customers 

The Asian rate is much higher (hence the 2500b for ST being bandied around) than the expected farang rate. And of course the Thai rate is significantly lower again 

Not sure if that implies that farang are stingy or that Asians over pay, or it's somewhere in between!

First time that I am hearing this. Any idea what the rationale is? When you speak of "ST" it seems that you're referring to boys from the gogo bars; not the massage places. And are you referring to Pattaya or Bangkok or both?

[colmx]

15 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

First time that I am hearing this. Any idea what the rationale is? When you speak of "ST" it seems that you're referring to boys from the gogo bars; not the massage places. And are you referring to Pattaya or Bangkok or both?

I am talking about Gogo bars in Pattaya and Bkk. The average farang won't ask a mamasan "what does it cost to bring a boy home" and will likely negotiate with the boy directly. 

From my experience Asian customers will negotiate with the mamasan who will over inflate the asking price, whereas the average farang will do anything rather than deal with the mama!

I even remember Toyboys in Pattaya once had a written menu with different prices in Chinese and English that they would produce when it came to negotiations

[ChristianPFC]

On 11/22/2025 at 10:01 AM, PeterRS said:

There is even one poster (not on this Board) who put forward the view that with the minimum wage in Bangkok being just Bt. 400 per day, anyone being tipped Bt. 1,000 should be thrilled! That clearly takes no account of actual circumstances, even though there may be a certain logic to the argument!

He is absolutely right! Across all ages and places, the average price of prostitution is a daily wage. It's just when first world tourists meet second and third world prostitutes, that things get out of order.

Whereas in Saranrom (streettrade, predominantly local market with Thai customers and Thai providers) boys still go for 500. 

When I was in Myanmar in January, prices as low as 30k MMK (about 6 USD) tip for one hour massage and happy ending. 

On 11/23/2025 at 12:14 AM, emiel1981 said:

I was lucky finding a massage guy who offered to come visit me for 1500 baht for full service.

I have to admit I have problems finding boys for 1000 on the apps. I haven't been to Bangkok gogo bars for 6 years because I disapprove of their pricing.  

On 11/23/2025 at 12:14 AM, emiel1981 said:

Good-looking freelancers on grindr go as far as asking for 5k.

It is very important to distinguish what is asked for or offered and what is actually settled as a deal. 

On 11/23/2025 at 11:17 PM, colmx said:

Interesting that nobody has yet mentioned that there is also a different tipping rate for Asian (non Thai) and White Farang customers 

I didn't know and would never know (different tip expectations for non-Thai Asian and Farang).

Whereas that Thai (and I as a foreigner speaking Thai) can get it considerably cheaper, I'm aware of and take advantage of.

[vinapu]

On 11/24/2025 at 5:34 PM, colmx said:

I am talking about Gogo bars in Pattaya and Bkk. The average farang won't ask a mamasan "what does it cost to bring a boy home" and will likely negotiate with the boy directly. 

 

actually I have my doubts whether you are correct as over years  on this forum I'm always busy reminding readers to talk to boy directly, s as you advise,  instead of talking to mamasan who may be inclined to inflate price hoping for cut of increase for himself . And yet , next trip report and we hear the same story ' mamasan told me  xxx baht"

[vinapu]

47 minutes ago, ChristianPFC said:

He is absolutely right! Across all ages and places, the average price of prostitution is a daily wage. It's just when first world tourists meet second and third world prostitutes, that things get out of order.

..........................

Whereas in Saranrom (street trade, predominantly local market with Thai customers and Thai providers) boys still go for 500. 

 

Not quite. As younger then me , you don't remember that in ancient Milet price of prostitution was 3 tetradrahmas while daily wage was just 1 and 1/2.

Things don't get out of order as you state, it's simply how third world gets out of it's poverty - by being able to get more and more for what they can offer to sell, be it onion , banana or cock. Yes, tourists make things more expensive for locals  but on another hand  enable other locals to make more decent living by selling more and for more so those things  needs to be balanced.

Saranrom guys likely wont be asking the same amount if they were hustling in Surwoing. I suspect that  in Klong Toey slum one may get girl or boy for  much less  than Saranrom rates and it's reason why both sex workers and their clients are still living in the slum.

Difference in rates is normal everywhere. Upscale , well build call boy in Berlin will charge much much more than narco junkie offering quick BJ in the toilet of

ZOO Banhof, no ?

 

 

[mauRICE]

Please delete.

[macaroni21]

On 11/25/2025 at 6:34 AM, colmx said:

I am talking about Gogo bars in Pattaya and Bkk. The average farang won't ask a mamasan "what does it cost to bring a boy home" and will likely negotiate with the boy directly. 

From my experience Asian customers will negotiate with the mamasan who will over inflate the asking price, whereas the average farang will do anything rather than deal with the mama!

I even remember Toyboys in Pattaya once had a written menu with different prices in Chinese and English that they would produce when it came to negotiations

Thanks for elaborating. Excepting the case of Toy Boys (which I wasn't aware of) what you're describing isn't what I thought you were saying - that the boys were expecting Asian customers to pay more than farang customers. What you're describing is the well-known phenomenon where asking the mamasan about rates begets inflated figures. Many here have long suspected that the higher rate quoted is because she builds in an extra 1,000 for herself on top of the going rate, and she will demand her cut from the boy the next day.

It just so happens, if I read you correctly, that Asian customers may be more likely to refer to the mamasan than white customers, though my observation is that the situation is not as simple as a cursory reading of your description might suggest.

It's true, I have personally seen mamasans in action in exactly the way you describe. In fact, I wrote about one such instance (with a customer from China) in Pouffes ahoy at Fresh Boy. But I wouldn't suggest that it's a race thing. It's just a confluence of various factors, starting with the fact that perhaps 90% of customers in gogo bars are Asian visitors; many customers (whether East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, Arab, European, or Latin American) are first-time visitors to Thailand and don't know how to negotiate directly with the desired boy (between the boy's weak English and the Asian visitor's weak English, it gets doubly hard); and so it will be unsurprising that most instances when we see mamasans over-quoting the rate to a customer, it will involve an Asian customer. Our observations are skewed by the statistical fact that the great majority of visitors to the gogo bars are Asian.

I have seen European visitors ask the mamasan too about rates; they are probably new or infrequent visitors to Thailand, but European customers (both new and wizened) in gogo bars are uncommon. Mamasans are not going to suddenly become non-greedy just because it's a farang customer asking.

[floridarob]

4 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

and don't know how to negotiate directly with the desired boy

From what I've been reading on this board lately, the only negotiation seems to be.... How much, boy says 2500-5000, customer says OK.  Boy does or doesn't do as expected/promised then customer pays money plus 1500 tip....🤷‍♂️

 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, floridarob said:

From what I've been reading on this board lately, the only negotiation seems to be.... How much, boy says 2500-5000, customer says OK.  Boy does or doesn't do as expected/promised then customer pays money plus 1500 tip....🤷‍♂️

 

as long as that customer is not you, why it bothers you ?

[PeterRS]

8 hours ago, ChristianPFC said:

Whereas in Saranrom (streettrade, predominantly local market with Thai customers and Thai providers) boys still go for 500. 

Is Saranrom still in existence as a cruising place? I know it was years ago and the price then was Bt. 500. I also know it could be dangerous as shown in a vdo posted on this Board around that time. If it is still on the go,  how has the price remained unchanged for around a couple of decades? Have you recently taken someone off from there?

About 15 years ago I once went with a friend in his car (I don't drive in Thailand) around 9:00 pm on a Sunday evening. There were then no more than half a dozen Thais hanging around. As the old Spartcus Guide would have added, definitely AYOR. 

[Travelingguy]

To some degree I think that it is a question of terminology and cultural habits.

The massage shop has their charge for the massage.  The provider may or may not get paid something from that.  The bar has an off fee.  I do not think that the provider gets paid from the off fee.  

The payment to the provider is called a tip, but it is really the amount that the provider charges for his services.  There is also this term, minimum tip.  But that is also a misnomer as vinapu has explained in the past.  The minimum tip is what the provider expects to be paid for his services.  

So the actual tip is whatever you decide to give above and beyond the amount that the provider charges for his services.  You can give whatever you want, but in most contexts (restaurant, taxi, haircut, etc) a 20% tip would be a large tip.  

If you didn’t really care for the provider’s service, you pay the agreed upon provider service charge and move on.  No tip necessary.  

Americans tip excessively.  That is the cultural part of this.

The first world vs third world dynamic also plays into this, particularly if you have a fondness for the provider.  Some will give more money to the waiter, taxi driver, massage guy or escort, because they think that the provider could use the money and the client has the money to give.

[PeterRS]

11 hours ago, ChristianPFC said:

Whereas in Saranrom (streettrade, predominantly local market with Thai customers and Thai providers) boys still go for 500. 

I am surprised that @ChristianPFC still visits the Saranrom area. Back in 2017 there was correspondence on this Board about Saranrom. One guest member said that @ChristianPFC had once been threatened with a knife there. @ChristianPFC pointed out that the poster had got it wrong, but there had been some form of altercation. He wrote on August 25 2017 -

"I never had an encounter that involved a knife, or other weapon. That incident in Saranrom was bare hands/feet first, and later he picked up a piece of wood (?), that's when I decided to take the next taxi to get away."

As was stated then, Saranrom was/is primarily a place for older Thais to meet younger Thais. Foreigners rarely visit now. As I said earlier AYOR.

 

[floridarob]

6 hours ago, vinapu said:

as long as that customer is not you, why it bothers you ?

Ditto.

[gytis123]

I was thinking to visit Saranrom at dark evening someday when I come to Thailand this december (will stay for 2 months this time) because I'm always reading @ChristianPFC vlogs or seen posts on boards. How easy or hard is to meet someone here if one speaks zero Thai? In my 4 previous trips for a couple of weaks I never been there, but it always been on my mind. I only met boys in bars but not on the street, also I don't have any idea how to ask random boy if he wants to discuss about stamp collection with me in my room .

[PeterRS]

15 minutes ago, gytis123 said:

I was thinking to visit Saranrom at dark evening someday when I come to Thailand this december (will stay for 2 months this time) because I'm always reading @ChristianPFC vlogs or seen posts on boards. How easy or hard is to meet someone here if one speaks zero Thai? In my 4 previous trips for a couple of weaks I never been there, but it always been on my mind. I only met boys in bars but not on the street, also I don't have any idea how to ask random boy if he wants to discuss about stamp collection with me in my room .

@ChristianPFC should give us an update on Saranrom. But please note it has been stated in several previous posts about Saranrom that the boys there do not speak English. So if you do not speak some Thai you are likely to have a problem. You also have to work out the local hotel and cost of room etc. With the fee being so low, I doubt if they would consider going to your hotel. As I understand it (and of course I may be wrong) they go to a local hotel in that area.

[gytis123]

24 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

With the fee being so low, I doubt if they would consider going to your hotel

It makes sense now and I was assuming they would go with me to my hotel or apartment. But maybe I would be able to make some deal using translation apps then and pay a little bit more or in my case its nearly impossible to interact with them at all?

[PeterRS]

46 minutes ago, gytis123 said:

It makes sense now and I was assuming they would go with me to my hotel or apartment. But maybe I would be able to make some deal using translation apps then and pay a little bit more or in my case its nearly impossible to interact with them at all?

My view, and it is only my view but based on what others have written here, is that any visit to Saranrom for cruising is now a waste of time. It is after all quite far from the centre and, again according to others, if there is activity there it starts quite late. One post mentioned 10:00 pm. I doubt if translation apps  will be much use. There's plenty of cruising elsewhere in Bangkok and clearly a lot of activity on the apps. Just keep your gaydar working.

[jimmie50]

I am not familiar with this area and until this post had never heard of it.  However, from what little information has been provided I think the old saying 'better to be safe than be sorry' is appropriate here.  Sounds too risky and unsafe to me.  

[gytis123]

I know the risks. I'm just being curious and want to try all the possibilities . I think even when we meet guys on the apps, there is always risk involved and you never can be sure, because you are still meeting a complete strangers.

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, gytis123 said:

I know the risks. I'm just being curious and want to try all the possibilities . I think even when we meet guys on the apps, there is always risk involved and you never can be sure, because you are still meeting a complete strangers.

keep in mind it works both ways - boys meet with complete strangers most of the time as well

[vinapu]

13 hours ago, PeterRS said:

I am surprised that @ChristianPFC still visits the Saranrom area. Back in 2017 there was correspondence on this Board about Saranrom. One guest member said that @ChristianPFC had once been threatened with a knife there. @ChristianPFC pointed out that the poster had got it wrong, but there had been some form of altercation. He wrote on August 25 2017 -

As was stated then, Saranrom was/is primarily a place for older Thais to meet younger Thais. Foreigners rarely visit now. As I said earlier AYOR.

 

I never been there at night although I know where it is and visited during daytime.

I don't want to sound too picky but we are at end of 2025 and what happened there   back in Aug 2017 may or may not have any relevance to situation today.

Hope Christian will chip in with update  but for me it looks that 2017 occurrence was last I heard about anybody had trouble there.

Since I live where I do there were 2 gun murders in the building across from me. Considering that we are talking 35 years , it doesn't make my neighbourhood dangerous or gun infested so lets not extrapolate too far dangers at Saranrom.  AYOR of course applies but hat applies everywhere

 

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, gytis123 said:

I was thinking to visit Saranrom at dark evening someday when I come to Thailand this december (will stay for 2 months this time) because I'm always reading @ChristianPFC vlogs or seen posts on boards. How easy or hard is to meet someone here if one speaks zero Thai? In my 4 previous trips for a couple of weaks I never been there, but it always been on my mind. I only met boys in bars but not on the street, also I don't have any idea how to ask random boy if he wants to discuss about stamp collection with me in my room .

I think google translate or similar  will do the job but you may be correct assuming they may be reluctant to go with unknown  farang to his hotel and it's hardly surprising. They will know hourly hotel in the area. 

fact that they know very well why you are there, specially at that time   should made any conversation easy as when you visit stamp fair everybody understands you are shopping stamps , not salat or bleach.