The camera is on Jomtien Complex

[iendo]

On 1/13/2026 at 4:42 PM, Vessey said:

There is a balance to be struck somewhere, some people are desperate to avoid leaving behind any visible 'footprint' of their visits to gay bars, while other of us are less concerned.

On the other hand we bewail the lack of customers and boys in Jomtien, especially in low season, and the consequent failure and closure of bars that we know and love. Some of us also bewail the lack of any effort of self-publicity by the bars themselves to promote themselves and their boys. 

In Soi 6, the girlie bars are always promoting themselves on social media, almost on a daily basis, highlighting the girls working there. Soi 6 is consequently always very busy, reaping the benefits of its publicity.

Boy bars are so very far, far behind them in promoting themselves. My couple of boy spies working in Boyztown regularly report on activity there, often by video calls from their cameras, or rather the lack of customers there, and not just in low season. Toy Boys, for example, seems to have no social media presence at all. 

In Jomtien Complex, boss Charlie is an exception, promoting his highly popular M Bar, Gus Bar, Sunee Bar and now Jungle Bar which are (consequently perhaps) currently the busiest in the Soi. The massage shops in the Complex are also getting in on the act and now regularly appearing on social media. 

In contrast Facebook, TikTok are full of the various Pattaya karaoke bars promoting themselves, showing off the boys and their 'numbers'. 

A thriving gay bar culture in Pattaya/Jomtien needs visual publicity, but a consequence is that we, as customers, might end up getting caught up in that, even if only as a potentially identifiable bald-spot in the background of some bar 🤣 For me that is a price worth paying! 🥰

I think Soi 6 is actually a poor comparison. It did not become famous because of social media. It has been well known for decades because of what it offers and how everything is concentrated in one place.

You can compare it to a street with twenty furniture shops next to each other. People go there because they know exactly what they will find, all in one area. Soi 6 offers cheap, fast, and very visible access to sex, and that alone has always guaranteed foot traffic.

Social media mainly became relevant during Covid as a way to supplement income when bars were forced to close. That does not mean it is the reason Soi 6 is busy now, nor that the same logic applies to boy bars. The dynamics between male–female and male–male markets are simply different, especially online.

I also do not buy the idea that people already in Pattaya need social media to discover that Jomtien Complex is a gay area. Anyone who is already here knows exactly what it is and what it offers. There is no added benefit there. I also seriously doubt that people choose a holiday destination because a bar has a TikTok or Facebook presence.

More importantly, I do not think the real issue is bars promoting themselves. The issue is customers being filmed and shown online without consent. That was the concern being discussed.

There are countless YouTubers walking through these areas filming everyone indiscriminately. You can clearly see people trying to avoid the camera, covering their faces, or moving away, yet the filming continues anyway, often without blurring faces afterward.

These creators are effectively making money off people who just want to enjoy a drink in peace. Calling this the new normal does not make it acceptable. It is not normal, and it is not legal. Thailand even announced a crackdown on this type of filming last year, and rightly so.

Edit: 

One additional point that is worth mentioning: arguably the busiest lady bar in Pattaya, Windmill, has a very strict no filming policy. There are clear signs everywhere, and every customer is explicitly informed of this rule by the doormen before entering. Privacy is taken seriously there, and it clearly does not hurt business.

It is also worth noting that Windmill is not even located directly on Walking Street itself, but in a side soi, yet it still attracts huge crowds consistently. That rather undermines the idea that constant visibility, filming, or social media exposure is a prerequisite for success.

These bars thrive on word of mouth in places where their potential customers already gather, such as forums and community spaces. That is exactly how I, and many others, find out what is going on in Pattaya.

[floridarob]

3 hours ago, iendo said:

Anyone who is already here knows exactly what it is and what it offers. There is no added benefit there. I also seriously doubt that people choose a holiday destination because a bar has a TikTok or Facebook presence.

Tourism commissions around the world are spending money foolishly then?

The internet is HUGE...it's reach worldwide....it's cost, almost negligible these days.

I disagree, just because you don't see it relevant.... doesn't mean it is 🤷‍♂️

[iendo]

2 hours ago, floridarob said:

Tourism commissions around the world are spending money foolishly then?

The internet is HUGE...it's reach worldwide....it's cost, almost negligible these days.

I disagree, just because you don't see it relevant.... doesn't mean it is 🤷‍♂️

You are mixing general tourism with this type. People who are interested in sex tourism are not influenced by generic promotion in the same way. They actively look for information and feedback in places where they can get real answers.

I use social media too and see those posts. Nobody comes to Thailand because they saw yet another boy’s birthday or a drag show video. What people actually want to know is what the going rate is, what they can expect during a massage, how things really work, and whether a place is worth visiting.

Those are exactly the questions being asked and answered on boards like this. That is where word of mouth happens and where decisions are actually influenced.

And to be clear, this was never a debate about whether social media can be useful in general. The original point was about indiscriminate filming of customers and putting them online without consent.

That does not attract the kind of people these venues depend on. If anything, it drives them away. Privacy matters in this context, and ignoring that is far more likely to harm business than help it.

[floridarob]

You’re still framing this as either/or, and it isn’t. Marketing and privacy are two separate issues.

Forums like this are great for deep detail, rates, mechanics, and reviews. Social media does something different. It signals life, activity, and momentum. A dead-looking bar online looks dead in real life. That matters, especially to first-timers or guys deciding where to go on a given night.,,,

Works for restaurants, no?

[iendo]

6 minutes ago, floridarob said:

You’re still framing this as either/or, and it isn’t. Marketing and privacy are two separate issues.

Forums like this are great for deep detail, rates, mechanics, and reviews. Social media does something different. It signals life, activity, and momentum. A dead-looking bar online looks dead in real life. That matters, especially to first-timers or guys deciding where to go on a given night.,,,

Works for restaurants, no?

I am not treating this as either one or the other. I am saying that, in this setting, the balance matters, and right now it is off.

Showing that a bar is busy does not require filming customers who did not agree to be on camera. You can show atmosphere, staff, or events without putting guests on display. Plenty of places already do this.

In a restaurant, most people do not really mind if they appear briefly in the background of a video. In bars like these, privacy is something people reasonably expect.

And this goes back to the original point. The question was not whether marketing works. It was whether filming customers and putting them online without concern for privacy has become normal.

From what I see, including people choosing not to go to certain places because of this, it risks driving customers away rather than bringing them in.

[floridarob]

10 hours ago, iendo said:

The question was not whether marketing works. It was whether filming customers and putting them online without concern for privacy has become normal.

I understood your post/replies to be talking about social media marketing isn't working or doesn't need to be done locally or internationally.

for example "People who are interested in sex tourism are not influenced by generic promotion in the same way" or  "Nobody comes to Thailand because they saw yet another boy’s birthday or a drag show video" 

Including people/customers is a different animal... separate topic.

[macaroni21]

You've both made very valid points, and indeed we shouldn't homogenise the various tourist attractions. They're on a cline with the great majority of these attractions close to one end, where they are not sensitive to social disapproval -- in fact likely to add to one's social status if one can boast of having been there -- whilst at the other end, they are extremely sensitive to social disapproval (we know what these places are).

Our conversation can get confused if we do not make clear what types of venues we're referring to.

Restaurants, boat trips, ferris wheels... these aren't sensitive, and it probably does not matter if visitors are shown on the business' social media, or on other people's social media.

Mildly sensitive might be a tiffany show or a dance club with shows featuring scantily clad cabaret performers (e.g. White Party). People go there for a fun night; they don't take things further (at least not in the venue itself) and so there's not much to feel guilty about. However, if you're a school teacher or a preacher, maybe even these places are sensitive. In such places, perhaps pictures and videos should avoid patrons' faces; bald spots might do.

Then of course, there are "our kind" of places, and I agree it is sensitive except to the most hardcore "so what if I'm a punter?" Here, the problem is not only social media, it is the way the gogo bars hope to sustain themselves by tapping on the hetero crowd for their explicit shows. I have long argued that having gawkers in the room actually hurts the core off-ing business. Social media exposure would be even worse. This probably explains the drift of clientele to massage parlours where there is a lot of discretion. 

In fact, some of the massage places even take care (like in Japan) to ensure that customers do not cross each other's path. Nine Massage off Sukhumvit comes to mind. It's appointment only, and appointment times are carefully spaced out.

The business problem does not go away, however. All businesses need enough customer volume to be viable and profitable. If there is no advertising at all, how does one attract customers? One cannot totally rely on existing clients coming back -- though, in my opinion, thailand's gogo bars even make a hash of that by exorbitant charging and lack of quality control over boys' services. One has to continually bring in new customers as old ones drift away or quite literally die. Word of mouth alone isn't enough. So, advertising cannot be avoided; the question is how to do it right. And this is where niche businesses (e.g. gay sex) have to learn to use niche channels and/or communicate in code. It's a delicate art.

[iendo]

6 hours ago, floridarob said:

I understood your post/replies to be talking about social media marketing isn't working or doesn't need to be done locally or internationally.
 

I can see how my comments could be misinterpreted.

My point is not that social media does not work. It clearly can, when it is used well.

But I do think that places like Gus Bar, Sunee, or M Bar are busy mainly because of what they offer. That is an inference from observation, not a claim of hard data.

There are also good examples of social media being used responsibly in the girly bars, such as Buzzin Pattaya or Mr Egg Thailand. They create engagement without putting random customers on display. When customers appear, it is with consent.

That is the point aligned with the OP. Social media can work in this scene without indiscriminately filming identifiable guests. Once that line is crossed, privacy becomes part of the marketing discussion. I agree with @macaroni21 on this.

And in practice, YouTubers tend to be the worst offenders here. Unlike bar owners, they have little to lose if customers feel uncomfortable, while the bars carry the long-term consequences.

But let me also point out my own hypocrisy. The months before I came to Thailand, I would absorb every YouTube video I could about the scene in Thailand. 

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, macaroni21 said:

So, advertising cannot be avoided; the question is how to do it right. And this is where niche businesses (e.g. gay sex) have to learn to use niche channels and/or communicate in code. It's a delicate art.

As usual @macaroni21 has hit the proverbial nail on the head. Advertising and marketing really is vital and with 46 years of visiting and living in Thailand, I can say with confidence that this has almost always been way more than lousy - it has usually been non-existent. Why expatriates (and i believe bar owners usually are exaptriates, at least in Pattaya) decide to open up bars to while away their retirement without in some way making sure they are going to have not just customers but a regular flow of customers totally beats me. Little wonder more than a few give up and some of these have no doubt lost quite a bit of cash.

The one time when there was advertising - of a sort - was around the 1990s and early 2000s when several different magazines were published and distributed free to gay venues. Each had not only advertisements for specific gay venues, some - especially those in Thai - had interviews with owners, boys etc. One published by an expat in Chiang Mai tried to become a more generally based gay magazine and even had in one issue an exclusive interview with Sir Ian Macellan. Its publisher returned to the UK and it ceased publication.

Each magazine had maps at the back with the main venues listed. That was a particular help to quite a number of first timers. But getting that information absolutely 100% correct was never a possibility unless the magazines had reporters on the ground following each movement of the shifting gay sands. I recall reading endless comments on gaythailand.com about a certain bar or other not being positioned correctly. That it might have been 50 meters away was of no consequence to them. If they had to do as they do now and find out for themselves, I doubt if they would have been so picky!!

Japan has a large gay publication market. Advertising there would be ideal, but far too expensive for what is likely to be a limited clientele. Hong Kong also used to have a free gay publication but I am not sure if it still exists. Various chat rooms exist elsewhere, including one in Singapore with a travel section. One thing is sure, though. Advertising requires some cash. Fly out a journalist from one of the international gay magazines - or better still, persuade them to use a local stringer - to aggressively promote your bar, is about the only suggestion I have. Whatever, the old song had it right in my view - 

 

[iendo]

11 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

Japan has a large gay publication market. Advertising there would be ideal, but far too expensive for what is likely to be a limited clientele. Hong Kong also used to have a free gay publication but I am not sure if it still exists. Various chat rooms exist elsewhere, including one in Singapore with a travel section. One thing is sure, though. Advertising requires some cash. Fly out a journalist from one of the international gay magazines - or better still, persuade them to use a local stringer - to aggressively promote your bar, is about the only suggestion I have. Whatever, the old song had it right in my view - 

 

Thanks for reminding me of the "Man-To-Man guide" in the Netherlands. Published by Rob from Amsterdam. May he rest in peace. 

[macaroni21]

We may have to accept that the days of print are over. They are costly endeavours, anyway. However, as many have noted, too many gay businesses (not just Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam too) do a bad job of digital advertising. At least maintain a profile on the popular social media platforms, and make sure there are regular posts. The times I have seen Facebook pages with a post dating 12 months back! Viewers might think you've gone out of business since. Because social media pages are public and searchable, there should only be general information, e.g. location, opening times, and no more than a subtle hint of the erotic, for which the word should be "exotic" (coded langauge).

A general social media presence should be supplemented by more detailed advertising on selected, exclusively gay channels. The massage parlours use them with effect, sending out blast after blast of boy pics on their subscriber Line. To reach international gay communities (who might visit Thailand) a bar or massage shop could ask a forum like this one for permission to post perhaps twice a month. Say something about an upcoming special event, new additions to staff, promotions, or even a more general post*. All it takes is a small contribution to the running cost of this board. As pointed out, other countries in the region have local language gay digital platforms, and with a bit of effort, a bar owner can reach out to them all. 

* I recall that Adam's Apple Chiang Mai tried on this board but have since gone silent.

** Toolbox in Phnom Penh is celebrating its 7th anniversary tonight (see https://www.facebook.com/ToolboxBarPP) but not a squeak here.

[iendo]

18 minutes ago, macaroni21 said:

A general social media presence should be supplemented by more detailed advertising on selected, exclusively gay channels. The massage parlours use them with effect, sending out blast after blast of boy pics on their subscriber Line. To reach international gay communities (who might visit Thailand) a bar or massage shop could ask a forum like this one for permission to post perhaps twice a month. Say something about an upcoming special event, new additions to staff, promotions, or even a more general post*. All it takes is a small contribution to the running cost of this board. As pointed out, other countries in the region have local language gay digital platforms, and with a bit of effort, a bar owner can reach out to them all. 

 

Yes, or why not sponsor it? I do not know the exact number of visitors to this site, but I can imagine there are far more lurkers than active posters. This board clearly has value for advertisers. I recently had my visa matters handled by a sponsor from ASEAN Now.

Also, we did have websites that promoted what was happening in the scene, didn’t we? Nicky something comes to mind.

Then the old listing websites like Utopia Asia. Still looks like a website from the 90's 😅