Show Schedules?

[jason1975]

2 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

 I know many here really like Freshboys.  The show is okay and they have many attractive young men...I am just not a few fan of the big spenders monopolizing the guys for drinks the entire time but then never offing anyone.  I also don't understand why the guys would prefer to spend time sitting with someone in the bar for drinks knowing it will not lead to an off and miss the opportunity to go with someone for more money.  

It is low season now so very few offs. Sitting with big spending customers for drinks and tips is better than no offs.

[jason1975]

1 minute ago, aaroninatl said:

Haha you don't know me yet you know me well! Very possible that could happen by 10:05. 😆

My guy has gone back to Vietnam today until December otherwise I would have asked him to be your guide when you arrive.

[spoon]

1 hour ago, jason1975 said:

My guy has gone back to Vietnam today until December otherwise I would have asked him to be your guide when you arrive.

So its time for you to book ticket to bangkok soon? To try other guys? Hehe

[jimmie50]

2 hours ago, vinapu said:

Time wasters customers are well known phenomena in any service industry. 

Good point.  

[vinapu]

6 hours ago, aaroninatl said:

Haha you don't know me yet you know me well! Very possible that could happen by 10:05. 😆

and from neither targeted bar as possibilities  in Silom abound so you may be enticed  to some other bar. Just keep your eyes wide opened and be free of any pre-conceived ideas

[jason1975]

4 hours ago, spoon said:

So its time for you to book ticket to bangkok soon? To try other guys? Hehe

Nah. Saving money for year end trip.

[jason1975]

6 hours ago, aaroninatl said:

Never said I'm going to camp out at the same 1 or 2 every night of the trip.

Once you settle on a few regulars, you don't have to go inside the bars anymore. You can get the contacts of the guys and can make arrangement for them to meet you.

[aaroninatl]

11 minutes ago, jason1975 said:

Once you settle on a few regulars, you don't have to go inside the bars anymore. You can get the contacts of the guys and can make arrangement for them to meet you.

Ahh good to know. I guess I'm used to the American strip club model... it's actually usually enjoyable to spend time inside... well usually.

[vinapu]

1 minute ago, aaroninatl said:

Ahh good to know. I guess I'm used to the American strip club model... it's actually usually enjoyable to spend time inside... well usually.

+1

 

[aaroninatl]

19 minutes ago, vinapu said:

and from neither targeted bar as possibilities  in Silom abound so you may be enticed  to some other bar. Just keep your eyes wide opened and be free of any pre-conceived ideas

Oh I'm definitely willing to improvise.  I'm still hoping to find a vet like one of you guys that'll let me tag along while I learn the ropes.  But I'm sure within a week or so I'll be up on on all the slang and strategy.  This trip was originally more for seeing if this part of the world is someplace I'd like to semi-retire to for a couple years.  I knew there was this scene, but it wasn't the motive for the trip like my trips to Montreal, South America, Europe or Ft Lauderdale usually are.  But yeah I'm excited to dive in and have some fun next week.  I've been reading countless trip reports and am somehow excited for my first late night meal at Foodland.

[vinapu]

3 minutes ago, aaroninatl said:

 But I'm sure within a week or so I'll be up on on all the slang and strategy.

Week ? next evening after your foray you will be "I know it all "

We hope here you share your experiences with us , of course only parts you will find suitable to share

[aaroninatl]

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

Week ? next evening after your foray you will be "I know it all "

We hope here you share your experiences with us , of course only parts you will find suitable to share

The first term that took some getting used to was "offing" someone.  Too many mafia movies I guess.  I was like that's pretty brazen to brag about doing something like that in a public forum.

[daydreamer]

Yes, in the mafia world context, "off" would mean to terminate that person.

In Thai boy bars, customers off boys.  In Thai lady bars, customers barfine ladies.

[jason1975]

On 8/19/2026 at 8:32 AM, daydreamer said:

Yes, in the mafia world context, "off" would mean to terminate that person.

In Thai boy bars, customers off boys.  In Thai lady bars, customers barfine ladies.

But the mamasans and guys don't actually say the word "off fee". They say you have to pay the bar 500 baht (most bars) then the guy can go out of the bar with you.

[mauRICE]

@aaroninatl Personally, I don't think one needs a guide to tag on to but I understand that having company could be fun for some people and may help to calm freshman jitters. Just remember that you're walking into a system and to a large extent it's the system that will guide you through. It is set up to welcome and accommodate you and your desires be it sex, the boyfriend experience, social encounters and conversation, whatever. It's entertainment, it's fun and the Thais, as hosts, do it very well. You've got the advantage of time to explore and, yes, to make mistakes. Just remember to learn from them and never be afraid to walk away from something or someone that doesn't sit well with your instincts. There's always another guy, another venue, another day. Above all, love and respect yourself.

[12is12]

Lets b frank: the system is also set up to view u as a cash machine, and to exploit newbies and unassertiveness. 

Be street smart and u'll enjoy.

[aaroninatl]

Yeah that's why I'd love a wingman for the trip, but I think I've learned a lot from this site.  But yeah if anyone reading is in Bangkok next week through mid September or in the first couple weeks of October, hmu.  

[zoomomancs]

1 minute ago, aaroninatl said:

Yeah that's why I'd love a wingman for the trip, but I think I've learned a lot from this site.  But yeah if anyone reading is in Bangkok next week through mid September or in the first couple weeks of October, hmu.  

Don't let the mamasans tell you what to do or how much to pay. But the occasional 100bt tip to a mamasan is remembered.

[daydreamer]

15 hours ago, jason1975 said:

But the mamasans and guys don't actually say the word "off fee". They say you have to pay the bar 500 baht (most bars) then the guy can go out of the bar with you.

I have never heard the word "fee" used, however the word "off" is commonly used, as in "take off".

[bkkmfj2648]

I know that some readers may get irritated if we introduce AI into these threads - but this entire conversation about "off fee" versus "bar fine" intrigued me so much that I asked the Grok AI module to explain the history of these terms that we use - but perhaps never understood their origins.

While Grok was processing the question that I presented - Grok displays very quickly the sites that it is referencing to find the answer to your query - and on many instances our gayguides.com is referenced by the AI as a potential source.  I found that to be flattering that what we write in our forum may be considered and used to give answers to the world.

Both terms refer to the same practical fee: payment to the bar (not the worker) for permission to take a staff member off the premises during their shift. This compensates the venue for lost potential revenue (mainly from “lady/boy drinks” or the worker’s presence generating sales). Any subsequent personal arrangement or tip for the worker’s time/company is negotiated and paid separately and directly to them.

Functional equivalence

• “Bar fine” (common in heterosexual/go-go/beer bars catering primarily to straight male customers): Explicitly framed as a fine or fee paid to the bar. In Thai it is often “kâa baa” (ค่าบาร์). It releases the woman (dancer, hostess, etc.) so the customer can leave with her. It does not cover her personal fee, drinks already bought, transport, hotel, or any private agreement.
• “Off fee” / “off-fee” / “khaa off” (standard terminology in Thai gay bars with male workers, often called dek bar, dek off, or “bar boys”): Derived from the English “off,” as in taking the worker off the premises (“off laew,” “go off with a customer”). Academic and community sources note that this is sometimes also called a “bar fine.” It functions identically—payment to the bar for release—plus a separate tip/payment to the worker.

In both scenes the system is long-standing, widely understood by regulars, and operates in a legal gray area around adult nightlife (the fee itself is a business charge; what adults agree to afterward is treated as private).

Historical and scene-specific nomenclature

Thai commercial sex-oriented nightlife expanded significantly during and after the Vietnam War era (late 1960s–1970s), with go-go-style venues appearing for both hetero and male-male markets. Heterosexual go-go and beer bars developed prominently in areas such as Patpong, Nana, and later Pattaya/Phuket, using “bar fine” language that became the dominant English term among farang (Western) customers.

Male go-go/bar-boy venues became more visible from the mid-1970s onward (examples include early bars in the Silom/Sukhumvit axis and later concentrations such as Soi Twilight/Pratu Chai). In that vernacular the English loanword “off” took root for the act of leaving with a customer and for the associated fee (khaa off). Community usage and ethnographic accounts continue to prefer “off” / “off fee” in gay contexts, while “bar fine” remains the default in heterosexual ones—even though sources explicitly equate the two.

There is no substantive historical difference in the economic purpose or mechanics; the variation is mainly lexical and scene-specific. “Off” emphasizes the physical act of removal from the bar; “bar fine” frames it as compensation or a release charge to the establishment. Both systems co-evolved within Thailand’s broader bar-based commercial sex economy and remain parallel today, with prices varying by city, venue type, time of night, and demand (typically a few hundred to around 1,000+ baht in recent reports, higher in some premium spots).

In short, from a historical and practical standpoint the two labels describe the same institution under different preferred terminology shaped by the respective customer and worker communities.

 

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, zoomomancs said:

Don't let the mamasans tell you what to do or how much to pay. But the occasional 100bt tip to a mamasan is remembered.

it may also cause him to leech unto you next time as soon as you enter his bar

[mauRICE]

9 hours ago, 12is12 said:

Lets b frank: the system is also set up to view u as a cash machine, and to exploit newbies and unassertiveness. 

Be street smart and u'll enjoy.

Think of the system as a casino where the house always wins. It may let the customer win once in a while but only enough times to get him addicted and coming back. Swagger in as a high roller and you'll be marked as one. If you keep your head high but start small and know your limits, it can be fun and remember, it's all fun and entertainment, not love. Nothing more, nothing less. Can you build relationships in that environment? Sure you can but it'll only last as your last tip, or chip, as it were.

It's really quite amazing how the Thais have turned a cluster of brothels into an amusement park; if Disneyland were to add another themed attraction, Patpong or Pattaya would be it for it can truly be the happiest place on Earth - for you. 😏

[kram987]

12 hours ago, mauRICE said:

Think of the system as a casino where the house always wins. It may let the customer win once in a while but only enough times to get him addicted and coming back. Swagger in as a high roller and you'll be marked as one. If you keep your head high but start small and know your limits, it can be fun and remember, it's all fun and entertainment, not love. Nothing more, nothing less. Can you build relationships in that environment? Sure you can but it'll only last as your last tip, or chip, as it were.

It's really quite amazing how the Thais have turned a cluster of brothels into an amusement park; if Disneyland were to add another themed attraction, Patpong or Pattaya would be it for it can truly be the happiest place on Earth - for you. 😏

I am laughing thinking what that”land”  would be called at Disney Land

[mauRICE]

18 minutes ago, kram987 said:

I am laughing thinking what that”land”  would be called at Disney Land

Tart-land? Hoe Hoe Hoe Land? Harlotsville? 

Neverland? (modelled after Sunee Plaza😉)

[12is12]

Given so many bars using the B word, it's quite obvious the title will b Boysland....