Ping pong show in Thailand
Note: This article is about the red district area and the Ping Pong show – Unsuitable for minors.
The story starts with the Thailand dream! The idea is to explore Bangkok and afterward Phuket island. On the first days, we spend our time in Bangkok…One night we decide to visit the Patpong night market. The place is famous for fake brands on sale, especially bags, trainers, and watches. It is busy and chaotic every night!
Thailand Dream – Ping pong show
Except for the shopping stands, there are also go-go bars with dancing-girls, ladyboys and young kids which you can see behind the curtains and on some of them. It’s just an open area with them completely naked. Moreover, the place is full of Ping Pong show bars. I remember joking back at home with other friends, that a must-do in Thailand is to visit one of those bars, it’s the “tradition”!
During our walk around the hundreds of shops, a guy approaches us and informs us that with 100Baht (2.5euro) each person, including a drink, we can watch the Ping pong show.
We refused the offer and we walk away. The guy keeps following us and keeps insisting. After a while, we start joking that we “should” follow the tourist tradition. We decide to go just for laugh. So now seemed as good a time as any to follow the guy and tell him that we will check it before sitting down for the show. Entering an underground bar we see a lot of foreign men and women and decide to stay just for a joke and curiosity. As Greeks say “The curiosity kills the cat!”
Thai Ping Pong Show starts
Upon the arrival of the bar, we were in another world: Very dark lights, a big stage with 4 mild age women wearing only their minor underwear, and tables around. We made our seats at a table and order our drinks.
In the beginning, it was just only dance and the women trying to attack the attention of the customers. including us. In a short time, they start using their lower part of their body to either hold, ejector blow objects from their inner place. Except for ping-pong balls they use cigarettes, long strings, whistles, and darts.
On one side there were a few men looking with an amazing look (really gross!) and on the other side, we and the other tourists watch with the eyes wide open and our jaws on the floor in unbelievable disgust. The moment they try to distribute us the rackets to “play” a game we felt completely abhorrence about it and decide to leave.
We reach the cashier where a lady pass us the bill, which instead of 200 Baht (2.5 euro) it was 3000 Baht (80 euro)! We tried to complain and they explained to us that there is an extra charge for each look, each chat (if the laugh and the refusal of dancing on the stage, considered as a chat) and each part of the show we saw.
The exact reply is “YOU LOOK, YOU PAY“!! What?????!!!!
Money
We try to make a scene and refuse to pay the money. There are no words for what the woman was screaming for. She starts yelling, we start shouting that they try to cheat on us…until we try to leave. A huge manly man is on the exit door and I also noticed that on the back of the cashier there are a few dark rooms..and there were our big concerns starts… “Oh my God! they will kill and nobody will find us!” start thinking…
We explain that we do not have much money… Just to note here that 70 euros in Thailand are such a huge amount of money. In the end, they agree to pay less, I really don’t remember the amount we gave. We ran out of the bar, to be honest completely scared…
My friend says “Let’s go and find this guy that he brought us to the bar!” I don’t agree, I see the man in a corner and I lie that he is on the other side! Who wants more trouble with the Bangkok mafia???? Not me!! Later on, I informed them that the guy was wearing different clothes, most probably it’s a tactic to avoid troubles from the angry customers.
Trembling and openly relieved from the shock, we smooth our concerns to the hundreds of shops around.
Safety
Back to our hotel safe and in a good mood, we start joking about it. In the next few days, we will be remembering the incident, start imitating the incident and the woman, and overall joke about it.
But actually, it’s not funny… At our hotel in Bangkok, we discussed it with the staff. They informed us that it is a common tourist scam around the night market which happens every day and sometimes can be really dangerous…Officially all these bars are illegal but are protected by the corrupted police system. Back at home, I read various stories of the same ping pong show scams and robberies around that market.
Well, I just wish we have carried out our research earlier and avoid that sleazy bar. Be aware…All these places are all over Thailand.
Advice
-> Do not trust any person that keeps you pushing to watch the scam and offers you a “great” deal,
-> Do not forget to bring your wallet if you decide to watch the show. You can end up paying way a lot of money!
-> In the show, they can charge you more drinks than your purchased ones. It’s different to pay 200 baht than 2000 baht!
-> Be careful if they tell you to interact with the girls on the stage. It costs way a lot of money.
I have never been to Thailand and I couldn’t imagine until I read your article that this kind of “shows” are happening somewhere in this world. It’s so outrageous, and the worst is that those women are probably doing it because they don’t have any other option to put food on their children’s tables.
Hello Joanna, thank you for your message. These shows are everywhere in Bangkok!!!! outrageous, shocking and really sad indeed…
Glad you’re ok! I love Thailand, but like all countries, there are def scams and some pretty dangerous places you can end up. Sometimes paying a bit and walking out is the best possible scenario.
Thank you!!! I love Thailand we just never happened to hear about this scam before and we were toooo dangerously curious! hahahaha BUT lesson learned! 🙂
I have heard about many that has experienced the same. I went once when I lived there back in 2004, as you, just to see what it was all about. We did luckily get out without anyone trying to trick us, but things has obviously changed a lot since then.
Hi dear, thanks for your message. Oh you were VERY LUCKY!! we really they scared our ass off! 🙂 Never again!
I’ve always been waayyyyy too scared to go to one of these! Interesting to read about!!!
Hi Alyssa. thank you for your message. They scarred our ass off!! 🙂 Never again!!
That is horrible!!! Not only your situation that you could solve by paying more than you expected but still, seeing kids just there naked and ready to be God knows what is terrifying
hi there! thank you for your message. fortunately were no kids just some old naked women… But still is was outrageous!
Oh, then I misunderstood. I’ve lately read something about sex-tourism and got it mixed up, but yes, in any case it’s brutal
I went to Thailand last and thankfully nothing like this happened! Your experience sounds quite scary. I don’t what I would’ve done in your place 😮 Glad it ended well though
Hello Risma, Thank you for your comment. Yeah we felt really happy when we got to the exit door!!!!! Pfff no way i will do it again!!!
Ah that sounds super dodge! Thank you for the heads up. Then again, I’d probably never hit up a Ping Pong show anyway, haha.
Hey Serena! Thank for your message. yeah stay away!! 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this! I had no interest in seeing one of these shows in the first place, but most DEFINITELY don’t now!
Hello Chelsea, thanks for your message! Please do not! I really do not know what we were thinking the first time we went to that show. Damn head! 🙂
Yeah, scams in Thailand are plentiful. Luckily I’ve been here so long that I know how to avoid most of them. Sad they are allowed to continue. It’s because Thailand is very corrupted, and unfortunately, I don’t see any changes happening in the nearby future 🙁
Hello Anna! Yes, I agree with your statement. Unfortunately, corruption is very obvious in Thailand.
Good lesson to read, we’re heading to Bangkok for first time next month, though I admit these bars don’t appeal to me, not even for the amusement value. Glad you got out safely though!
Thank you, Kavita for your message. Enjoy your vacations in Thailand and stay away from these bars! 🙂
Wow, I’m glad I avoided all that when I visited Bangkok!
🙂 🙂 Oh yes!
Believe it or not, a co-worker attended something like this in NYC. I was shocked by what I was hearing. She mentioned one woman pushed a baby chick out of her body. Gasp.
Thanks for finally talking about >Ping Pong show scam in Bangkok, Thailand
| Maninio <Liked it!
I went to one of these shows say 12 years ago had my now Thai wife with me. Absolutely no trouble the place was packed with tourist. I was amazed what these girls could do all so had a live sex sex show on stage man and woman, think he must have been on viagra or some thing . It was all arranged by a taxi driver I hired to drive all over Thailand cheap at the time. I payed a set amount at the door for get how much with other tourists, drinks seperate of course, not robbed. I all ways remenber the faces of the Japanese tourist girls they giggling what was happening . If I could remebber the name of the place would go back again with friends it off Patpong Road