Freelance Pick-Up
These establishments have the following in common:
- The girls are not employees of the bar, but are allowed to hang out there even if they don’t consume food or drink, because they attract farang male customers who do buy drinks and food
- The girls are free to come and go as they wish, any days, any times
- You do not pay the establishment anything for the girl — no bar fine
- All prices and terms are negotiated solely between you and the girl
The main freelance pick-up joints are:
- The German beer garden on Sukhumvit soi 7, afternoon to approx. midnite
- Gullivers, Sukhumvit soi 5, a nice pub and restaurant with some better dressed ladies
- Thermae, under Ruamchit Hotel near Sukhumvit soi 15, approx. 11pm to 2am
- Angels disco in Nana Hotel, Sukhumvit soi 4, approx. 11pm to 2am
- Bamboo, halfway down Sukhumvit soi 3, starts around 9pm
- Spice Club, under the Ambassador, parking lot entrance, 10pm onwards
- Grace Hotel, soi 3, 10pm to 2am
- Hard Rock Cafe (ground floor has some freelancers), 7pm to 2am
- Vibrations disco (mixed mainstream and some freelancers) under Novotel Siam Square, approx. 10pm to 2am
- Spasso, under Erawan Hotel, has some “hi-class” freelancers in the mix, 7pm to 2am
- Patpong has a few places, beer bar starting early evening, disco from around 11pm to 2am
There are some other places, but the above are the best known and most populous.
You should note that the streets get crowded after 2am when the girls who work at go-go bars get off work, and hoardes of them freelance at that time.
The closing times vary according to the political climate. Before, many places didn’t close until sunrise. As political winds have changed, closing times have occasionally been rolled back to as early as midnight, but as of late 2007 most places close at 1am to 2am, though some fairly hidden ones stay open until sunrise (and allegedly pay off the cops handsomely or are owned by cops).
The main advantages of the above freelance pick-up places are:
- No bar fine to the establishment, i.e., lower overall cost
- If you have a protracted relationship, these girls are not obligated to return to the bar on their daily schedule (especially useful for travelling together)
- If you have a protracted relationship, you wouldn’t have to pay repeated “bar fines” for every day she’s away, only your negotiated daily rate for the girl
- Some of the girls in freelance places have not been in prostitution for long and have never worked in any other kind of prostitution establishment nor would they (though many others have been in prostitution for very long and have “graduated” to the level of freelancer)
The main disadvantage of these places is:
- The girls are unaccountable if they do anything bad to you, unlike registered employees
The vast majority of cases of theft and druggings come from girls picked up at freelance places. While most girls at these places are safe, and these reports are not common (e.g., most guys who habitually take freelancers never get robbed or drugged), nonetheless, the ones who are thieves generally work at these places, and on any given day there are usually some present.
On the other hand, the professional thieves tend to go after tourists rather than take a risk with anyone who lives in Thailand and whom they would have a high chance of running into again in the future.
Typical price is 1000 baht for shorttime, more or less. Sometimes much more. However, some girls will not state a price, but leave it up to your generosity. This does not mean they are free. They may be shy to ask for a price. It is also a custom in some circles to politely leave the generosity up to you.
If you take them longtime, back to your home, you generally should not expect maid service. Some will offer it, and if they iron your shirts, clean your dishes, etc., then you should tip them.
Usually, if you want this then you should request it well in advance and negotiate a total fee. Some will be willing, but most won’t. This is for freelancers. For bargirls, they would usually refuse.
