Soi Pratuchai (alias: "Soi Twilight"; , meaning "

Triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

soi In Thailand, a ''soi'' ( ) is a side street that branches off of a major street (''thanon'', ). An alley is called a ''trok'' (). Overview Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by the name of the major street and the number, as in "S ...

") was

walkway In American English, walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. '' The New Oxford American Dictionary'' also defines a walkway as "a passage or path for walking along, esp. ...

") in the Bangrak district of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

known for being a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

-related

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

district, catering mainly, though not exclusively, to foreign

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

and

expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

. While Soi Pratuchai was internationally known as a

red light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

for

s at the heart of Bangkok's

sex industry The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related se ...

, the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in fact has numerous

-related

red-light districts A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

that are far more popular with Thai. Soi Pratuchai was closed since 1 April 2019 with its land plots being bought. Some bars has relocated in the vicinity of

Patpong Patpong (, , ) is an entertainment district in Bangkok's Bang Rak District, Thailand, catering mainly, though not exclusively, to foreign tourists and expatriates. Patpong is internationally known as a red light district at the heart of Bangkok's ...

, while others have closed down permanently. The site of Soi Pratuchai has since been occupied by ''Chula Culture'', a 32-storied condominium developed by set to complete in 2025.

Location and layout

Soi Pratuchai consisted of a "7"-shaped

running between

Surawong Road Surawong Road (, ) is a road in the Bang Rak District of Bangkok, Thailand, linking Charoen Krung Road to Rama IV Road, Rama IV and forming the boundary between Suriyawong Subdistrict, Suriyawong and Si Lom Subdistrict, Si Lom subdistricts. It was ...

and

Rama IV Road Rama IV Road (, ; usually shortened to , ) is a main road in Bangkok, Thailand. It starts at Mo Mi Junction in the area of Chinatown, Bangkok, Bangkok's Chinatown in Samphanthawong District, Samphanthawong and Pom Prap Sattru Phai Districts and ...

. Soi Pratuchai is within walking

distance Distance is a numerical or occasionally qualitative measurement of how far apart objects, points, people, or ideas are. In physics or everyday usage, distance may refer to a physical length or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two co ...

from the BTS Skytrain

Silom Line The Elevated Train in Commemoration of Bhumibol Adulyadej, HM the King's 6th Cycle Birthday 2nd line, also known as Silom Line, is one of the rapid transit lines of the BTS Skytrain, BTS Skytrain System in Bangkok, Thailand.The line runs eastward ...

Sala Daeng Station Sala Daeng station (, ) is a BTS Skytrain station, on the Silom line in Bang Rak District, Bangkok, Thailand. The station is located on Si Lom Road to the southwest of Sala Daeng Intersection. It is surrounded by financial center along Si Lom R ...

, and

MRT Blue Line The MRT Blue Line () or MRT Chaloem Ratchamongkon Line () is Bangkok's third rapid transit line, following the Sukhumvit line and Silom line of the BTS Skytrain. It is the first line of the MRT (Bangkok), MRT system and is operated by Bangkok Exp ...

's Si Lom Station. It was a dead-ended alleyway and thus less car traffic in comparison to other gay districts in broader

. Establishments in Soi Pratuchai were mostly

gay bars A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communities. Gay bars once ...

restaurants A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in app ...

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

s and salons. Among them were: Hot Male Bar, Banana Bar, X-Boys Bar, Maxis Restaurant, Dream Boy Bar, Fresh Beach Boyz Bar, X size Bar, and Classic Boys Club where

synchronized swimming Synchronized swimming (in British English, synchronised swimming), also known as artistic swimming, is a sport where swimmers perform a synchronized choreographed routine, accompanied by music. The sport is governed internationally by World A ...

shows were available

History

According to ''Oat Montien'', a former

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

at ''Patpong Museum'' where history of sex tourism around

area is studied, Soi Pratuchai began its name as a gay destination from a gay go-go bar named ''Twilight''; later the soi's alias, that relocated from Sukhumwit area to the entrance of Soi Pratuchai in 1971. The bar was first mentioned in 1966 as a "gay" establishment - being one of the first instances of the term ''gay'' being referred to distinguishably from

trans woman A trans woman or transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity and may experience gender dysphoria (distress brought upon by the discrepancy between a person's gender identity and their ...

term ''

kathoey ''Kathoey'' or ''katoey'' (, ; , , ; ; , ), commonly translated as ''ladyboys'' in English, is a term used by some people in Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand, whose identities in English may be best translated as transgender women in some cas ...

''. The bar was said to initially have no seat, all patrons must stand to be ''Twilight shake-hand''-ed (referring to having their genitals being handheld) by the bar's hosts. As of 1990s, 20 years since ''Twilight'' moved to Soi Pratuchai, the entirety of establishments in the alleyway became

gay bar A gay bar is a Bar (establishment), drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ+) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBTQ+ communi ...

s. As of 2019, there were more than 10 gay bars. In 2019, every land plots in the alleyway were sold. The reason behind the purchasing remains unknown. Soi Pratuchai's legacy of gay tourism suddenly came to an end, worsened by the

COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand The COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). Thailand was the first country to report a case outside C ...

. The broader

area, during the pandemic's peak, only three gay bars remained.

Sex-related businesses

Most Soi Pratuchai

go-go bars A go-go bar is a type of business establishment where alcoholic drink is sold and dancers provide entertainment. The term ''go-go bar'' originally referred to a nightclub, bar, or similar establishment that featured go-go dancers; while some go- ...

feature

boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is usually described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy ...

s dancing on a

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

. The

dancers Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...

(and even occasionally the serving staff) are generally available to

customers In sales, commerce, and economics, a customer (sometimes known as a client, buyer, or purchaser) is the recipient of a good, service, product, or an idea, obtained from a seller, vendor, or supplier via a financial transaction or an e ...

willing to pay a

bar fine A bargirl is a woman who is paid to entertain patrons in a bar or nightclub. Variants on the term include "B-girl" and "juicy girl". Many bargirls work as a bar hostess, engaging individual customers in conversation. They may also provide them ...

to take them out of the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

; the fees for sexual services are negotiated separately. Some establishments advertising "massages" are in fact disguised

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

s, and a few famous "blowjob bars" offer

oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth). Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vu ...

at the main bar or in back rooms. Several upstairs bars still feature (technically illegal) sex shows, with boys performing various creative acts. Perhaps the most notorious of these features boys performing exotic feats involving bathing. Some of these second-floor gay bars are run by scam artists who lure tourists with offers of low prices and later present a wildly inflated bill along with a threat of physical harm should the bill go unpaid. The

Tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

Police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

, usually stationed at

1 and Silom Road, can help in these situations. Some establishments in Patpong employ

s (or "ladyboys") either exclusively or as part of a mixed gender staff. The bars open at 6 pm and close at 2 am.

Sources

Bibliography

* * * * {{Prostitution in Thailand Neighbourhoods of Bangkok Tourist attractions in Bangkok Red-light districts in Thailand Bang Rak district Gay villages in Thailand

Location and layout

History

Sex-related businesses

See also

Sources

Bibliography