Where are the ladyboys in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia?

Kuala Lumpur is a large, clean and relatively modern city that serves as the capital of Malaysia. The country has a well deserved reputation as a pretty conservative place. There are all sorts of rules in place that don’t exist elsewhere. It’s all tied in to history, religion and more. But Kuala Lumpur is a place where people can cut loose. Well at least some of them. While certain religious groups are forbidden from partying with alcohol, others are allowed to get wild. Foreigners are too.

There are some bars in Kuala Lumpur. It’s nothing like what you’d find in nearby cities like Bangkok but there are some options. There are even a lot of brothels and bars with freelancers around. Unfortunately to my knowledge none of these places permit ladyboys to hang around. This might seem strange since a fair share of Malaysian guys can be seen with ladyboys in Thailand and the Philippines, but remember those local rules.

The thing about rules is that they can’t prevent people from doing what they want. Prohibition didn’t work in the United States many years ago. Laws against drug use in that country haven’t stopped an opioid wave from spreading over it today. In the same vein official prohibitions against the sale of sex haven’t stopped the trade in Malaysia or basically anywhere else. Some of the aforementioned bars are places where working women regularly ply their trade. And the brothels of course do so too. There are also a lot of indirect avenues such as saunas and spas that are more about getting busy with an attendant than relaxing in a hot tub for a few hours.

Ladyboys exist in Malaysia and they seem to be rather popular at least in commercial terms. I don’t know that they are really socially accepted or that guys can marry transgender women and take them home to meet mom. But ladyboys who make a living by providing adult services have no shortage of customers. Having no place to officially sell their services, they are forced to find their own ways to do it.

One is through internet. That is to be expected as it is the same all around the world now. Ladyboys in Kuala Lumpur can be found on Tinder and some ladyboy dating sites. Most of the ladyboys on these sites are looking for romance or no strings attached action. But more than a few are also trying to make some money.

The other major avenue for working ladyboys in Kuala Lumpur is the regular old school route of the streets. Kuala Lumpur is definitely nothing like Bangkok with it’s numerous street walking ladyboys who are sometimes of very high physical caliber. But there are definitely a lot of ladyboys to be found in the streets throughout the day and night.

Jalan Bukit Bintang is a major street in Kuala Lumpur. It runs through the middle of one of the most popular areas. There are ladyboys hanging around the street all the time looking for customers. These tend to be the best looking ladyboys in town. Some are from Thailand. A few may be local. The ladyboys in the area usually want 200 Ringgit ($45 USD) for a short time encounter. Most will negotiate with customers and are used to it since it’s such a common practice in Malaysia.

Chow Kit is another area with a lot of working women and ladyboys. It is well known by locals but most tourists never visit. There are street walkers as well as many ladies and ladyboys working out of rooms. Some of the Indian women working out of rooms are actually ladyboys. The looks in this area tend to be a lot worse than Jalan Bukit Bintang. The area also has a reputation for pick pocketing, robberies and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. Still a lot of people go there. The price for a round is usually between 45 and 100 Ringgit ($10-$20 USD). The rooms in the area often look even worse than the workers. Lorong is the Malay word for alley. It’s like soi in Thai. In Chow Kit, ladyboys usually hang around Lorong Haji Taib 1, Lorong Haji Taib 2, Lorong Haji Taib 3, Lorong Haji Taib 4. As mentioned some of the brothel workers pretending to be genetic women are also transgender.

Finally there are the ladyboy escorts in Kuala Lumpur. They can be found on various websites where escorts are known to advertise. Some work out of hotel rooms or apartments while others will travel to customers. Most are from Thailand. They have a better reputation and usually look even better than the best street walkers. There are stories of guys dealing with theft or disease after meeting a ladyboy escort in Kuala Lumpur so safety may be relative. Prices for escorts are highest of all. Many of the higher end ladyboy escorts want 900 Ringgit ($200 USD) or more to meet.