So What is one of many bars that lines Beach Road Soi 6 in Pattaya. This alley is home to dozens of bars and has a reputation for being one of the wildest in the city. Most tourists end up wandering around on Walking Street to gawk at the go go bars there but regulars are more likely to head for Soi 6 when they want some action.
Soi 6 has a few restaurants and even a pharmacy but for the most part it is strictly a bar street where guys go. There aren’t many other people wandering through. Most of the bars are regular bars with regular women. A few focus on ladyboys. There don’t seem to be many bars that mix the staff up, maybe because they want to avoid any problems that could arise from that. There is at least one exception to that rule. I’ll write about it sometime soon.
Beach Road Soi 6/1 is right next to Soi 6. Some of the naughtiest bars have entrances out back that can be accessed from 6/1. This Soi is really quiet except for the ladyboys that hang out there trying to get guys into their bars. Occasionally a ladyboy not attached to a bar will stand around there too, sometimes in a state of nearly total undress. So What is one of the bars that has an entrance on 6/1. They also usually have a few ladyboys hanging out on plastic chairs there too. The other ladyboys hang out in front but some guys don’t feel comfortable entering ladyboy bars in front of the other guys and girls on the street. Apparently, some of the genetic girls don’t like to work with guys they have seen with ladyboys. To tell the truth I don’t think they are all that picky. After all 1000 Baht is 1000 Baht.
On any given night, So What has between six and twelve ladyboys working. Usually there are seven or eight around. They tend to be more passable or ladylike than the staff at some of the harder bars around. At least one of the ladyboys working at So What right now is absolutely gorgeous. She is 21 years old and has an amazing face and figure. Surprisingly, she is a bit shy but I imagine that will change as time goes on and she gets more comfortable in her career. All of the other ladyboys are easy going. While their hands do tend to roam, they aren’t aggressive at all.
The inside of So What looks like all the other bars on the Soi for the most part. There are some lounge style seats in the back where customers can hang out. There is also a dancing pole but it doesn’t seem to get much use. In the front there is a bar where the woman who manages the place can usually be found. Some customers hang around there from time to time but it’s more common to see them with one of the ladyboys.
The bars on Soi 6 are aimed at short time action and So What is no exception. Customers can pay 300 Baht to the bar to release a ladyboy of their choosing from work and rent one of the rooms upstairs. They are expected to give the ladyboys an additional 1000 Baht for their time and service. The rooms upstairs are nice enough with big beds and showers. I don’t think there are any real time limits. Guys can usually get as much time as they need in the rooms within reason. Surely there is some amount of time that would be considered “too long” but I don’t know what it is.
Customers can also take ladyboys out of the bar for extended periods of time including overnight stays but they are expected to pay more for that. Exact prices are set by negotiations between the customers and the ladyboys.
The ladyboys who work at So What aim to please. For the most part they all offer great service and aim to make their customers happy. Some of them get drained from working too much but there actually don’t seem to be many guys going in and out of the bar. Some of the ladyboys are passive and don’t get up for getting on top. Most of them are versatile though and try to meet the needs of the customers.
So What?, Beach Road Soi 6, Pattaya, Thailand. Open 1:00P – 1:00A. Click here for the bar’s Facebook page which includes a map.
