Non-smoking agogo bars/areas

[thailien8]

This comment from a ecent Dave the Rave nightlife review got my attention:

 

"Fantasia (floor 2 next to Temptations) has become the first go-go bar to become a "NO SMOKING" establishment. I think it is a novel and thoughtful idea but I cannot see it helping an already struggling bar. To demonstrate how desperate they are, I was walking past Fantasia and I was aggressively grabbed by the wrist. This normally does not happen to me as many people in Nana Plaza know where the man with the reflective dome resides. Almost every other bar in Nana Plaza is much friendlier in the way that they greet customers. This aggressive behavior will not encourage anyone to enter an establishment, so it is therefore very counterproductive. To quote an appropriate Gumpism, "Stupid is as stupid does"."

 

As a non-smoker, this seemed too good to be true. I had to see for myself. When I went in Fantasia, about 9 pm. on a Tuesday evening, there were no other customers. I saw a large sign on the back wall. In English, it read "No-Smoking". The Thai version was "เขตปลอดบุหรี่" This is translated by the excellent website www.thai2english.com as "non-smoking area; no-smoking zone". I was briefly encouraged by seeing this sign, until I noticed one of the bargirls smoking a cigarette about 15 feet from the sign. I asked a waitress where this non-smoking area might be. She waved vaguely to a seat. Going over there and sitting down, I was confronted by a filthy ashtray with some cigarette butts in it. This was not encouraging, but I ordered a drink anyway. The katoey mamasan had seen me looking and pointing at the sign. Apparently s/he resented this, as not long after I started on my drink, s/he pointedly lit up a cigarette, sitting close to both the sign and me. I fled with my drink to a far corner of the bar and sat there a while, watching the mamasan puffing away. After 15 minutes, I paid the check and left, probably never to return. The mamasan could see that I was very aware of the no-smoking aspect of the bar, but apparently it was more important for her to smoke, ignore the rules in a very Thai way, and piss off her only customer.

[Coss]

I was most concerned when I took a trip to LOS just after the no smoking laws came in. I was concerned that the bars would all be no smoking.

 

As if. The no smoking laws were, and AFAIK still are ignored.

 

I prefer to smoke. As do my conquests. I'm a smoking kinda guy.

 

Cheers

 

Coss

[Killah]

Are any of the other bars thinking about no smoking or it it just fantasia?

[WorldFun]

hilarious

[Partyguy]

I think some bars just introduced a "smoking mandatory" rule

[Neo]

"let the market decide" just doesn't work for this. There's a lot of people who would flock to no smoking bars, but there remains none. Once upon a time gogo's had private rules that the staff were not allowed to smoke on the job. And now the staff tends to be the worst smokers of them all. About the only benefit for me is when I see one light up, she goes immediately to my black list no matter how stunning.

[Killah]

I remember a while back some of the bars stopped the girls from smoking and using there mobiles when they were supposed to be working. i think it was Hollywood 2 that used to fine the girls for using their mobiles.