Prostitution in Thailand is illegal… so thankfully we have something called bar fines.

Bar fines are to compensate for two things – taking the girl out of her place of work, and the losses the boss is making due to you, the paying customer, leaving early. Anything paid to a girl after this is a private matter, and looked up on as nothing more than a cash gift.

On average, a bargirl earns just 3000 baht a month basic salary from her boss, then on top of that a percentage on all drinks bought for her by customers, usually 20baht from a 70-90baht drink - plus, of course, any cash gifts from customers. The girls will be given targets every month – how many drinks bought for them and how many bar fines.

If she does not meet these targets her wages will be deducted. If she consistently fails to meet her targets she may even lose her job. The girls are given two days off every month.

Any day missed other than this she will be fined. Most bars will have a policy where their girls are not permitted to ask a customer for a drink, but if she’s good company it’s only polite manners to do so (you stingy git!).

Unlike other popular Thai cities, like Bangkok and Chiang Mai, in Pattaya the bar fines are very cheap, usually 200 – 250baht. What you pay the girl afterwards is negotiable. 1000 baht is usually sufficient, but some will barter for more.

Some girls won’t ask for anything, and are just happy to be taken out of the bar and to stay in a nice hotel for the night. Never ask to go back to her place – all girls are strictly forbidden to take men to their rooms.

The bar fines in the gogo bars will cost you more, sometimes as much as 1000 baht, but the girls do tend to be a lot sexier in these places. The girls have numbers attached to their bikinis. If you see one that takes your eye, call over the mamasan and tell her the number, and say you’d like to buy that particular girl a drink.

She will then call the girl off the stage and she will come and chat with you. If you like her, and she’s willing, settle on a price for either short time or all night at your hotel, then call the mamasan back and pay the fine.

Some of the gogo bars can be quite dark and seedy, and some of the girls can be too full-on for some guy’s tastes, going straight for a trouser grope without any prior conversation.

Some have live sex shows, but it’s advisable to fight your voyeuristic tendencies and avoid these places, as the police sometimes make raids and will not hesitate to arrest everybody in the building.