Ding Ding Ding Ding!
Y’all need to develop a closer personal relationship with soap.

Stickman had an interesting column this last week in which he interviewed a handful of girls who work for an escort agency in Bangkok. Anatomically, there’s a bit of a difference there than what you are probably used to when enjoying the Big Mango’s nightlife. But, same same but different ya know? When it comes down to the basics, whether its working as an escort or plying your trade out of a bar, whether you are an innie or an outie, a lot of the toils and tribulations associated with commercial sex work are the same. And I thought some of what the ladies had to say was interesting. It’s not often you hear their side of the transaction. For many, it’s even less often that their side even receives consideration.

The Stick proved he’s a bit of a homophobe recently, but I still enjoy reading his column. If I can get pass all the vagina in his work, I guess I can overlook his out-dated view of what is and isn’t gay too. It’s worth it thanks to offerings like this interview. He digs into Thailand’s seedy nightlife a bit deeper than others, and when he sticks to a subject he knows – like the aforementioned vagina – his are an honest portrayal of that world. Unlike the select excerpts of not one but five manuscripts busily being penned by a blogger – who shall remain shameless – who spends countless hours scholastically interviewing denizens of the night world only to pass on ridiculously fictionalized tales of rape and abuse. ‘Cuz that’s what gets his little heart beating evidently.

Stick, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have a hidden agenda. And you can take what he recounts as money in the bank. I’d considered reprinting his article here with the feminine pronouns changed to the more preferable masculine ones, but decided a simple recap would be easier. For me. In the end, it’s the same tale. Which is about how not easy working as a professional companion in Thailand can be. And if the scent of vagina that still permeates this article throws you off your game, that’s okay. “Cuz the scent of customers can be equally appalling to those who are paid to spend their time with them.

So it was not surprising the girls’ #1 complaint was about customers who stink. The need for those who partake of their services to be freshly showered and clean (not that the two necessarily always go hand in hand) was hit on again and again. Everything else Stick brought up had both its detractors and fans. And everything else that Stick brought up seemed to result in yet another one of the ladies bringing up how foul of an experience it is to have a customer whose mama didn’t teach him about the benefits of personal hygiene. The women even said they had no problem with Indian customers. As long as they bathed. And weren’t cheap bastards. But the bathing thingy ruled.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before. Bar boys I know feel the same way. But this time it’s coming from the horse’s mouth – which is an appropriate cliche considering how equine looking many of those women you see working the beer bars along Patpong 2 are. If you are going to play, play with some soap first. Bangkok’s commercial sex workers don’t care how old, fat, or ugly you are. They just don’t want to have to hold an air freshener over your head while they work.

Preferred nationalities didn’t make much of a blip, though any mention of the French was suspiciously absent. One girl thought Germans were generous and spoke politely; working boys who’ve run up against Christian probably have a different opinion. Another said Singaporeans never stop talking. And one, who was being honest, said all farang are farang and it doesn’t matter. As long as they are clean. The last to answer said, “Any country is ok so long as they pay. I am not fussed about their nationality. I don’t care. I do it for the money.”

Out of the mouth of babes.

It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, but all the girls at some point during the interview basically said the same. It’s a job. It’s about making money. Not one mentioned hearts, flowers, and romance. You can show your love by being polite and tipping generously. And taking a damn shower first.

Size too didn’t seem to matter, despite how important that may be to you. Age, however, did. Younger punters always seem to think they have a leg up on their older competition, but the girls said differently. And for once their responses had nothing to do with personal hygiene. While one lady echoed the ‘I don’t care, it’s a job, it’s about the money’ refrain, the rest all preferred older customers. One qualified the question of age with business success, preferring those who could and would pay more. Another qualified the question of age with stamina. “When older men are done they want to sleep right away. With young men it can be 3 times or 4 times during the night,” she said. All of which, I guess, means it’s not your age that really matters but rather how mature your bank account is. No big surprise there either.

What I did find interesting were the few small slips made that provided a glimpse into the more personal concerns of sex workers. It turns out they are just as insecure as the rest of the world. You’d think that body consciousness would not be a problem of someone who spends their nights standing naked on stage. But instead they expressed their worry over whether a customer would find them attractive or not. And one girl spoke about her concerns on her first booking; she didn’t know what to do, where to put her bag, where to put her shoes.

Those who’ve spent decades enjoying the fruits of Thailand’s bargirls and barboys like to portray them all as hardened professionals. It might be better to consider their side of the story a bit instead. Sure it’s all about the sex. To you. But just because they are paid companions doesn’t mean they aren’t humans too. A little consideration goes a long way. Taking into account their feelings could even make the experience more enjoyable for both of you. Ya never know – treating your boy du jour like a real human being may even result in the unthinkable. Like him thinking that Germans are polite. Provided, of course, that you shower first.

Being treated well, with at least a modicum of respect, seemed to be as important as being clean. “We may work as escorts but you should still be decent to us. We are not low society types. We do our best to make you happy so please be nice to us,” said one. “We are grateful for your money but we ask you to treat us as humans,” said another who added, “If you treat us well, we will treat you well and we will both be happier for it.”

I frequently read comments on the message boards about the guys who work in the bars being lazy and having taken their jobs because it’s such easy money. As frequently I wonder if the person who makes that claim has looked in a mirror lately. That has always struck me as an argument made to justify poor behavior on the part of the punter, as though it excuses tipping poorly or treating the guy as nothing more than a sex object because, after all, the dude’s got it easy compared to those making an ‘honest living’.

And, yeah, the money can be a hell of a lot better than working the swing shift at McDonalds. Or as one girl put it, “We do it for money and the money is really, really good.” But the flip side of that coin is just what it is they have to do for that money. And there ain’t nothing easy about that. “If there was another way, a better way, we would not be doing this. No-one wants to do this work. No-one,” said one girl, expressing what I am sure is the feelings of the majority. “We get very tired doing this. It’s not easy,” chimed in another.

Of course you could make their job a lot easier and more enjoyable by spending some one-on-one time with a bottle of body wash before seeing to your orgasm.

Related Posts You Might Enjoy: