Nana Plaza

Nana Plaza Entrance 2015
Nana Plaza Entrance 2015
Nana Plaza, November 2015
Nana Plaza November 2015

Nana Plaza (officially Nana Entertainment Plaza; shortened to NEP) is a 3 storey red-light district building in Bangkok,[1] which is rumoured to be the largest sex complex in the world. It is on Sukhumvit Road Soi 4,[2] about 20 metres (66 ft) from the Nana Hotel, and about 300 metres (330 yd) from the BTS Skytrain's "Nana Station".[1] The name originates from the Nana family (Lek Nana being the most prominent member) which owns much property in the area and still has much influence in Thailand.

Along with Soi Cowboy and Patpong, Nana Plaza is one of the Bangkok red-light districts which attract primarily tourists.[1]

The plaza's U-shaped building[1] is roughly square-shaped, with a single opening on the west side, and consists of a ground floor and two additional floors arranged around a courtyard.[3] It started as a restaurant area in the late 1970s. During the early 1980s, a few go-go bars appeared and gradually replaced the restaurants. The composition of the bars has changed over the years; the last non-go-go bar, the Woodstock Pub, was sold in 2005 to the Rainbow Group and reopened as "Rainbow 4". The building then contained nothing but nightclubs. By 2006 there were said to be about 40 clubs[1] and the number had grown to around 60 by 2013.[3]

In 2012 Nana Plaza was sold to Nana Partners Co Ltd, a partnership that includes the Eclipse Group - one of Thailand's largest bar and nightclub operators - for a rumored $25,000,000 after the land was inherited by seven sisters who wanted nothing to do with a red light area.

Several short-time hotels operate on the middle and top floors. Short-time hotels rent out rooms by the hour or more to the NEP patrons to take a bargirl for sex. Most bar girls working at bars in Nana Plaza are willing to leave with customers upon payment of a bar fine. Smoking is banned indoors, there are no elevators. The building closes at 2:00 a.m. and lies dormant until the following evening.[1] In 2016 two waitresses in the plaza's Bangkok Bunnies go-go bar said that they received monthly wages equivalent to £130 ($165) and daily tips equivalent to £11–16 ($14–$20).[4] This compares with a 2016 average monthly wage in Thailand of around 13800 Thai baht ($388).[5]

As of November 2015, there are six kathoey bars in Nana Plaza; these venues are True Obsession (ground floor), Straps, Casanova, DC-10, and Temptations (middle floor), Charades (top floor).[6] Several other bars have a few ladyboys in their line-ups mixed with their regular go-go dancers.

Nana Plaza is a common setting of the crime novels by John Burdett.

List Of Nana Plaza Bars

Many bars have changed name and ownership in recent times. The following list is accurate as of October 2016.

Ground Floor

Middle Floor

Top Floor

Gallery: Nana Plaza Entrance Sign

Gallery: Inside Nana Plaza

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Central Information Services, LLC (2006). Bangkok for Shy Guys: No-nonsense Travel Guide for Shy Independent Male Travelers. Central Information Services, LLC. p. 140. ISBN 9780978994303.
  2. ↑ Sasiwan Mokkhasen (8 October 2016). "Six Tourists Charged As Police Raid Nana Friday Night". Khaosod English. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  3. 1 2 B. Burnett Brown (2013). Thailand Destinations: Tips, Insights and Helpful Information. Xlibris Corporation. p. 87. ISBN 9781483655567.
  4. ↑ Nicola Smith (16 October 2016). "Thailand's red light district switches off to mourn the passing of King Bhumibol". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Thailand Average Monthly Wages - Forecast". IECONOMICS. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Nana Red Light District Guide". Bangkok Red Eye - The Ultimate Guide to Bangkok's Red Light Districts. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Radu On (26 August 2015). "Top 10 Go-Go Bars at Nana Plaza, Bangkok". Overseas Attractions. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "Twister Bar – Nana Plaza". Bangkok Bar News. Retrieved 28 November 2016.

External links

Coordinates: 13°44′28.9″N 100°33′11.4″E / 13.741361°N 100.553167°E / 13.741361; 100.553167

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