Welcome to gay Chiang Mai, Thailand’s pink rose of the north. As we head in to August and the heaviest month of the rainy season here is all the latest gay and LGBT scene news from Chiang Mai. But, despite the rain, there is still plenty of places to go and lots going on.
Gay soi 6 at the Night Bazaar – Chiang mai’s gay central
This month will be the second anniversary of Ram Bar opening their new show bar on gay soi 6 (Chareon Prathet Soi 6). Ram bar’s move here was the catalyst that sparked the take off of Soi 6 and marked the re-birth of Chiang Mai’s night bazaar area as the new gay central. Since 2013 when there were no gay bars left, the Night Bazaar has staged a major comeback and now boasts more than nine gay businesses in the area around gay soi 6.
Secrets Bar
After Ram Bar, Secrets bar, one of the original night bazaar bars and Chiang Mai’s longest running gay bars, also moved onto to Soi 6. This is Secrets’ fourth location since opening more than ten years, and definitely the best so far, proving to be even more popular. The purpose built structure provides a large bar with ample seating, smart décor, pool table and spotlessly clean toilets. The addition of air-con is an added bonus which sets Secrets apart from some of the other bars during the hot and humid seasons.
Centre of attraction is the pool table which attracts an interesting selection of good looking boys to play pool. Many of these guys come from the Dois of Northern Thailand and are always happy to entertain. Indeed, Secrets bar provides a discreet and safe place for members of the LGBT community to meet and enjoy a fun evening socialising with some of Chiang Mai’s more appealing young men. Being more laid back than the glitzy show bar next door, and offering cheaper drink prices than other bars, Secrets provides a perfect complement to Ram bar which together make for a great night of fun and entertainment.
Ram Bar
Located right next to Secrets Bar at the bottom of gay soi 6 and on the intersection with Chareon Prathet Rd Ram Bar has turned into one of Chiang Mai’s most successful gay business which now attracts a large, albeit quite mixed crowd for its regular Cabaret shows. The Cabaret starts at 10 p.m. every night except Sundays and is split into two parts, with an interval to ensure you can keep topped up with refreshments. As the show is very busy reservations are recommended +66 85 034 5607.
Ram Bar Show Gallery
For more pictures of the show visit the Ram Bar website picture galleries
Ram bar will be celebrating their second anniversary on gay Soi 6 in a couple of weeks time with a special red carpet party on 14 August 2017
The Pegasus
Round the corner of Soi6 and adjacent to Ram Bar on Chareon Prathet Road, another gay owned business has recently opened. The Pegasus is a bar café with a tastefully landscaped garden setting leading to a traditional style wooden building. Nice place to relax, drink or have something to eat.
Orion Bar
At the other end of gay Soi 6, Orion Bar recently moved out of its old location in the nearby Kalare night Bazaar into new premises on the soi itself. The bar also has a pool table and the new location includes dedicated toilets too. It is located next door to Le Spice Indian restaurant. Orion bar is the mastermind of the ever smiling Khun Mai who, with his band of cute young friends, will ensure you are entertained with games of pool or other bar games.
Jacky Bar
Some more good news is that Chiang Mai old timer Jacky “The Hat” has also opened a bar on Gay Soi 6. Many of our readers will remember Jacky from the old days at The Peak in Chez Nous, Friendship and MTV bars. Jacky Bar is located almost next door to Orion Bar.
Other Night Bazaar Bars
Congratulations to Pandee bar in the Kalare Night Bazaar complex who celebrate their first anniversary today. Pandee is located close to orion Bar and Jacky Bar. For full details of all Gay Soi 6 bars and other bars at the night bazaar please visit our gay guide to bars and restaurants in Chiang Mai. The bars are also shown on the map below.
If you are looking for accommodation near the Night Bazaar and gay soi 6 you may be interested in Club One Seven’s new VIP suite located nearby. Of course you can still stay at the Club One Seven guesthouse and gay sauna located further along Chareon Prathet Rd in a great location on the river bank.
Santitham and Chang Puek Area
It had seemed that the once popular Santitham area was declining from a gay perspective as several venues had closed, but recently there has been some recovery. The good news is that the Sabaidee Santitham restaurant and Pub adjacent to Santitham Guest House is re-opening on 5th August with a Grand Reopening party. Sabaidee had been closed for sometime and prior to that was being run by another operator (not gay). We are assured the place has now been thoroughly renovated and been given a good clean ahead of the reopening.
Another loss for the gay community was Soho bar, which closed last year (see Soho goes the way of the dodo), but Soho has since been reseurected in Santitham as Soho lounge. You can read all about their re-opening in this article from June: Soho Lounge – The Reincarnation
However, we just learned that Soho will be closed for the first week in August, “In preparation for the upcoming high season”. Apparently, “Staff training and a clean up is in order”. We hope this is not the start of the same problems that beset the original Soho. So we hope things continue to go well for the New Soho and wish Shauna and Rabbit every success. Once they are reopen, Soho lounge is not just a bar but also offers a full service Thai restaurant during the day.
As a historical note, Soho Lounge’s new location, despite being next to te New My Way go-go bar and a gay Karaoke, was not successful for others in the past, notably for notorious Chiang Mai resident Klaus Dracula who had a bar here many years ago. He subsequently went on to open Yum Boi Boi in Santitham Plaza which was another short lived venture.
Another place of interest nearby, and quite close to Soho’s old location and near the B2 Green and YMCA is the De Saren café & bistro. This gay owned eatery serves Western and Thai Breakfasts, Lunches and Dinners throughout the day.
The re-opening of Sabaidee Santitham and Soho lounge does mean there are now three bars in Santitham all within easy walking distance of each other, since popular local bar, The Black Door is located between the two. SLighty further but still within walking distance are the other Go-Go bars, including Circle Pub, and Adams Apple Club which is also opposite the Lotus Hotel and its Garden Bar. Or if you fancy a massage, Common Massage is located in Santitham just around the corner from the Soho Lounge. See the map below for more details:
New Massage Shop
Diamond House Massage
Whilst several massage shops have closed recently, here is a new one opened off Kampang Ding Road between the Night Bazaar area and Thapae Gate. Diamond House Massage is at 19/9 Kampang Din Soi 1 (Close by to Billy’s restaurant and near where the Wall massage used to be). Open from noon to midnight.
Chiang Mai still has several other massage shops spread in various locations across. Check our guide to gay massage for men by men in Chiang Mai for more details
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Sorry to hear that Ray the man behind Secrets bar for so many years has died suddenly. RIP