
“200 baht, 200 baht! I give you deal. Buy one drink and you see all the acts! You not get this kind price from anyone else.” This is what the skinny Thai man quoted, as he whipped out a laminated menu:
1. Puxxy shoots ping-pong balls
2. Puxxy blows balloons
3. Puxxy writes letter
4. Puxxy blows out candles
5. Puxxy sews
The list went on…
I was standing before the door of one of Bangkok ping-pong show in Patpong, staring at a jaw-dropping menu of 25 acts!
This post may contain affiliate links. When visiting Thailand, I always buy adventure travel insurance that covers Thailand activities and theft, so I can enjoy any adventure in Thailand, of which there are copious amounts! I also recommend checking out this trip insurance finder tool if you want a plan that matches your budget.
A night in Bangkok’s Patpong Red Light area (aka the Ping Pong district)
Table of Contents: My narrow escape from Bangkok Ping Pong Show Scam
Years ago, Bangkok’s Patpong district got a seedy rap for its sex industry, as age-washed, horny and lonely male tourists prowl young Thai bodies in exchange for baht. Today, not much has changed. It’s just gotten more commercial. Neon signs blaze over shady strip joints and Thai men openly approach men and women with Bangkok ping-pong show menus.
You see ping-pong show? I give you deal.
It’s all a hard sell. Meanwhile, inside the nightly clubs, young girls writhe around a silver pole, naked and dressed only in a thong bikini, looking as bored and lifeless as a grocery store girl, bagging groceries at the end of her shift or a 9-5 office drone, staring at her computer screen all day.
It’s the least exciting and un-sexiest thing you can imagine and for them, it comes across as a chore. Of course, who can blame them. The males here are all unattractive, white and lonely.




I didn’t have the balls- no pun intended – to go to the strip full solo.
What gal isn’t a bit curious of women, who can blow things out of their privates? It’s a rare talent.
I’d been to Bangkok four times within the past two years, and although there are many wonderful things to do in downtown and historical Bangkok, I was still hoping to find friends to go to a ping pong show with.
My fourth time to Bangkok was the charm. I met three travelers (a Canadian girl and an American expat couple) with matching curiosities at my hostel.
Puxxy Power: Who knew there was so much untapped potential in my nether regions?
200 baht (around $6.50) and a drink was the deal we took for entrance fee. We walked upstairs to a lonely bar room. One male client, a tourist with a normal Thai girl, was sitting on the vinyl seats as 4-5 G-stringed girls of various shapes and sizes, danced on stage. We each ordered our drinks, but I couldn’t bring my lips to touching the cup.
As tourists, we stood out. We were of the freshest sport.
First act: “Puxxy shoots ping-pong balls“.
The act was straight-forward. It didn’t lie.
Pft! Pft! Pft!
Ping pong balls came flying at our direction, bouncing off the floor and to our booth. We dodged.
After the act, the female performer came up to us to ask for tips and a drink. A ladyboy performer sat next to us, flirting and acting like a curious intermediary, and making us uncomfortable. He seemed shifty, like a secret club guard dog.
Second act: “Puxxy blows out candles on a cake.“
A cake was rolled out and lit with 6 high candles. A dancer with reading glasses (she must have bad eyesight) inserted a straw into her privates and proceeded to blow each candle out.
Done with her act, she expected retribution. She walked to us with an extended hand and a demanding, business-like demeanor. We signaled “No”. She left mumbling rubbish Thai under her breath. We were cheap clients.
Third act: “Puxxy knits“
A ball of yarn is in the girl’s cootie and safety pins are pinned to her *owwee* place, as the girl knits with legs spread. Gross!
Though these acts were mesmerizing, by the fourth puxxy act: “Puxxy writes letters,” feelings of vomitous shame and guilt started to set in. Then came self-contempt and humiliation… It was barely five minutes into the show and our group was feeling queasy.
Bangkok ping-pong shows aren’t easy to watch if you’re a woman
The acts began to blur into one opaque wall of demeaning shame. This wasn’t the Las Vegas-type freak show entertainment we imagined it’d be. It wasn’t a fun show.
For ping-pong performers, these shows are a dull, dangerous and demoralizing job. You could feel the degradation of it, the lifestyle of scabs, regular Bangkok scams and under-aged prostitutes, working for a club boss and meagerly getting by.
As tourists sitting and watching, we realized we were endorsing this kind of livelihood! Feeding its sick existence !
Could I or even, we make it through 25 acts? No.
The sixth act was our limit. My hostel friends in arms and I had had enough. Everyone- male and female were turned off by it and ashamed with ourselves. Done!
Read: How I almost got scammed by a Bangkok taxi
What is the Ping Pong show scam in Thailand?
600 baht each?!
At the cashier’s counter, the bill had inflated three times the 200 baht quote. A short bullish female manager emerged and pulled an excuse, that the sales guy outside didn’t quote the right price. Secretly, it boiled down to the fact, we hadn’t tipped the performers or bought more drinks. Our refusal now prompted the manager to put a lean on us by threatening mafia action! Our watchful ladyboy was now, her sidekick. It was a scam.
My mind raced, Would they bar our exit next? Could they do anything in front of the other club visitors?
We huddled and quickly pooled our money together to decide upon a compromise. Our 6 foot tall token male, Richard, told the manager we’d pay 200 baht extra as a group. We’d only been there for five minutes!
Shoving the money into her hands, we all turned for a brisk escape, running down the stairs and out through the shopping stalls. Whew and ewww.
Book your Thailand bus and train tickets in advance
How common are Bangkok Ping Pong Show scams?
Fortunately, the scams I’ve encountered in past travels haven’t been physically or life threatening. Although I’ve come across my share of close calls and scares, I’ve found most con artists want money and don’t want to resort to violence to get it. Still, you never know…
I hadn’t read warnings about ping-pong scams before to know this was something to beware of. But after returning to my hostel and Googling it on the internet, I found what we experienced was common.
Many people, including two women I met later, have met a “manager with a lady boy sidekick who barred their exit from the club until they paid” the extra money. One girl I met even said the manager locked the door in front of her and pushed her around a bit! Fortunately, no one was ever hurt. I guess I/we were lucky to be in a group of four with a male.
This was the one time I encountered a scam and was glad I wasn’t solo. Check out my post on 31 safety tips for female solo travelers.
Check out more top scams you may experience.
Should you support a Patpong Ping Pong show?
What I did not know at the time of experiencing this is that while the sex industry in Bangkok appears like entertainment for the daring or lonely-lusting, the flourishing of Bangkok’s sex industry fuels human trafficking and a modern-day slavery. Initially, I thought it might be fun and super daring of me, like a child going to a seedy peep show or sticking their finger in a plug socket.
But after this experience the super depressing nature of the show, the raw brush of very real tourist scams and learning more about the sex industry in Bangkok, I know what I did was unethical.
By supporting these sex clubs and ping-pong shows, we’re encouraging this way of life. Interesting article from Pulitzer Center about the reality of these women (here).
Looking for things to do in this area alternatively, you may want to go to Patpong Night Market for souvenir shopping instead. It’s right next door to the clubs.
Closer to the BTS Skytrain, there’s also normal massage shops for tourists and a side street of delicious Thai street food (read my street food safety tips), where you can sit at a stall and slurp on a bowl of noodles. I stay in this area a lot due to the sidewalk food vendors in the morning and tucked away in some of the side streets.
Read responsible travel tips for ethical Thai tourism

Ever experienced a Bangkok ping pong show scam?
Should you get Travel Insurance in Thailand?
YES. Travel insurance is always recommended for all travel but I highly recommend it for Thailand. Thailand is an adventurous destination and there are loads of inexpensive activities to discover and explore.
For Thailand, I like to get adventure trip insurance with coverage for theft and fun Thai adventurous activities, because I feel more inclined to be adventurous here. Motor bike driving, snorkeling, trekking, river hotels, scuba diving certification, caving, food tours, etc.. these are just some of the things I’ve done in Thailand at a fraction of the cost that I’d pay in Western countries!
Although Bangkok and Chiang Mai have very good medical facilities (here’s my medical tourism post), you never know what can happen. I’ve seen bad motorbike spills in Thailand (especially Pai where tourists are learning for the first time!). I’ve also seen travelers come down with dengue fever due to humid areas attracting mosquitoes.
You can use this recommended trip insurance finder tool to find insurance that matches your trip and budget..
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In these videos, I document and share my solo travel tips as I experience them while traveling Thailand. Some videos are trip guides of specific places in Thailand, like Pai, Bangkok, etc.. to foods and activities you can do in Thailand.