Bar Fine
A "bar fine" is the payment a customer makes to the bar itself, not to the woman, so she can leave for the night instead of continuing to work there. The amount varies by venue and city, and it's a common first step before spending time together outside the bar. It isn't a payment for sexual services in itself — formally, it's compensation to the business for losing a staff member for the night. Several stories on this site, especially the ones that start in Pattaya or Phuket, mention this first step before the relationship turns into something more.
Frequently asked questions
Is the bar fine paid to the woman or to the bar?
To the bar. It's compensation to the business for losing a staff member for the night, not a direct payment to her.
How much does a bar fine typically cost?
It varies a lot by bar and city; usually somewhere from a few hundred to around a thousand baht, though each venue sets its own amount.
Does paying the bar fine imply any commitment?
No, it's simply the step that lets her leave the bar for the night. What happens afterward is between the two people involved.
Stories related to Bar Fine
I followed her one day instead of believing her story about the family visits. She didn't go to the bus station — she walked into a hotel with another man.
Retired in Pattaya since 2017, a 55-year-old Polish man falls for Apple, a 32-year-old bar girl with three kids to support. For months he believes he's the only man helping her out financially. One day he decides to follow her instead of believing the usual excuse, and discovers he was just one of several sponsors supporting her at the same time.
I checked her passport, her certificates, years of photos. It all lined up. It cost me $30,000 to learn that wasn't enough.
At 57, living in the quiet peace of a marriage that survived my wife's third affair, I met Pre at a bar in Nana Plaza, Bangkok. She was 37, looked 25, and had a perfectly verifiable story: passport, divorce papers, years of social media photos. Over six months I sent her 30,000 dollars for her family, her studies, and a Denmark visa that never came through.
In three seconds she went from fine to screaming at me through the streets of Chiang Mai. Her cousin explained why.
A Finnish man became a regular customer of a massage girl in Pattaya, and after a lovely trip to Koh Chang and two years of Line contact through the pandemic, one boozy night in Chiang Mai ended in screaming, a packed bag, and a revealing explanation months later.
I kept coming back to Pattaya for thirteen years. In the third bar on Soi Honey I met Jib.
A 42-year-old Dutchman started visiting Pattaya in 2010 and never stopped coming back every January. In 2022, in a bar on Soi Honey, he met Jib, from Isaan. Two years later he bought land from her family, fully aware of what that meant.
Om never asked me for a penny in two years. Now she runs Thai nights at our pub.
A 26-year-old Brit met Om in a bar on Soi Buakhao, Pattaya, then found her again months later serving coffee off Beach Road. Two years of her never asking for anything, a complicated visa and a wedding later, they now run a pub in England with Thai theme nights.