Secrets is a very large bar and hotel complex nestled right in the heart of Phnom Penh’s hostess bars. There may be no clearer sign of how much the city and even its hostess bar scene has http://www.thefreedictionary.com/free chat developed than the opening of this rather large business right off of the famed Sisowath Quay riverside. Of course Secrets is not to be confused with Le Cyrcee in Phnom Penh which is sometimes referred to as the secret bar. There is nothing very secret about Secrets. It’s a big place in the main tourist part of the city. It has several bright signs outside and the place is advertised on signs, shirts and tuk tuks across the city. From Pattaya to Phnom Penh? While this Secrets has nothing to do with the bar mentioned above the newer Phnom Penh place may very well be related to the Secrets bar in Pattaya. The two businesses share a more or less identical logo. Both also have a hotel as a part of the business. Without knowing anything more than what is visible to the casual onlooker it seems rather obvious that the one Secrets is at least based on the other. secrets cambodia bar in Phnom Penhsecrets cambodia bar in Phnom Penh The Secrets in Pattaya still seems to be going strong so it makes sense that they might have expanded. Especially as the market is obviously growing in Phnom Penh. Meanwhile many in the adult entertainment industry over in Pattaya tell me things have been better. I do know that Secrets in Pattaya was once one of the liveliest bars in the city. Back then the place was full of guys and gals. Many punters seemed to have found their way to place thanks to promotion of one sort or another. Of course word of mouth is the best promotion of all. Secrets had no shortage of that back when the guy managing the place was also active on a popular internet message board. Secrets in Phnom Penh The Secrets under review here is located on Street 136 in Phnom Penh. It is just a block from the riverside. The place is nestled in between several hostess bars. It took over the building of a bleach white hotel that was used as much by short time customers taking ladies out of nearby bars as it was by overnight and long stayers. Back then the rooms were priced accordingly. Under the new Secrets name the rooms cost upwards of fifty dollars and require a full check in procedure even for those who only want to use the rooms for an hour or so. Unfortunately a rise in the prices has not come with any other major upgrade. The basic rooms look pretty much like they did under the old name and management. secrets cambodia bar girlssecrets cambodia bar girls The bar or nightclub on the ground floor however is something else entirely. The place was totally redone to make it one of nicer looking places in town. It is a large place with a big bar in the middle. Several large televisions, specialized lighting and a professional sound system set the mood. There is also plenty of seating around and I imagine more than enough floor space to cut a rug. There are a large number of people on staff too. That includes uniformed and warm greeters who stand out on the street welcoming people inside. Then there are the people working the door inside. Beyond them there is a full bar and wait staff along with all sorts of hostesses. Most seem to be uniformed or wearing themed bits of kit when holidays roll around. Many of the women on staff are quite pretty too. The gals on staff are all attentive and friendly enough. But many seem shy and few are forthcoming. So entering the bar is nothing like going to many of the other hostess bars nearby where many of the women rush over to any new guy who walks in off the street. Instead it just sort of looks like a lot of people are waiting around for something to do. Service and summary Despite all of the obvious outlay on the nightclub which is rather nice I have not seen many men inside of the bar or hotel. Granted I don’t go to the place on a daily basis and stay planted in my seat to observe all that goes on. Nor do I have access to the place’s receipts. But I have been inside enough to note an obvious lack of clientele. Yet there are smaller and much simpler bars nearby that never seem to be short on clients. Real estate agents always bang on about location. And it definitely does matter. But when we are talking about the hospitality industry especially where it intersects with adult entertainment there is much more at play. That helps explains why plain looking strip clubs and sex saunas seemingly in the middle of nowhere in the US and Europe can do brisk business while elaborate go go bars on Walking Street in Pattaya can fail. There is no doubt that the club at Secrets is well done. But that doesn’t seem to be enough to draw in significant numbers of punters. And I think I understand why. I personally think the money spent doing up the bar area could have been better spent redoing the room. At the rate being charged they don’t seem worth it. Especially considering that the noise from the sound system and street below echoes into the rooms until very early in the morning hours. I give a star for effort.
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The Bar is an unmarked bar on a Phnom Penh street that is not really known https://www.washingtonpost.com/newssearch/?query=free chat for its nightlife. Or at least not the sort of nightlife that is common covered on this site. There has been a gay bar operating nearby for sometime though I can’t tell you much more about it than the name. Years ago I wrote a fairly extensive overview of the hostess bars in Phnom Penh. In the time since the scene has really ballooned. Today there are a staggering number of hostess bars that extend throughout the city of Phnom Penh. Even the original bar areas like those on Street 136 and Street 51 have expanded in many directions. Today a person can walk for blocks along the riverside and see dozens of bars each with dozens of women out front. In such a situation it may seem like the bars all blend in with each other. It can also appear that the qualities of a bar can change from one day to the next and women come in and out of the place with regularity. In some ways this is all true. But there are still places that stand out from the pack or are otherwise of special interest. The Bar is one of those places. The Bar in Phnom Penh As stated above The Bar is a somewhat secretive place in the heart of Phnom Penh. Many of the businesses I have covered here over the years go out of their way to get noticed. Even those that prefer to stay more under the radar still tend to have signs marking their business. The Bar on the other hand is located before plain glass doors in a nondescript building that doesn’t have as much as a sign. inside the bar phnom penhinside the bar phnom penh This seems to be totally by design. It may even have to do with the clientele which includes a significant number of expats who live in the city full time. It’s not difficult to figure out that such people might not want to be seen entering a bar filled with ladies especially if it is the middle of a red light district. The Bar can be found next to the Saravoan Hotel on Street 178. The only real indication of its presence comes on the occasions when some of the hostesses sit out front. The Bar may not even have a real name for all I know. Since there is no sign there is no real way to know. People who visit the place refer to it as The Bar. So I am just going with that for the purposes of this review. I am sure you can see why the place interests me. Inside The Bar The Bar was started by a former hostess who once could be found working another large bar popular with expats. She opened her own place some time ago and has had no problem bringing in customers. That may be due in large part to the fact that she had no problem recruiting a staff of around ten mostly attractive women either. A few familiar faces are joined by some others I have never seen before. They’re all quite friendly and welcoming though they also tend to be very professional. Of course the profession they are in is a lot different than office work. So although they are good at their jobs they are not a bunch of cold prudes. In fact one of the things that makes this bar stand out is the friendliness and adventurousness the women can display in the right company. The place is no Sofie’s or Cyrcee by any means. But it’s far from being anything like a no touch table dance club in the West. As far as prices goes things are on the high side for a hostess bar. But they’re not so far out of the norm that most would notice. Prices have been going up across the board lately and the market seems able to bear it. Anyone comparing drink prices to countries in Western Europe would still find the place a bargain. There’s no clear and open push for a barfine at The Bar. But that doesn’t mean the ladies never meet with guys outside of the bar. Some of them most certainly do. When it comes to that prices aren’t really out of the normal range either. But things between consenting adults are just that and different parties come to different arrangements. It is as a place to spend some time and have some drinks in a relatively private atmosphere that The Bar comes into its own. For that I give the place three stars. |
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