PATTAYA, Thailand – Every few months, Pattaya’s comment sections rediscover an old truth — and react to it as if it were breaking news. This month’s reminder comes from veteran visitors addressing newcomers who arrive mistaking professional friendliness for personal affection.
The message is blunt: bar girls are not your girlfriend — it’s just your turn.
Seasoned Pattaya regulars say the misunderstanding is as old as Walking Street itself. The smiles, the laughter, the affectionate words, and the sudden interest in your life back home are not romance — they are part of the job description.
“It’s their job scope to pretend to like you and be sweet to you. It’s a role play,” one veteran wrote, cutting through the fantasy with surgical precision. Another added dryly: “They are great actors — when they’re not looking at their phone.”
The comments are not driven by bitterness, but by fatigue. Long-time visitors say they’ve watched the same cycle repeat for decades: newcomers arrive, ignore warnings, confuse paid attention for emotional connection, then leave angry — blaming Pattaya, Thailand, or the women themselves.
What veterans stress is that there’s no scam in the honesty of the transaction. The bars sell company, conversation, drinks, and illusion — and they do it openly. Problems arise only when visitors rewrite the terms in their own heads.
Many point out that the industry survives precisely because the performance is convincing. Emotional labor is real labor, and the ability to make someone feel special — even temporarily — is a skill refined over years. That doesn’t make it real affection, and it was never meant to be.
Some readers wryly noted that Pattaya commentary tends to run in cycles, joking that this is a lighter month before the familiar debates over the strong baht, Chinese arrivals, and rising prices resurface once again.
Still, the underlying advice remains consistent and practical: enjoy Pattaya for what it is, not what you want it to be. If you understand the rules, there’s little to complain about. If you ignore them, disappointment is almost guaranteed.
As veterans put it plainly — buy the drink, enjoy the moment, keep your wallet and your emotions under control, and don’t confuse a performance with a promise.
