Thank you especially to Mightywind and ILoveShanghai for you insights on Shanghai. Your posts have helped me navigate my first time around and thank you mpnet for providing this site to help us from getting cheated by the locals. I would like to share my experiences and give back to the community so others would have as good or better adventures than me.
First of all, a bit a about myself I speak no word of Mandarin. I have Chinese eyes however, so it is somewhat easier for me to ghost and blend in. I have stayed in Shanghai for about a week with did over 15 girls between Puxi and Pudong.
Saunas:
Good news guys... Bodi and 999 are alive and well as of 10/4/2011. The Sauna and KVS at Boan Hotel are closed. I didn't bother finding Sacrosa and others. Prices were about the same: 880RMB for one masseuse, 1300 for two. Two was an interesting experience. You can see posts from others about the description of these places.
BBS:
I couldn't comment much. I went inside to get a haircut. Unlike the Sauna's, people in BBS seem to speak zero English, so it is hard to navigate your way in there. I couldn't describe well how I would have liked my haircut. Luckily they didn't give me a mowhawk haircut because i just nod my head to something the barber said I didn't understand. Price was clearly spelled out before the treatment began. It was 434 RMB for hair cut and color treatment. I didn't know what is the normal price there, so I just accepted. As I was getting haircut, the six girls that were sitting by the window disappeared one by one to the backroom. I was about to ask for their massage service, but I did notice sauna price posted on the wall next to the hair treatment prices. Sauna/Massage was listed at 680, which seemed kind of high, so I didn't bother persuing.
KVS (long story here, sorry):
I didn't intentionally go to one because I understand KVS are good if you go with friends. Also after reading all the warnings, KVS seemed to me like the perfect mini prison where you can get easily cornered. It is a small closed room in the back with one exit door, you know. But anyways I was curious to see what these places are like in China and how upscale there were. I have seen them in movies, but I wanted to see the real one. So I took on the bait of one of those nicely dressed Jimmy's at Nanjing Rd. I know, bad move! He showed me some KVS places, which were somewhat hidden (no signs). They are hidden in the back of restaurants/massageplanetee's. Each place seem to have 5 or so well dresssed rooms, with flat screen TV monitor, sofa and table. Jimmy said price is 100RMB to have a drink and sit with a girl. If you don't like you can just leave. Fine, so I picked one girl. Mamasan gave me another girl "for free", then comes plates of fruits. Mamasan told me they are "free," not to worry, she just wanted me to be happy and come back. The girls started to touch Mr. happy, open my zippers and literally tried to get me to come. I resisted. Of course, with only 70% of the effort
I can see why mamasan wanted two girls in there. One girl was sitting on my stomach holding my hands while the other was unzipping my pants. I tried to push the girl on top of me away, and i can tell she was seriously trying to hold me down. Very fishy. These girls looked so cute and the intensity of the drama actually turned me on. Mr. happy went happy. After the girls let me go, I zipped Mr happy up and put all the evidence inside my pants. Surely enough, one of the girls went out and call mamasan. Mamasan came and said well it is about time. A waiter came in with 20 more glasses of half emptied shots and a 32,000 RMB check. I tried to escape but two big guys then came in to block the door. This looked like a well played script I have read before... thanks to you all who have posted the warnings. I was left in the room with two body guards harrassing me. I, in turn gave them a speech on how they are embarrassing and damaging the country reputation by doing this kind of bull sh*t to foreigners. I threated to file report. They said go ahead because they work together with the police and mafia's, but in the middle of my conversation with the police they decided to let me go. I was lucky i could get out of this one. As I walk outside, mamasan followed me. I looked back and asked mamasan for a full-refund, she refused. So I wrote down the address and reported to the police. Hopefully there will be none of this crap anymore in the future. Total damage for this KVS experience 100RMB. 100RMB for one shot with two girls is not bad, but I would not recommend do what I did. Had the place been an honest place, they would probably make a lot more money out of me. I would tip the Jimmy too had he been a good friend. But I refused to give money to crooks. Stay away from Jimmy's. On my way back to my hotel, I saw the same Jimmy standing on the same spot looking for another prey. I grabbed him by his jacket collar, put him to a corner, and gave him the same speech on how dispeakable his act was. Slapped him a few times. He seemed shocked and in half tear I let him go. Enough said.
Dance Clubs:
Manhattan is alive and well. However, unlike clubs in US, 99.999% of the girls at Manhattan are there working girls. Sucks! Anyhow, Manhattan is better than a getting a blind date out online. You can at least see the girls and talk to them beforehand. Also note that Manhattan bar is populated by non-local Chinese girls. They are mostly Philippines, Thai, and Vietnamese... good selection nonetheless. Prices are 800RMB - 1000RMB. For more local girls, go to No 88 club. I wish Chinese girls speak as good English as these non-local girls at Manhattan. It is more challenging to talk to the girls at club 88. I also went to Brown Sugar at XinTanDi. Less working girls there it seems. A local Chinese beer an expensive 55RMB. Found one Shanghai girl who agreed to come with me for 800RMB.
Bars:
If you want Chinese girls, hit the bars across from Hilton Shanghai. These are hard working girls. They are paid merely 1500 RMB per month to work 6 days a week, 10-hour shifts in the bar. They earn most of their money through drink commissions. They get paid 30% of the drink they can get the customer to buy for them. Surely they will bottom up her drink quickly so they can ask you to buy her more and more drinks. If you think you can get them drunk that way, forget it. Mamasan will only put little alcohol on the girls drink, of course to keep these girls sober for her 10 hour shift. After you buy 2000RMB worth of drinks for these girls, then mamasan will tone down. The girl will "act" like they are drunk
So funny! But it is basically your game from this point on. The girls then will drink real guys drinks. You will have two or three girls who will do anything for you. Really expensive, but it is part of the Shanghai experience worth doing once.
Let's hear your comments.