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Chiang Mai Nightlife

Nightlife ranges from the peaceful to the hectic. You can relax to piano music in a hotel lobby, listen to blues, jazz, rock, and both Thai and Western Country in pubs and coffee shops around the city, or move to the beat at a discotheque.

The city is a great place for a pub crawl because it's easy to walk from bar to bar. There is a particularly lively scene in the Nimminhemin area west of the Old Town, which is popular with Thai students. Here you’ll find plenty of outdoor beer garden places with live bands and a busy atmosphere.

The Night Bazaar keeps Chiang Mai's center busy after hours, and there is plenty of late shopping and eating. At the adjacent Galare Center, you can enjoy some quick food while watching a free display of Thai cultural dancing and music. There is also a small kickboxing stadium near here for demonstrations of this ancient art. The Red Lion features an air-conditioned bar as well as a pleasant terrace over-looking the vibrant Bazaar.

Karaoke is a national obsession and these lounges can be found all over the city. Many of them attract a male clientele by including a bevy of young hostesses who will sit and sing with you for a small hourly fee. Many of these are found at Chiang Mai Land, a purpose-built street off Changklan Rd, south of the city. Chor Eung Executive Place at the Chiang Mai Orchid Hotel, Mariko Karaoke at the Holiday Inn Green Hills Hotel and the Night Station Karaoke Club are other options for those who need to sing.

Bubble Discotheque at the Pornping Tower Hotel, Crystal Cave at the Empress Hotel, and The Wall Club at the Chiang Inn Hotel are all popular discotheques. The Bunny Night Club with its girls, food and drinks, the Executive Club at the Mae Ping Hotel, and the Rinkaew Night Club in the Rinkaew Complex all have supporters who enjoy a night club atmosphere.

You can find plenty of massage shops advertising themselves with a large reflexology diagram outside. Some are them are very simple, consisting of a couple of mattresses on the floor, In general, older women are the most skilled at giving massage. Those that have young ladies outside are less likely to give you a proper Thai massage. Hotels and spas offer a more luxurious environment, with nicely decorated private cubicles and soft music. However, they are typically two or three times more expensive and the massage is not necessarily any better. Usually a Thai massage will cost 120-150 baht an hour and a foot or oil massage is 200-250 baht an hour in the small shops.

Like the rest of Thailand, the nightlife in Chiang Mai is well known for its go-go bars. These are located mostly along the western end of Loi Kroh Rd, and a stretch of Moon Muang Rd south of Tapae Gate. These areas are well contained, more discreet than Bangkok and relatively tame. The biggest cluster of girlie bars is now located in the Chiang Mai Entertainment Centre.

For something different, visit the Writers' Club and Wine Bar on Ratchadamnoen Rd. which is popular with local writers on Friday nights, and has a great wine selection and good food specials.