Nana Plaza occupies a three-story commercial building in the Khlong Toei District of Bangkok about from the BTS Skytrain's Nana Station. It is the self-described "worlds largest adult playground". Its name originates from the influential, property-holding Nana family, Lek Nana being the most prominent member. Along with Soi Cowboy and Patpong, Nana Plaza is one of Bangkok's three most concentrated red-light districts. All attract primarily tourists.
History
The plaza's U-shaped building is roughly square-shaped, with a single opening on the west side, and consists of a ground floor and two additional floors arranged around a courtyard. It started as a restaurant and shopping center in the late-1970s. During the early-1980s, a few go-go barsappeared and gradually replaced the shops and restaurants. By the mid-1980s around twenty go-go bars had opened in the three-level court, taking advantage of the expansion of tourist hotels in the area. In 2012 Nana Plaza was sold to a Thai JVC company Nana Partners Co Ltd., co-owned by Fico corporation and Panthera Group one of Thailand's largest bar and nightclub operatorsfor a rumored US$25,000,000 after the land was inherited by seven sisters who wanted nothing to do with a red-light area. Panthera Group renovated the complex, becoming the landlord and providing the management and security services.
Facilities
Three short-time hotels, one of which has been renovated, operate on the top floor. Short-time hotels rent out rooms by the hour or more to patrons to take a bargirl for sex. Most bar girls in Nana Plaza will leave with customers upon payment of a bar fine. Smoking is banned indoors, there are no elevators. The building closes at 03:00 and lies dormant until the following evening. In 2016 two waitresses in the plaza's Bangkok Bunniesgo-go bar said that they received monthly wages equivalent to £130 and daily tips equivalent to £11–16. This compares with a 2016 average monthly wage in Thailand of around 13,800 baht. As of July 2019, Nana Plaza housed 30 bars and three "hotels". As of July 2019, there were seven kathoey bars in Nana Plaza; Several other bars have a few ladyboys in their line-ups mixed with their regular go-go dancers.
