Gogo Bars 

So we've said that P. Burgos St. is the main area of Gogo Bars in Manila.

But what exactly are Gogo Bars ? you might ask.  Well, in short, the general theme is many attractive ladies wearing very skimpy outfits showing off their bodies (but not usually nude) who you can watch, talk to and/or interact with.

Of course, the catch is, they want you to buy them a drink.  The drink you buy them will cost double the price of your drink and are commonly referred to as "ladies drinks".

The revenue from those drinks will be split around 50/50 between the girl and the bar.  This is how both the girl and the bar make their money.

You are free to sit in the bar and drink on your own, and if you're lucky the bar might even have some kind of dance show.  Marquee bar probably has the best one of those, in a lot of bars the girls just stand or walk around.

Sometimes a girl will come up to you, sit very close and start talking to you.  You can keep talking to them for free but eventually she or a waitress will ask if you're willing to buy her a drink.  If so, she stays a bit longer, if not she goes away looking for another customer.

Depending upon the girl, they will get very "friendly" and also finish their drink in record time and then a waitress will again ask if you want to buy them another drink... and so it goes on.

If you spend a lot of time with the girl, the waitress may ask you if you want to take the girl out of the bar to accompany you for the evening.  (Note: This will be quite a high price and what is included in the price is often very unspoken).  This is called a "Bar Fine" and once again the money is split between the girl and the bar.

In general, the bars are not overtly out to cheat people, but there are still some borderline things you must be cautious of.

Things to watch out for:

Girls who drink their drinks very fast causing you to run up a huge bill as you attempt to keep the girl at your side for 40 minutes.

Getting drunk is not advisable as you will part with money left and right as the second, third and fourth girl show up at your table.

Often the waitress gives you a slip of paper to sign each time you order a regular or lady drink.  Be sure they do that every time to be on the safe side.

Be prepared to say "No" to both the waitress and the girl when they ask for drink refills.

In some bars the lady drink is a flat price, say 390 php, but in other bars there are single and double prices depending on what the girl orders.  One lady drink could cost you upto 700 php, so be sure to ask before agreeing, and check the receipt before signing.

Bottom Line:  Gogo bars can be a lot of fun, especially with a friend or two, and on occassion, especially if you've never seen one before. It can also be a wallet draining disaster if you're not careful.