BANGKOK -- Bangkok may be the sex capital of the world for men, but what do Thai women do for kicks? It's Saturday night and I am in an underground parking garage in central Bangkok trying to find out. It is damp and somewhat desolate, but across the ill-lit tarmac I see a promising neon sign that reads "Lady Club." A nondescript door opens to reveal a lavish entranceway with heavy drapes and a thick, red carpet. Ornate vases of fake flowers sit in scarlet-red alcoves. A smartly-dressed Thai man appears suddenly from around a corner and greets me with a slight bow. "How many men would you like tonight?" he asks.

A wall in a Bangkok "lady club" featuring pictures of popular hosts, who are trained to charm, flatter and dance with the club's clientele.
The male hosts are trained to become expert ballroom dancers, one of the main reasons so many Thai women spend their evenings at the clubs.

Lady clubs are one of Bangkok's best-kept secrets. These discreet venues cater only to women and the concept is bizarre, to say the least. The decor is bridal kitsch, the music '80s disco and the dancing strictly ballroom. Women are entertained by a bevy of tuxedoed young men. These hosts are highly trained charmers who are ordered not to talk about themselves but instead to ask the woman all about herself. In some bars they are taught how to tell amusing jokes and, unlike most Thai men, they can all do a mean cha-cha.