Red Light Stories

In my previous post, I shared my experience at the luxurious River View Spa in Bali . This time, I’m telling a very different story, about the cheap brothels in Sanur, known as "X houses," that cater mostly to local Indonesian men. These places are called "X houses" because each building has a hand-painted number followed by an "X" (like 67X, 889X, or 99X) on the front gate or wall. It’s a discreet way to signal that the place is a brothel, subtle enough to avoid attention from authorities or passersby but clear to locals and those in the know. It's not clearly marked on Google Maps, so just look for this  Circle K , then go into the alley on its left. The yellow star is where 67X is. Before visiting, I read on a forum that pimps might try to charge foreigners more. The advice was to walk in confidently and ask, “400k, right?” to set the price. So, that’s what I did. When I approached the pimp, I said, “400k, right?” He hesitated for a moment before sa...

Bali, one of the world’s most popular vacation spots, attracts families and couples with its beautiful beaches and lively culture. But for a single guy like me, looking for nightlife and adult fun, Bali was a bit disappointing. In Jakarta, I found endless options with young, attractive women at various places. Bali, in comparison, didn’t have much to offer. My research showed only a few choices: some expensive spas, local brothels called “X-houses” (I’ll write about these later), and happy-ending massage spots along the beaches. Many spas recommended online had been closed by police, showing Bali’s focus on family-friendly tourism leaves little space for adult entertainment. I visited River View Spa, where the cost was 1.2 million Rupiah, quite expensive compared to Jakarta. Just months ago in Jakarta, high-end spas and clubs charged less than 1 million Rupiah, and decent places were as low as 400,000 Rupiah. Based on my research, the best time to go was around 7 p.m., when more girls ...