One of the biggest changes to Bali nightlife since the past 5 years is the seemingly growing number of prostitution or semi-prostitution venues in Bali.
Those places were once discreetly located in Sanur or in some seedy streets in Denpasar, but they are now everywhere and they are certainly not trying to hide.
In Kartika Plaza, you have the new District Club which features sexy dancers and karaoke rooms with Lady Companions. It is owned by Tommy Winata, famous for being behind naughty clubs like Golden Crown in Jakarta.
In Denpasar, Akasaka was extended with a new room called A-Club, also with sexy dancers and prostitutes. The old room in Akasaka is packed on weekend and during my visit there, I saw fully naked women trying to sell tequila shots to customers in exchange for private lap dances. Considering the head-banging music that was played there, we can imagine most people inside were taking drugs (I was offered ecstasy pills upon entering too, which I declined).
Boshe is another example: Opened on Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai about 3 years ago, it is one of the most popular clubs in Bali for Asian people at the moment. Most customers are men who book a karaoke room or a table, and lady companions.
Adora (ex-Blue Eyes) is, according to my sources, in the process of being bought by the Alexis group from Jakarta (owned by Alex Tirta, behind Colosseum, Zen Club, 1001, Tease Club, Alexis, Club 36). If you live in Jakarta, you will know what it means: Adora should be turned into a complete luxury sex place with strippers and karaoke rooms.
Delta has finally opened in Bali a spa, a karaoke and a club. They are not afraid to advertise about their Russian sexy dancers on a huge billboard in Sunset Road and with a full booth inside the Domestic Airport.
Speaking of spas, the number of plus plus massage parlours has also tripled! It used to be only a few spas such as Star Bugar. You now have Delta Spa, Riverview Spa, Royal Palace, etc...
It is still nothing compared to what is available in Jakarta, but you have to consider all these places did not exist just 5 years ago... What surprises me is how easy they advertise about their facilities and services, most of which are illegal in Indonesia.
Since the closure of Dolly, the largest red light district in Southeast Asia, it also seems many prostitutes have relocated to Bali, particularly in Sanur (see that article for more information Anticipating Dolly's Relocation To Bali). There may be also more freelance prostitution in several bars in Bali such as Crusoe's, La Vida Loca, Mint, DeeJay Café, Skygarden, Paddy's Pub but I do not have any reliable data to support my claim.
In the end, there is an increase in the number of venues offering sex services but I believe it would not be appropriate to say that Bali is becoming a sex tourism destination. Organized prostitution caters mostly to a local market: Indonesian and expats residents in Bali, and also some Asian tourists from Jakarta, Malaysia and Singapore. It is very limited compared to Thailand where even the smallest island has dozens of massage parlours and gogo bars. I hope it will stay that way!
