Let me tell you right away that the nightlife and girly bar scene in Manila is extremely business oriented, and if you have just come from Bangkok you might not enjoy it at all. I know that’s quite a discouraging introduction for this guide, but that’s the way it is and you might just want to stay there for two or three nights before heading up to Angeles or down to Cebu or to the islands.
Firstly, the drink prices in Manila are higher than anywhere else in the Philippines. So if you go into a girly bar you’ll pay around 160 Pesos for a beer (compared to 90-125 Pesos in Angeles) and up to 390 Pesos for a lady drink in the bars on Burgos Street (compared to 250-300 Pesos in Angeles and even less than that in places like Subic Bay).
Secondly, the girls are also asking higher prices for “going with you” means short time or long time sex in your hotel, I’ll get into the details in just a bit as it depends on the type of hooker. And they are generally also less entertaining, outgoing and naughty than elsewhere – that means often they ask you for drinks (notice the plural) even before they sit down next to you to make you feel comfortable with them.
And thirdly, Manila is just a huge, hectic and congested city with lots of traffic. If you are like me who knows Bangkok very well you will be constantly comparing and complaining that everything is so rundown, the traffic is about three times as worse (poor metro system), the food is shit (at most places), and you don’t feel 100% safe in most areas. And if this is your first time in Asia, well, then you will probably feel even more uncomfortable in this city. The only exception is the very modern business district called Makati, but it’s not really the best place to meet easy going Filipina women.
With all the reasons to not spend more than just a couple of nights in the capital out of the way, let’s now come to the brighter and better part. Of course you will enjoy yourself in Manila if you are aware of everything I have just described, and even though you will spend a little more money in the different girly bars, at the end of the day you are probably still lying in bed with one (or two?) wonderful Filipina girls with skin smooth as silk, nice curves and combined with their charm you might even want to see them again and extend your stay. Despite all the chaos in this city.
If it’s your goal to meet and sleep with as many girls as possible during your stay, there are several options to choose from. Just quickly skim through this article and you’ll see there are all sorts of different places and girls available: Girly Bars, KTVs, Nightclubs, Massage Salons, Freelancers, Dating Sites and more.
So here we go, this is the complete guide to the nightlife and girls scene in Manila, like always with pictures, information on prices, the exact locations on the map and also a video at the end of the post:
Girly Bars in Manila
Manila has 4 red light districts with girly bars: P Burgos Street in Makati, Ermita, Malate & EDSA Entertainment Complex.
It does make sense to book your hotel close to either of these nightlife areas in order to minimize the amount of time you sit in the taxi (remember the traffic in Manila is terrible). If it’s your first time in the Philippines I’d recommend P Burgos Street as it’s the safest and most tourist friendly girly bar area (but also the priciest one). If you are a bit more adventurous you might instead want to stay in Malate or Ermita that are right next to eachother near the ocean.
P Burgos Street is basically a 200m long strip and in a way comparable to Soi Cowboy in Bangkok. However, it’s not only go go bars but also restaurants, sports bars, massage salons, freelancers (who offer you “massages”), plenty of ladyboys and hotels. The two best and longest established girly bars on P Burgos are Neon Nights and Lips, where you can have a girl sit next to you (as long as you buy her drinks) and later take out for “short time” if you like her. The only type of establishment you will not find here are night clubs, if you are interested in those continue reading.
Ermita is the oldest red light district in Manila with 90% of all bars located on legendary Del Pilar Street (see map below). If you are wondering why I use the word “legendary” you should talk to some of the older expats that will tell you some stories of how naughty this place once was. It’s still fun and great to meet girls today, and despite the effort of the government to “clean up” the area there are still 10-15 great girly bars in Ermita with the best one being LA Café that has easily more than 100 freelancing ladies every night, followed by Dusk Till Dawn Bar just 70m down the road.
Malate is located right next to Ermita and has mostly KTVs and karaoke bars, full of young and white-skinned ladies. They are popular among Korean and Japanese men and the concept is that you pay 400-500 Pesos per 1-2 hours of unlimited drinking, plus 400 Pesos per lady drink. There are easily more than 50 such KTVs in Malate and the highest concentration can be found in and around Adriatico Street. The girls in these bars are generally more attractive than elsewhere, hence the higher price tags.
EDSA Entertainment Complex is comparable to Nana Plaza in Bangkok but not even half as big with 7 different girly bars that all have the same owner. But then do you really need more than 100 girls to choose from for a couple of nights in town? Probably not. The best bar with the hottest and highest number of girls is Cotton Club. There is absolutely nothing else of interest in the area around EDSA so I wouldn’t recommend staying there, but instead just taking a taxi once or twice to check it out.
- Prices: Depending on the area, drink prices are 90-160 Pesos for your own drinks and 250-400 Pesos for lady drinks. Once again, the Ermita area is on the cheaper end and the P Burgos Street is on the more expensive end. There are no admission fees for the girly bars.
If you want to “bar fine” a girl in the bars then that will cost between 2,000 and 3,500 Pesos not including the price for sex with the girl (they ask for something between 2,000 and 3,000 Pesos in tips). Freelancer bars especially LA Café offer a better deal (just be extra careful) where you will pay 1,500-2,500 Pesos and don’t need to pay the bar.
See also: Top 5 Best Girly Bars in Manila
Nightclubs in Manila
There are no such foreigner-oriented nightclubs with freelancing girls in Manila, so if you are looking for something similar like Club Holic in Cebu or Mega Dance Center in Angeles – you won’t find it. The one place that comes closest to these types of hooker discos is LA Café in Ermita, it’s more like a bar but they have live music upstairs (100 Pesos admission after midnight).
There is one popular real nightclub not far from there in Malate and it’s called Club ZZYZX. It’s still building up its reputation and customer base so don’t be surprised if you go there on a Thursday evening at midnight and find only about 2-3 dozen of people sitting together in groups.
The best and biggest night club in Manila is XYLO at The Palace in Makati. There you can find some of the hottest Manila girls you can imagine, but don’t expect them to smile at you or make the “first step”, some might not even be interested in foreigners at all. Still, if you are into clubbing then this is the place to go.
- Prices: No admission fee in LA Café, 2,000 Pesos in consumables in ZZYZX and from 1,000 Pesos incl. 2 drinks in XYLO. Note that XYLO also has a dress code, means no shorts and no flip flops or sandals. Drink prices are pretty much the same as in the girly bars (100-150 Pesos per drink) except for XYLO that’s pricier at 200-300 Pesos per drink.
See also: 5 Best Nightclubs in Manila to Meet Girls
Soapy Massage Parlors in Manila
If you can’t wait until the bars open (or simply look for some new and exciting experience) then the soapy massage parlors might be for you. There are several places spread all around Manila and most of them are attached to some huge KTV complex.
The most famous and longest established massage parlor is Flight 168 located inside the Air Force One complex. Like the name suggests, it’s not too far from the airport and might be the perfect choice if you are on a short stopover. There’s a fishbowl that has some strange view protection, but you can still see the hot and white skinned Filipina ladies inside eagerly smiling at you. Prices are quite steep here: They make you pay separately for the room and girl, each around 2,500 Pesos. For more detailed information check out my guide on the massage parlors (link below).
The highest concentration of sex massages in Manila with currently 4 parlors can be found up in Quezon City. It’s quite a trip up there, but it may be worth it as you can simply walk into these different places and choose from combined more than 100 attractive ladies.
I have marked Flight 168 & the Quezon City Parlors with blue pins on the map at the end of the guide.
See also: Top 7 Best Sex Massage Parlors in Manila
Happy Ending Massage in Manila
There are several dozen of massage salons spread all around town, but the majority are clustered around the red light districts. Note that not all places are offering happy endings (= hand jobs) and if you want to be on the safe side then you should choose either the salons in the Malate area or right on P Burgos Street.
Even better: You ask in advance if they offer happy endings – no need to be shy, they will politely tell you “Yes, sir” or “No, sir”. And even better: You go to a place like Abacca Massage in Makati where they are very clear about what they offer in their menu: Prostate massage (called Lingam), four hands massage and more. I’ve marked this particular place with a purple pin on the map below.
- Prices: The standard rate for massages in Manila are 300-400 Pesos for a Swedish Massage (1 hour). It’s usually a good idea to confirm that they use oil so your happy ending will be more enjoyable. The standard tip for a hand job is 500 Pesos and for a blow job 1,000 Pesos. Note that only few ladies are willing to suck and prefer working with their hands only.
See also: Guide to Happy Ending Massages in Manila
Freelancing Girls in Manila
There are several places in Manila to meet freelancing girls who will happily go to your hotel if you give them some money afterwards. In P Burgos Street they would say “Massage, sir” but elsewhere they are much more straight forward saying something like “Hi sir, you want I go with you?” The hot spots are: In front of Robinson in Malate (see picture), LA Café in Ermita, the streets of Malate (late at night, some of these hookers look quite scary though and not very attractive), P Burgos Street and the courtyard at Café Havana & Starbucks in Greenbelt 3 in Makati.
- Prices: In LA Café they tend to ask for 2,500 Pesos for short time, but that’s negotiable of course. It’s significantly cheaper on the streets, about 1,000-1,500 Pesos, but then the girls are usually not that attractive. The street hookers on the dark corners of Malate will quote you prices as low as 800 Pesos.
Just be careful if you avail of the services of freelancing girls as you don’t know where to find them the next day in case there are problems (like she’s steeling and leaving while you take a shower). That’s the advantage of taking a girl from the bar – but then you will also have to pay the bar fine.
Most prostitutes will also know nearby short time hotels, which charge around 500 Pesos for a 2 hour room.
Escort Girls in Manila
One of the easiest ways to meet girls in Manila without having to actively search for them in the city’s nightlife is to simply go on Smooci.com, which is a new escort booking site that lets you browse through dozens of young and attractive girls and book them right away. You can choose what time you want her to arrive at your place as well as the duration of your date. Oh, and you can even track them on the map, which is pretty cool.
- Prices: The prices for escort girls in Manila start at around 4,000 Pesos (for 2 hours), but if you want a longer time frame (or the most attractive girls), you can expect to pay up to 6,000-7,000 Pesos.
Ladyboys in Manila
The best thing about the nightlife in Manila is that it’s really diverse and has something for everyone. That means if you are interested in trying out a Filipina Ladyboy then you won’t have a hard time to find some quick and easy paid love.
The hot spots for ladyboys in Manila to hang out and look for customers are P Burgos Street (offering “massages”) in front of the Robinson Malate (see picture), the streets of Malate, sometimes in the Cafés of Greenbelt 3 and of course the highest number of them you’ll find on the ladyboy dating sites. There are no 100% ladyboy bars in Manila (yet), but you can find a few among the girls in LA Café in Malate.
Yes that’s right, these hot spots are pretty much the same as for the freelancing girls, so just check out the map below for the locations.
- Prices: Ladyboy freelancers in Manila offer generally cheaper prices than the girl freelancers, means a realistic price for short time is 1,000-1,500 Pesos. Like always the price is negotiable so don’t be surprised if they quote you something higher than that first – it’s all about talking nicely to each other and if you are a nice and outgoing guy she will definitely lower her first offer.
See also: How to Hook Up with a Ladyboy in Manila
“Normal” Nightlife Spots in Manila
Of course Manila also has many, many normal nightlife spots where you can just have a relaxed drink without being surrounded by three or four girls who push their boobs on your face one minute after you sat down.
The Firefly Roofdeck on the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati is one of the best sky bars in town. It’s perfect for a romantic sunset drink with your date or friend, offering 360 degree views of the city and the skyline of Makati.
Two other bars worth visiting are The Bar at Peninsula Makati which has a top ranking on TripAdvisor mainly for its superb selection of whiskeys and classic setup and furniture, and another great sky bar is Skye Lounge in Makati. Just look at their Instagram and you’ll quickly know how popular it is.
There are obviously a lot of other great bars in Metro Manila, and if you have some time or just want to explore them by yourself, then I’d recommend you just take a taxi to Greenbelt in Makati. This is the center of the ultra-modern part of the capital and just by walking around in this area you will find many neat places to have a drink or two.
Map of Nightlife in Manila
I hope you’ve got a good overview now of the nightlife and girls scene in Manila. I haven’t really touched on how to meet girls during the day: The two best ways to go about that are the shopping malls and the online dating sites. Also, click on the different links I have put in this guide for more detailed information on each category. This is more like an overview page so you get some good idea of the bigger picture.
Honestly I’m not the biggest fan of Manila, and if you have two or three weeks vacation here then I’d say spend no more than 3 nights here. That’s enough to visit all red light districts (you can do Ermita & Malate in one night as they are right next to each other) and then you’ll realize that you just spend too much time in traffic and more money on drinks and bar fines for the girls compared to Angeles or Subic that have all bars concentrated in one area without much traffic and also cheaper prices for everything.
That said, I wish you good luck and fun in Manila and as always, I will update this guide from time to time to make sure the info stays up to date!
- See also: Manila Attractions during the Daytime
