Mar 27, 2011

The evolution of BED (part 2)

2 comments.

I’ve been to the new BED a few times already and it now feels a little less alien than before. The familiar feelings are starting to come back and I’ve even seen some old friends—people that I haven’t seen for quite some time now.

This latest king-sized BED made me reminisce about the original BED: that old hole-in-the-wall clubbing hideout where boys were packed liked sardines. I still miss that place but there’s no stopping progress.

That BED of 2003 to 2005 holds many fond memories for me. That was where I met this guy who happened to be my neighbor. (It turned out that we lived in the same subdivision.) We spent a few times going home together and I fell for him. I once confessed my love for him and he replied, “I’m so not worth it.”

BED closed in October 2005 and claimed half the space of the old New York Cafe. The remaining space would become Rainbow Project, a restaurant/lounge operated by the owners of BED, before turning into the now-defunct Club Mafia, which was partly owned by a controversial Quezon City councilor-actress. The newly-renovated BED mostly retained the old style and look of the original BED, with it’s iconic circular sofas, except it was now bigger and bolder.

It was in that queen-sized BED that I met V. It was also in that BED that I would fall in love with the guy who I fell the hardest for. Unfortunately, even though he said that he loved me as well, we weren’t meant to be.

When BED got burned down last year, the owners took this trial as an opportunity to reinvent BED. Gone was the old logo as well as the club’s red circle motif. And gone almost completely was the old floor layout—the only remaining remnants are the original entrance and exit doors, the original stairway to the second floor and its adjoining bar. The remaining empty space of Orosa Courtyard was claimed, and the roof deck that was unused till now was also conquered. This king-sized BED now sports a space-age look and the DJ’s booth now takes center stage. And—get this—BED now features a whopping 5 bars!

The unique attraction of the original BED was the aquarium urinal. Well, they retained that and relocated it now to the ground floor CR. What I find amusing is that they decided to add another aquarium, above the DJ’s booth. The white screen where visuals are projected would occasionally roll up revealing gogo boys getting wet under shower heads while dancing on poles. :-)

The question for me now is, will I have more fond memories of this new BED? Time will tell.

Feb 15, 2011

3 years of Discreet Manila (and a Fave Fab Blog to boot)

6 comments.

So how was your Valentine’s? Mine was pretty uneventful with me being single and all, but I’m quite happy with where I am now. I don’t feel lonely at all and it’s all in having a positive attitude and in realizing that having a special someone is not the be all and end all of being happy. :-)

Anyway, I’d just like to announce that after almost 200 posts, more than 250 followers, half a thousand feed subscribers, and over 1,300 comments, Discreet Manila turned 3 years old last Friday! Yahoo! Though I haven’t been posting as much as I would have liked these past few months (blame in on the tons of things I’m occupied with IRL), I will certainly continue writing for Discreet Manila. I love sharing information and giving out my thoughts and opinions, and Discreet Manila has provided me with an outlet for the PLU side of me. I hope that you have all enjoyed reading this blog over the past 3 years and I hope that you will all continue to patronize my little corner of the Web.

This 3-year milestone was celebrated with a very nice present from the Fabcasters when they named my blog as one of their 15 Favorite Fab Blogs of 2010! Yay! Thanks to AJ, CC, Gibbs, McVie, Migs, and Tony. Thank you very much for this great honor, guys!

Congratulations are also in order to the other 14 blogs (listed below). I read many of them and they are all deserving to be your favorite blog too, not just of the Fabcasters.

  1. Back in the Closet
  2. Baklang Maton
  3. Chuvaness
  4. City Buoy
  5. Hot Men in the Philippines
  6. I am Fickle Cattle
  7. Jessica Rules the Universe
  8. Lexuality
  9. Mandaya Moore
  10. Misterhubs
  11. The Bakla Review
  12. The Professional Heckler
  13. Tiggah’s Life in Random
  14. Tristan Tales

Thank you everyone, and here’s to 3 and more years of Discreet Manila! :-)

Feb 10, 2011

Discreetionary: quota

5 comments.

quota [KOH·tah] noun 1. The desired score. example: “Naka-quota ka na ba?” etymology: from the English word quota, which means a prescribed number, threshold, or limit.

If we have the term score, then quota, isn’t far behind. When you are out cruising, you usually have a desired score before you can say that you are satisfied, right? Usually the quota is just 1, in which case using the word quota doesn’t mean much. But if you’re in places like bathhouses and cruisy spas, then the quota is usually a number bigger than 1. And if you haven’t reached your quota and the place is near closing, then panic buying usually sets in. Hehehe.

I will admit that my usual quota when visiting bathhouses is 2 (sometimes 3 when I’m extra horny and I arrived early). If I’m feeling a bit frisky in the gym, then my quota there is 1, though I don’t often mind if I can’t score there.

How about you, what’s your quota? :-)

Feb 1, 2011

The evolution of BED (part 1)

2 comments.

“So, what can you say?” my friend asked me.

We were both in BED on the Saturday of the club’s public re-opening weekend, several months after that ill-fated night. We just finished exploring the BED’s new layout and we were then people-watching by the bar.

“You mean, which do I prefer, the previous BED or this new one?” I asked in return.

“Yup.”

I gave it some thought. “Right now, I prefer the old BED.”

“Same here.”

The new club felt alien, which I guess was a bit appropriate to the club’s new space-age-ish interiors. The place is massive! It now spans three floors and has conquered the space that Club Mafia used to occupy. BED now sports 5 bars and has quite a lot more room to sit. And whereas the stage was the centerpiece of the club before, now it’s the DJ deck with its techno-visuals directly above (behind which is a treat of sorts).

I’m actually very happy that BED is back in the gay clubbing scene (O-Bar Ortigas is not a good substitute). And the single best thing is the banning of smoking on the first two floors. But the new BED is far too different, too raw, and too new, for me to feel comfortable and at home. Nangangapa pa ako, kumbaga. With the previous BED, you know how the social dynamics worked in each part of the club. Now, everyone is literally still finding their place. Where’s the stage ledge? Where’s the dark corner? Where can I strut my stuff? Where can I make out with the guy I like?

The new BED made me feel extremely nostalgic for the original hole-in-the-wall BED—yes, that ancient BED where guys were packed liked sardines. I have plenty of fond memories of that place. But they’re all in the past now.

I guess in time, I will learn to fall in love with this king-sized BED again.


Read part 2.

Dec 18, 2010

The 411 on South Bay City Spa

237 comments.

Apparently, there is a spa frequented by many PLUs and this is South Bay City Spa (Friendster, Facebook). This spa is located in ParaƱaque along MIA Road near Roxas Boulevard. I was first made aware of the potential of this place when I read a comment in Migs’ blog a few years back (which I can’t find now) saying how the commenter had a really great time with another client one Sunday afternoon in the sauna. I made a mental note then to check the place out. Then earlier this year, CC and Lex both blogged about South Bay and those posts pushed me to try the place out.

In my visits to the place, I confirmed what I’ve read and I found out that the appeal of South Bay among PLUs comes in two parts. First is the possibly naughty nature of the massage. And second is how the wet area, which contains the shower cubicles, the steam room, and the sauna, is a really major cruising ground.

Before trying out South Bay, I had only visited a spa or a massage parlor three times. Two of them were at Wensha Pasay, and the other was at Hilom, which I blogged before. I’ve been to South Bay several times now and I must say that my experiences there were much more gratifying than at Wensha or Hilom. :-)

Anyway, the standard massage costs 600 pesos (quite pricey) and is done in the common room pictured above, though with very little lighting (just enough for people to find their way around). You can avail of an executive room but this costs a further 250 pesos. Additionally, you can avail of a 1-year membership for 1,200 pesos and this gives you a discounted massage rate of 360 pesos. They also have this discount card where you can get increasingly bigger discounts with every visit (and the sixth one being free) but I don’t know when or how they give it.

The naughty massages

First off, I have to say that South Bay City Spa is a legitimate co-ed spa. If you want to relax and de-stress and get an honest-to-goodness massage, then South Bay is a good enough place to go. You can go and leave without anything sexual occurring. That said, the male therapists are quite aware that gay men patronize the place and so they discreetly try to satisfy their clients (to the extent possible given the circumstances) in the hopes of getting higher than usual tips.

Before we go any further, I just have to say that on my first visit to South Bay, I personally was surprised to find out that the massage was done while you are naked. In the common massage room. With only white sheets of cloth for cover. My only previous legit spa experience was at Wensha and the massage there was done while you are wearing a supplied pair of shorts for modesty. So getting butt naked in the presence of other clients was a little disconcerting, though thrilling at the same time. Hehehe.

Going back to the naughty masseurs, I’ve experienced them teasingly touch the groin area. While the therapist is massaging your thighs and legs, he sometimes reaches up to your butt crack or touches the perineum area. In a few instances, I was also given the infamous nipple massage, which Lex wrote about in his blog post (but it seems he has edited that out). There is really no therapeutic benefit to massaging the nipples and so this is a clear sign that the masseur is teasing you. And in my last visit, the masseur even briefly caressed my hard dick while massaging my chest and abdomen.

All of my massages thus far have been at the common room. So understandably, I did not get any “extra service” and I wasn’t sure if such things indeed do happen. I tried to get an executive room to find out but I was told that they didn’t have any available at that time. I guess these rooms are quite popular and you need to call them up to get a reservation. And if they’re that popular, then maybe even naughtier things happen? By the way, you can specifically request for a particular masseur if you want.

The cruisy wet area

If extra services or a sexual tease while having a massage is not your thing, then the cruising opportunities at the wet area of South Bay might interest you instead. If you’ve ever done the “dance” in the wet areas of gyms like Fitness First, then the one in South Bay should feel quite familiar. The wet area of South Bay is separated from the locker room via a glass door and it has a sauna, a steam room, a few shower cubicles, a urinal, and two toilets. There is also a jacuzzi there but it’s no longer operational.

I’ve noticed that the sauna there is the most popular place to have encounters and that’s because its location gives ample warning time. The door only has a small window so somebody can stand by it and act as the lookout. Well, the sauna is small enough that the lookout can still get some action! Hehehe.

As for the steam room and the shower cubicles, these two don’t provide as much opportunity as the sauna. The steam room, in particular, is visible from the locker area since its door is just a whole glass pane. Thus, it is not an ideal place to have sexual encounters. However, if the steam becomes thick enough, then some action can be had such as the time when I let this cute guy grope me down there.

Anyway, the most extreme sexual encounter I had at South Bay was when I found myself in a five-man orgy in the sauna. While I was kissing this muscular chinito who’s in his 40s, we were both getting blowjobs from two other guys. The fifth guy acted as the lookout and was jacking off while touching whomever he can. That was such a hot encounter that I’m getting a hard-on while writing about it. :-P