Street 136
Street 136 is one of the best known red-light district streets in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It runs inland from the Riverside at Sisowath Quay and is packed with girlie bars, beer bars, hostesses and late-night drinking.
The main bar section is short enough to walk through in a few minutes. But you never walk it that fast because the girls sitting outside every second entrance keep grabbing you to pull you inside for a drink.
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How to get to the Phnom Penh Red Light District
From the Riverside, just walk inland along Street 136. The main bar blocks are between Street 5 and Sisowath Quay.
If you come from other parts of Phnom Penh, use Grab or PassApp on your phone to book a tuk-tuk with the destination already entered. Street tuk-tuks also work around the area, but you must agree on the fare before getting in.
Listen, some drivers will offer a detour to a "special massage" or another bar. Do not go. These recommendations only happen because the driver gets a commission, which ends up added to your bill as a scam.
Street 136 Phnom Penh
The street is lined shoulder-to-shoulder with open-fronted girlie bars, sports pubs, restaurants and pool tables. Locally they call them lady bars. The setup here is sitting and drinking with a girl. You will not find stage dancers here like in the go-go bars of Pattaya.
Girls sit near the entrance, yell at passing foreigners and come over when you sit down. You buy a lady drink, chat and perhaps play pool or Connect Four. The girl gets a commission cut from her drinks.
A bar fine is a separate payment you pay to the house for letting her leave her shift early. It does not pay for the girl's time outside the bar.
Names appearing in reports about the street include Candy Bar, 69 Bar, Pussycat, Amazing, Wow and Xanadu. But names and ownership change fast, so older reports can describe a totally different business.
Bars start opening in the afternoon. The street gets busier after 8 p.m when most tourists and expats come. Some drunken local expats stay at bars all day
How much sex cost in Street 136
Street 136 prices are quoted in US dollars. Cambodian riel is also used, but just for small change.
The figures below are approximate amounts reported by guys on the ground, not a fixed price list.
- Draft beer: Around $1.50–$3.00
- Lady drink: Around $4.00–$5.50
- Bar fine: Around $15–$25, paid to the house.
- Short-time: Reported asking prices around $50–$80.
- Long-time or overnight: Reported asking prices around $100 or more.
Some bars quote a different bar fine depending if you already bought a lot of lady drinks. The girl's fee, the hotel room and the transport are all separate.
A few beers, several lady drinks and a bar fine will add up quick before you even leave the bar. Street 136 is not necessarily the cheapest place in Phnom Penh just because the first beer looks cheap outside.
When you arrange things, the agreement needs to cover the time, what services, total price and whether she expects you to pay her transport home. Saying "long-time" alone does not explain when the booking actually ends. You need to make things clear from the beginning.
Historical Prices on Street 136
Older reported prices around 2007 were about US$10-US$15 for short-time and US$20-US$25 for long-time. Prices depended on the girl, the bar and what was agreed.
Then prices raised a bit and short-time costed around US$20-US$30, with a US$10 bar fine. Overnight prices varied much more, with some luxury girl prices reaching all the way up to US$100.
By 2023, bar fines were around US$15 to US$20 and short-time asking prices $40 to $70.
In 2026 prices are around US$4-US$5.50 for a lady drink and US$15-US$25 for the bar fine. The girl's fee is separate, with short-time asking prices around US$50-US$80 and overnight around US$100 or more. But you can bargain these prices down easily.
Freelancers and Other Bar Streets near Street 136
Freelancers work independently rather than as employees of the bar. A normal freelancer arrangement has no house bar fine, although drinks and any room charges still need paying.
Late-night music venues, including Oscar's on the Corner around Streets 104 and 51, appear in reports about meeting freelancers. Not every woman drinking or listening to music is looking for a customer.
Nearby Streets 104, 118 and 130 also have hostess bars. Some regulars prefer these streets because particular bars are quieter or cheaper. Prices still depend on the venue.
Street 136 gets plenty of first-time visitors. The nearby streets give you other places to drink without having to cross the city.
Where to stay near Street 136
The Riverside area has hotels and guesthouses within walking distance of the bars. Many visitors stay nearby rather than paying for a separate short-time room.
Visitor policies depend on the property. Registration, identification and additional guest charges may apply. A hotel being close to the bars does not automatically mean visitors are allowed.
Erotic Massage near Street 136 Phnom Penh
Massage businesses operate around the Riverside and nearby streets. An ordinary massage price does not automatically include a happy ending or other sexual service.
Reports about driver-recommended back-alley venues include unexpected room charges, inflated bills and demands for additional tips. The cost of the massage, any separately offered service and the room can be different charges.
See Erotic massage, Massage Parlor Etiquette and Massage Parlor Scams.
Stay Safe
Phone theft and motorcycle bag snatching are risks around the Riverside. A phone held beside the road or a loose shoulder bag gives a passing thief an easy target.
Bar bills can also cause trouble. Lady drinks, rounds ordered for other girls and unexplained charges can make a small tab much larger. Paying for each order makes the spending easier to follow.
A street guide or tuk-tuk driver recommending a bar may be working for commission. An empty venue with vague prices can become expensive once drinks and hostesses arrive.
Unknown online contacts can also take deposits and disappear. See Escort deposit scam and Escort and Sex scams.
Nobody owes sexual activity because drinks or a bar fine have been paid. A dispute over money does not remove anybody's right to stop.
Protection matters with paid and casual partners. Old forum claims about HIV rates are not a reliable guide to an individual person's health.
See Also
- Phnom Penh | Cambodia | Siem Reap
- Girlie bar | Beer bar | Go-go bars | Hostess club
- Bar fine | Lady drink | Freelancer
- Short-time | Long-time | GFE
- Prostitution prices | Escort extras
- Escort | Independent escorts | Sex worker
- Red-light district | Bar street
- Erotic massage | Happy ending | Massage Parlor Etiquette
- Love hotel | Guest-friendly hotels
- Bar and Nightclub Scams | Massage Parlor Scams
- Escort and Sex scams | Escort deposit scam
- Hidden cameras | Common scams
- Safe sex | Condom | Stay safe
