Spiritualism and the Balinese, and the Balinese and sexuality; both are among the strongest identities of the Balinese. The first sexual encounters of many Balinese men are found with sex workers, at a very young age. The sex workers have, somewhat, been taking the part-time role of sex educators, substituting the role of schools and parents. Or perhaps not substituting, since there is a lack of, or no, sex education in the curriculum or in parent-child conversations.
Losing one’s virginity with an “educator”, or regular attendance at the “alternative school”, sees boys earn the trophy of manhood among their peers. During the mid 1990s, there was an exclusive brothel in the heart of Denpasar filled with beautiful women trained to act like geisha. They would welcome their customer in their room, have dinner and chat with them before getting down to business. As it was exclusive, they came at a good price too. Rich high school kids loved spending their parent’s money here.
When they ran out of money, they were willing to go for “mothers” who would provide them some kind of stipend for their services in bed. The place has since been shut down, so the business has shifted to another kind of relaxation. Spas started emerging in Bali from early 2000. Nowadays, Balinese spa/massage is well known all over the world. There are two kinds of spas here: regular spas and sex spas (spa esek-esek). Both are equally famous, demanded and favored.
Sometimes it is not so easy to tell which buildings offer which kind of spa. Sex spas are often stuck in between office buildings, good for a lunch break. Prices vary, as do the therapists and their treatments. Young boys with a shortage of cash, but still wanting to “relax”, will make up some story about breaking up with their girlfriend to get a discount and a free oral sex. They tend to pick older woman as their therapists for these women are normally the last picked and hence offer a better price.
More recently, since the sex spas, the sex café (café remang-remang, or dimly lit café) has come into existence. Initially, it was aimed at the lower class, but today blue collar workers also love this sort of entertainment. The cafés have diversified into elite clubs. The Balinese refer to them as karaoke places. These so-called clubs do indeed have karaoke facilities, in private rooms with girls who can lap dance, striptease or do karaoke for the clients and more (suit yourself in the deal).
When a Balinese man wants to seduce a woman, he will say, “Let’s go karaoke!” Actually, it’s more a form of harassment than seduction. The good, or bad, news is that these karaoke places are a place to spend and earn money. These days, projects are secured here, not in meeting rooms. This limits the role of women taking part in the decision-making process. But as some women are persistent and strong enough, they have stood up and become the ones who facilitate the entire game.
June Arya is a self-proclaimed underdog Balinese.
source : bali daily
June Arya is a self-proclaimed underdog Balinese.
source : bali daily
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