Nana Notebook March 2025: Nana Plaza’s Fire System Updated, Funny Name Changes & ‘Forever 69’

Already Bangkok’s safest nightlife area, Nana Plaza has again upgraded its fire-protection system following January’s garbage blaze next door.

Two new fire hydrants have been installed inside the plaza, at the front and back, and new red piping above the entranceway allows fire trucks to easily hook up to the water source if necessary.

The new precautions come after a small Jan. 22 fire in the alley between Nana Plaza and the Majestic Suites hotel caused a mass evacuation and lots of smoke, but no injuries or damage.

The fire likely started from a cigarette butt tossed into the Majestic Suites trash pile. Nana Plaza management said the fire likely would not have spread, or even gone out by itself, had the hotel not dumbfoundingly coated its exterior wall with flammable rubber, presumably to make cleaning easier.

Instead, the flames scaled the hotel’s wall, hungrily consuming the flammable rubber. Nana Plaza’s wall, by comparison, was unscarred.

The days following the fire saw Plaza officials working with Khlong Toei District officials and fire inspectors to clean out all the narrow alleys surrounding the plaza to prevent any repeat incident.

Straps Becomes Star Becomes Strap’s

The middle-floor ladyboy bar that sits at the top of the Nana Plaza main stairs has changed names again, returning to its former moniker, albeit with a grammatical error.

Originally Straps, the bar inexplicably changed names in May 2023 to Star. Apparently, that didn’t lead to stellar success and this month it changed back to Straps, sort of.

The sign says “Strap’s”, erroneously adding a possessive “S” instead of the plural “S”. As English is not the Thai owner’s native language, that sort of error can be forgivable, although a quick check by a native speaker beforehand would have saved some embarrassment.

Rainbow > Private > K-69

Speaking of name changes, K-69 is the odd new name for what most recently was Private 69 and Rainbow 69 before that. The tiny, 86-square-meter bar next to B-52 in the back left corner of the plaza’s middle floor also had done out all its exterior in red lighting, clashing loudly with the neighboring ladyboy bar’s blue lights.

K-69 is owned by the same Russian who previously bought Essence (the former Whiskey Go-Go) and renamed that Kino. Does the K in K-69 stand for Kino? It’s anyone’s guess.

Those who can remember before Covid will recall that the 69 bars were preceded by the Casanova ladyboy bar. The Rainbow group took it over then sold it to a pair of ambitious French lads who sold it nine months later.

Forever 69

On the subject of 69, Dennis, the popular manager at Lollipop Bangkok, is throwing himself a “Forever 69” birthday party Friday.  He, in fact, is turning 70, but the odometer has broken and forever on, Dennis will be 69.

There will be Gallery Pizza and customers spending 1,000 baht or more will get a “Forever 69” baseball cap, while supplies last. There also will be throughout the night.

Whip It! Whip It Good!

Stickman Bangkok this week relates a story whose source isn’t hard to guess, even though he didn’t say.

It seems a certain Nana Plaza bar boss was unimpressed that Angelwitch (allegedly) is copying yet another feature of his nearby chrome pole palace.

“First it was the ceiling lighting outside the bar… Then they got a shower… And now the door staff at Angelwitch are using rubber whips, which have long been a signature” at the former bar.

Can you guess who’s having a moan?