A screengrab from the teaser video for On Top, Nana Plaza's newest go-go bar
A screengrab from the teaser video for On Top, Nana Plaza's newest go-go bar.

The hotly anticipated new go-go bar from the creators of Billboard and Butterflies will put guests On Top of the world when it opens in Nana Plaza around the start of new year.

Called “On Top”, the bar’s name refers not to its location on the top floor of Nana, but the view guests will be offered once inside. On the walls, framed by hot pink, purple and teal strips of LED lighting, are huge high-definition video screens featuring an immersive, 360-degree view of skylines around the world, from Bangkok and New York to London and Tokyo. Sitting in one of the bars plush sofa booths, you’ll feel you’re sitting on top of that city’s tallest skyscrapers with a bird’s eye view of the world.

In the middle of all the scenery is a small, elevated stage that can comfortably accommodate 4-5 dancers. The stage is rimmed by high armchair barstools, allowing guests to sit back, relax and take it all in.

The bar was built in the shell of the former short-time hotel next to Butterflies and, thus, is very small. An initial estimate figures the bar can seat about 40 in a VIP-lounge environment where semi-private sofa cubbies dominate the layout. Like Butterflies, On Top has an extremely high ceiling, which is painted black and covered in materials to enhance the bar’s acoustics.

This being a bar from the owner of Billboard and Butterflies, the sound is second to none. Both of those bars have some of the best sound in any go-go bar in Thailand and the new bar looks to match that, with a 500,000-baht mixing board set for installation next week. Lighting also will be unsurpassed. Ownership designed the ceiling superstructure from where the lights hang himself, leaving nothing to chance. Even in this small space, there will be about 60 lights and lasers to illuminate On Top.

Under construction for most of this year, On Top still is not finished due to that exacting level of detail and the unwillingness to accept anything but the best. One look at On Top’s restrooms show that, taking Billboard and Butterflies’ top-notch facilities to an even higher level.

We’d love to show you, but, that same dedication to perfection means no photos until it’s right.

Who is On Top For?

With limited seating and a smaller roster of talent, who is On Top for?

Everyone, of course, is welcome. But, inevitably, the club will be for the well-heeled, VIP crowd wanting an intimate environment where they can open a bottle and cozy up with a few gorgeous ladies on the sofa. Groups will find this a perfect place to party and you can expect that the Billboard and Butterflies ladies will point their barfines to On Top to continue the evening, making it, in a sense, both bars’ dedicated VIP lounge.

That formula has worked gangbusters for the similarly positioned and sized Lace Lounge above Tycoon aGoGo. Open to the general public on weekends, Lace now operates seven nights a week as the VIP lounge for Tycoon and has begun to draw an impressive number of late-night customers.

Slightly larger, holding about 50, Lace looks entirely different from On Top, however, with its deep red lighting and oversized sofas. It’s more speakeasy than go-go and, while both aim at the same crowd, there’s more than enough high-rollers in Nana Plaza for both to flourish. On Top has one advantage, though in that Billboard and Butterflies already are destinations for “whales”, the multimillionaire big spenders who love to party and throw cash around.

When Will On Top Open?

While the On Top teaser video went up on the LED screens outside Billboard and Butterflies Friday night, finally revealing the name, there is still no opening date.

Ownership said Friday On Top could open before New Year’s or shortly after 2025 begins. Completion is nearing rapidly, with newly installed air-conditioning units tested Saturday. The next steps are to install the mixing board and computers to power On Top’s signature screens.

There certainly is no rush to get the doors open. Just like Orson Wells said that Paul Masson vineyards would sell no wine before its time, On Top’s owners won’t open until everything’s perfect.