Ah, Hot Zone. One of the better go-go bars in Barretto. I don’t hang out here nearly as much as I used to in the old days. In fact, my first visit to the Zone was as a tourist in its former location on the other side of the highway. I’m also well acquainted with the owner, Jay. He was formerly the former Grand Master of the Subic Bay Hash. Jay served in the United States Marine Corps and he runs a well-disciplined bar. That includes keeping the girls in fit shape–he consistently has one of the best lineups in town. If you are looking for a hottie for the night, you’ll likely find her here.
See that pole on the dance stage? The dancing girls enter the room by sliding down that pole. And in the old days before dancing on stage was banned, Hot Zone featured showcase pole dancers and also girls performing dance routines with big old boa constrictors. Even the regular dances were well-organized and you rarely saw the girls standing around or doing a lazy shuffle instead of dancing. So, even though I’m not really a fan of the go-go/girly bar format, I used to really enjoy my visits to Hot Zone.
I counted at least a dozen girls in the bar on an early Sunday evening. It was just me and one other customer. The other guy was spending some money on the girls, I didn’t even purchase a lady drink. To their credit, none of the girls harassed me about buying them a drink which is something I always appreciate.
My beers were 110 pesos each, which is the highest price I’ve paid but also pretty standard for this type of bar. The overhead for all those beauties is not cheap I’m sure. The mamasan was the only person I recognized from the old days when I was a semi-regular here. She wasn’t pleased with me taking photos in the bar, something that is technically not allowed. She didn’t make a big deal about it but told me the bar had been raided previously based on photos and videos taken in the bar and shared on social media. I promised I wouldn’t post anything on Facebook and I don’t think my little-read blog constitutes any threat. Besides, I witnessed nothing inappropriate or in violation of Covid prevention protocols taking place in the bar.
So, that’s the low-down on Hot Zone. A good bar that will be better again when it can have dancers performing for tourists. In the meantime, here’s wishing them all the best. And thanks for the memories.
Where things stand as of now:
- It Doesn’t Matter
- Mango’s Beach Bar
- Alley Cats
- Adam’s
- Blue Butterfly
- Out Back Billabong
- Dynamite Dick’s
- Palm Tree
- Hideaway
- Hot Zone
- Alaska Club
- Thumbstar
- Bottoms Up
- Rosies
- Rock Lobster
- Queen Victoria
- Voodoo
- Annex
- MacArthur’s
- Redz Pub
- Whiskey Girl
- Finger Monkey
I don’t know McCrarey. You tell me how Hot Zone has the hotties Then I look at the pics and see 2 girls onstage that look like dogs. I think it’s time to head back to Subic and get the eyes looked at. in the meantime, eat some carrots. Peace out!
Soju, but you should have seen the way they wag their tails!
was there last April
can you tell me if Rea is still working there
HIV introduced us her first night working there
I haven’t been to Hot Zone for a couple of months now. Coincidentally, I ran into HIV last night and promised him I’d drop by soon. I’ll ask about Rea when I do.
I’m coming in August and mostly want to visit this bar because it’s owned by another Marine. I’m curious if they started to do shows again. Can you advise?
Hot Zone is one of the best dancing bars in town, and it usually has some good-looking gals. My understanding is that they do have shows every hour, although I think the snakes are gone. And yes, Jay still runs the place with Marine discipline…