What are the Pros and Cons of Visiting Manila?

[+ Lucky]

Among the many places I have never visited is Manila. Perhaps the location is a deterrent, but I also have the idea that it is more of a third world country with lots of poverty. That wouldn't stop me from going, but I can't come up with any incentives to plan a visit when there is so much competition for my gay dollar.

So, for those who have been, what are the highlights? Thanks.

[Marc in Calif]

Most of Manila is a hell-hole. Unless you have lots of experience in less-developed countries and their megacities, I'd advise going elsewhere. 

For a first visit to the Philippines, you'd be much happier (and cleaner!) visiting one of the other large cities such as Cebu and Davao. If you're on Grindr, you'll have no problem finding providers of all sorts. Or just buddies to have fun with. 

If you're into beaches, there's El Nido on Palawan island. 🏖️

All of these will likely require flying through Manila. A couple of days there will be sufficient if you want to keep both your sanity and your hearing. 😊

Edited August 13, 2024 by Marc in Calif

[BSR]

On 8/12/2024 at 10:22 AM, Lucky said:

Among the many places I have never visited is Manila. Perhaps the location is a deterrent, but I also have the idea that it is more of a third world country with lots of poverty. That wouldn't stop me from going, but I can't come up with any incentives to plan a visit when there is so much competition for my gay dollar.

So, for those who have been, what are the highlights? Thanks.

Perhaps the window has passed on this 5-month old topic, but I will be going to Manila on Feb 11 and will post my thoughts on visiting there.  I’ll try to look into the scene (escorts, masseurs, dancers), but since I’ll be spending most of the time with family, naughty-fun opportunities will likely be limited.  Meanwhile, some food for thought: here is a video on pag pag, food “recycled” from fast-food garbage.  Yup, people literally sort through McDonalds & Jollibee (Filipino KFC) garbage bags, pluck out the scraps, either boil or fry it to (hopefully) kill the bacteria, then sell it.  Yikes, I knew poverty was bad in the Philippines, but people actually make a living by selling dumpster scraps??

 

[BSR]

OK, so I just got back from my first hire in Manila.  First, Manila as a travel destination.  @Marc in Calif is correct, it’s kind of a shithole.   It’s ugly & congested, hot & humid, the exhaust fumes will make your lungs beg for mercy, and gawd help you if you’re ever stuck in rush-hour traffic.  For a city so rich in history, there’s not that much to see or do.

Those are (some of) the cons.  But hey, there’s good and bad in everything, and Manila does have its pros, sparse as they may be.  If you have an adventurous palate, Filipino cuisine is pretty good, and the home-cooking joints are really inexpensive.  The people here are simply fantastic:  impeccably polite, friendly, and bend-over-backwards helpful.  Yes, traffic sucks, but for the best thrill ride outside of a Six Flags roller coaster, ride on the back of a motorcycle taxi.  If you’re going somewhere by yourself, get a ride thru Move It, a ride share app but just for motorcycles and scooters.  I took one today because I was leaving during rush hour.  The advantage of these 2-wheel taxis is that they can scoot up to the front at every intersection whereas cars might need 2 or even 3 green lights to get thru the most congested intersections.  Mind you, it’s not for the faint of heart because the driver will weave in between cars, often thru spaces that look impossibly narrow.  But once you stop soiling yourself, it’s actually hella fun.

Now for the fun part … here’s the little I learned after my first hire:  Rentmen Philippines — rentmen.ph — is the site I used.  I have no idea if it’s the best site for our hobby, but it certainly has a sh*t-ton of listings, more than 300.  Of the dozen rentguys I contacted, only 1 listed his sexual orientation as gay, 1 as bisexual, 1 as “ask me.”  The other 9 listed themselves as straight, and I doubt it was just the small sample size.  I’m guessing gay4pay is rampant on the site and in the country.  For some, a straight provider is a nonstarter.  Even if you’re open to hiring gay4pay, make sure to get nitty-gritty about the provider’s limitations because he’ll likely have plenty.  The good thing is the straight providers I interacted with were all quite forthcoming and specific about their limits.

I did have a bit of a communication issue with my guy tonight.  I was very specific about kissing, tongues and the whole 9 yards, which he said he was OK with.  I ended the text exchange with “as long as I can do plenty of kissing and rimming, I’ll be happy.”  As it so turns out, he had no idea what rimming was and later confessed he was too embarrassed to ask.  I had gotten a bit spoiled in the few days I had been here because Filipinos who deal with the public speak anywhere from very good to perfect English.  My guy, not so much.

Nonetheless, I had fun.  He was beautiful, looked just like his pictures, and did try to please despite his limits.  I wouldn’t be quite so forgiving if I were paying US rates (how much is a 5-hr date in cities like NYC? eek!), but hey, at ~$260 (15,000 pesos) for 5 hours, no way am I going full raging Karen.  Some guys cited a rate of 20,000p (~$347), 1 said 25,000p (~$431), and the 1 gay provider quoted me 30,000p (~$520).  Yes, they expect you to tip.  I just flat out asked him how much he was hoping for because I had no idea and because I’m sure expectations vary widely.  I like longer sessions but simply can’t afford the going rate in the US.  Rentboys for a fraction the price is a gigantic check mark in Manila’s pro column.

[jbsjbs99]

Thank you for this great information.

Who was your guy? Do you have a link?

What was the percentage of the tip?

[BSR]

20 hours ago, jbsjbs99 said:

Thank you for this great information.

Who was your guy? Do you have a link?

What was the percentage of the tip?

Tim Guevara
I was going to tip him 20%, 3,000p.  Once I saw on his face that he wasn’t particularly happy about it (certainly wasn’t mad either), I asked him how much he was hoping for.  After much arm-twisting, he admitted he expected 3,000p but was hoping for 6,000p, prolly ‘cuz he saw me as a rich (ha!) foreigner.  I ended up tipping him 5,000p.  Fee + tip = 20,000p or ~$345, a heckuva bargain for a 5-hour session.  Since I’m staying at my aunt’s condo, I had to get a hotel room.  Another tick in Manila’s pro column is that I got a nice 4* hotel in his neighborhood (he can’t host) for just $48.  No Priceline or anything, just the regular price on the hotel website.

Straight, new to the biz (started 2 months ago), definitely a diamond in the rough.  He’s very up-front with his limits, so you’ll be able to make an informed decision.  He’s shy, even in his native tongue.  He understands English very well because he’s watched a lot of American movies & TV but he struggles a bit speaking it.  Don’t worry, his English is more than good enough to work out arrangements, just don’t expect a chatty boyfriend experience.  He thanked me as soon as he got home and texted me the next day.  If I had more time in Manila, I would definitely see him again.

Edited February 18, 2025 by BSR
Typo

[jbsjbs99]

Do you have a link to this guy?

On 2/19/2025 at 1:55 AM, BSR said:

Tim Guevara
I was going to tip him 20%, 3,000p.  Once I saw on his face that he wasn’t particularly happy about it (certainly wasn’t mad either), I asked him how much he was hoping for.  After much arm-twisting, he admitted he expected 3,000p but was hoping for 6,000p, prolly ‘cuz he saw me as a rich (ha!) foreigner.  I ended up tipping him 5,000p.  Fee + tip = 20,000p or ~$345, a heckuva bargain for a 5-hour session.  Since I’m staying at my aunt’s condo, I had to get a hotel room.  Another tick in Manila’s pro column is that I got a nice 4* hotel in his neighborhood (he can’t host) for just $48.  No Priceline or anything, just the regular price on the hotel website.

Straight, new to the biz (started 2 months ago), definitely a diamond in the rough.  He’s very up-front with his limits, so you’ll be able to make an informed decision.  He’s shy, even in his native tongue.  He understands English very well because he’s watched a lot of American movies & TV but he struggles a bit speaking it.  Don’t worry, his English is more than good enough to work out arrangements, just don’t expect a chatty boyfriend experience.  He thanked me as soon as he got home and texted me the next day.  If I had more time in Manila, I would definitely see him again.

 

[mike carey]

1 hour ago, jbsjbs99 said:

Do you have a link to this guy?

It's in the post, all you need to do is edit the rentmen.ph url to a rent.men one, viz 

Tim_Guevara - Male Escort, Gay massage - Manila | Rent.Men

RENT.MEN

---

Tim_Guevara Gay Escort in Manila, Philippines, available for Gay Escorting,Modeling,Erotic Massage. | Find all the best...

 

[eric thome]

Hi, I have a 5 hour layover in Manila coming up ... is that enough time to leave the area to get a great sensual massage? Any recommendations? Thanks l

[BSR]

In theory, yes, but …

First, make sure you download the app eGovPH and have it all filled out before landing because doing so will greatly expedite your passage thru Customs — I’m assuming you will have to go thru Customs if you’re exiting the airport.  Población (the gay district in the neighboring city Makati) is only 15 minutes from the airport without traffic.  In traffic, I’d figure more like 45 minutes.  Mapping out a worst case, if you hit traffic going both ways (45 minutes x 2), Customs drags out (another 45 minutes), and security takes a while going back in (another 45 minutes), that’s 3 hours “in transit,” with 2 hours  to squeeze in a massage.  There are a bunch of gay massage spots in Quezon City, but don’t even think about it because QC is kinda far even in light traffic.  If you hit heavy traffic, you’re dead.

You could “order in” and host in The Wings, a transit lounge in Terminal 3 that offers private rooms.  I gotta think you’d have to pay a hefty deposit since no working guy is going all the way out to the airport only to get stood up.  Try the Remitly app because others like PayPal or GCash (most popular cash app in the Philippines) require a Philippine bank account.  Note that you will likely have to start the Remitly transfer several days before meeting because for first-time users, they require you to speak with an agent to ensure the transfer is legit.  It’ll take ~24 hours for the transfer to alert their fraud dept, then you have to speak to them during West Coast business hours, then it takes another 24+ hours for the transfer to clear.

So it’s up to you whether you’d rather deal with the risk of getting stuck in traffic or of paying a deposit to an escort/masseur you don’t know.

PS:  download the Grab app and set up an account before landing.  Uber doesn’t operate in the Philippines; their equivalent is Grab.  When we were looking for a taxi to my aunt’s place, the cabdrivers quoted 1200 pesos, and my aunt asked in Tagalog!  They eventually gave the “real price,” 400 pesos.  I can only imagine the crazy ripoff price they’ll quote a foreigner.  Also, on the way back to the airport, it’s basically impossible to hail a cab in the street.  You’ll need to use Grab (which can e-hail both Uber-style private cars and metered taxis) to get back to the airport.  Note that you can only tip in cash in the Philippines.  10% rounded up to at least 100p (90 cents) to your driver is fine.  The currency exchange at the airport gives a good rate and charges a fair commission.

Edited June 22, 2025 by BSR
Added PS

[eric thome]

Thanks so much ... extremely informative 👏 

[+ GD85]

These are great tactical tips from @BSR. To locate a spa/therapist, Twitter/X is your friend. Here is an account to get started, look at the spas he has posted / reviewed and you can go on threads to find all sorts of good intel: https://x.com/simplyme101486?s=21&t=Jjav7G7JkhBBn9koO9cv6w

 

[Filipinhoe861]

I am half Filipino, stayed for a while in Manila this is what i can share about it.

Makati is a good choice to stay. It has 3 gay saunas with good crowd for fun. 
 

1. Rwellness Hub

2. Urus Wellness Hub

3. Infinity Spa Makati

There are other 20 gay saunas and spa all over Metro Manila in nearby cities. I believe Metro Manila has the most number of gay saunas in Asia. Entrance is 30 dollars on the average and that already includes a sensual massage. Most gay spas offer that. 
 

There’s also a bath house with mixed crowd but mostly locals. Club Bath in Pasay City about 20 minutes from Makati. 
 

Install the Grab App. That’s going to be your friend in navigating the city. That’s the local version of Uber. 
 

Rentboys of good quality can range from 6k to 10k pesos. (105-175) bucks. 
 

Food is okay. Other provinces, normally one hour flight away have better food choices. 
 

Wherever you are in the Philippines, don’t approach a guy in the streets. Most likely they mug you in your hotel room. 

I dont know what else to put here, you can ask any specific question and I will answer. AMA.

 

Edited September 13, 2025 by Filipinhoe861

[KeepItReal]

7 hours ago, Filipinhoe861 said:

I am half Filipino, stayed for a while in Manila this is what i can share about it.

Makati is a good choice to stay. It has 3 gay saunas with good crowd for fun. 
 

1. Rwellness Hub

2. Urus Wellness Hub

3. Infinity Spa Makati

There are other 20 gay saunas and spa all over Metro Manila in nearby cities. I believe Metro Manila has the most number of gay saunas in Asia. Entrance is 30 dollars on the average and that already includes a sensual massage. Most gay spas offer that. 
 

There’s also a bath house with mixed crowd but mostly locals. Club Bath in Pasay City about 20 minutes from Makati. 
 

Install the Grab App. That’s going to be your friend in navigating the city. That’s the local version of Uber. 
 

Rentboys of good quality can range from 6k to 10k pesos. (105-175) bucks. 
 

Food is okay. Other provinces, normally one hour flight away have better food choices. 
 

Wherever you are in the Philippines, don’t approach a guy in the streets. Most likely they mug you in your hotel room. 

I dont know what else to put here, you can ask any specific question and I will answer. AMA.

 

Thank you! I am sad to report that during my two trips the past 3 years I had great difficulty locating accomplished bottoms that are my "type". I met one great guy in Cebu who I will visit again, but otherwise it was a disappointing trip. 

[theplayerking]

I spent a week in Manila and driving around Luzon for work. I stayed in Bonifacio Global City (also known as BGC), which is a new and organized part of the city. It feels more like Singapore than Manila. The rest of the city is a sprawling and chaotic mess with horrendous traffic. It can take an hour just to go a few miles. I agree the the other that Grab is cheap and efficient if you need to get around  

The high-end providers on RM are all around 10,000 pesos ($175) for full service. They are very responsive and I met with a couple that were quite good. The legit massage provider that came to my hotel was 3,000 pesos ($50) and double if you want him to be naked with mutual touching. 

There are second-tier Grindr providers in Manila that offer full service for 3,000 to 5,000 pesos, but not as hot or professional as the RM boys. In the provinces you can get an amateur massage for as little as 700 pesos ($13). You get what you pay for, but there are not a lot of options once you get outside on Manila. 

I didn’t go to the massage parlors or the bathhouses, partly because of the traffic and it was so easy to order in. 

I didn’t enjoy the country all that much and I’d be unlikely to go back for a vacation. The guys a very sweet and eager to please. It’s a personal preference, but I didn’t find them as attractive as the guys in other parts of Asia. PM me if you want more info. 

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 9/13/2025 at 5:18 AM, KeepItReal said:

accomplished bottoms

I'm going to borrow this phrase.  "Accomplished Bottom" sounds better than my usual nickname, "Slut". 😆 

[BSR]

Destiny takes me back to Manila, will be there from mid-December until … ??  Saunas (except BCN’s Thermas) & bathhouses aren’t my thing, but I’ll be doing plenty of hiring.  If anyone has any questions, I’ll do my best to answer.  The “research” might be fun, LOL.

[BSR]

I finally did my first hire of this stay.  Even though I’ve been here since Dec 13, I had to put off hiring because of a really nasty cold I caught in Bogotá.

First, a few more tips about Manila:  tap water is not potable.  Everybody who can afford it gets purified, filtered water delivered in giant jugs.  Most Manilans have a Brita to filter it a second time.  Tap water is fine for washing your hands and showering, but don’t drink the stuff.  Bottled water is for sale all over.

In a nice restaurant when you ask for water, don’t worry, they serve you filtered, purified water.  Another restaurant note:  don’t expect the dishes to come out at the same time.  The time from when the first appetizer comes out to the last can be quite a gap, same for mains.  The whole “wait until everyone’s gotten their food” isn’t really a thing here.

While the Philippines is a poor country (US GDP per capita is $89,600; Philippines $4,321), expect prices to be surprisingly close to what you pay in the US.  If you’re staying in Makati or BGC and are enjoying Western cuisine and conveniences, it’ll cost you.  If stay in Binondo and eat at a turo-turo, you’ll pay a LOT less, but don’t expect Western conveniences like soap & toilet paper in the bathrooms.  In cheap Filipino restaurants, needless to say, order bottled water.

Similarly, escorts here aren’t as cheap as you would expect for such a poor country.  Prices vary, of course, but I paid 15,000p for my guy last night (~$253 for 2 hours).  I’m not complaining, that’s a lot less than the US, but a lot more than what I paid in Colombia (~$80 for 3 hours).  Colombia’s GDP per capita is $8,200, go figure.

My guy last night didn’t expect a tip because he’s independent.  A lot of escorts have a “manager” (which translates to “pimp” in American English) who takes a substantial cut, like 40%.  Ask your escort if he has a manager or not.  If not, he doesn’t expect a tip, although he won’t refuse one either.  But if he does, he’ll be really upset if you don’t tip him.  Don’t hesitate, just ask him how much he’s expecting.  Also, wait to ask him in person because the texts you’re exchanging pre-meet probably aren’t with the escort himself, but with the manager posing as the escort.

Happy hunting!

Edited Friday at 10:07 AM by BSR
Added detail, fixed typos

[BSR]

Oops, one more tip (I knew I was forgetting something).  Make sure to have the entry form on the eGovPH app completely filled out before landing in Manila International (a true shithole of an airport).  Upon successfully completing the form, you should get a QR code that you need to enter the Philippines, no ifs and or buts.  Without that QR, you’ll be stuck inside the airport longer than Tom Hanks.  You can complete the form up to 72 hours before landing.

Because I’m an idiot who prioritized stuffing my face with free airport lounge food over my entry form, I waited until I landed to fill it out.  Big mistake!  You need an Internet connection to fill it out, and while there is free Internet at Ninoy Aquino, it’s horribly unreliable.  You get only 1 free hour, but my freebie lasted just 6 wobbly minutes before it fritzed out and said “Time expired.”  Lucky for me, a kind airport worker let me use his phone as a hotspot, and I finally got my QR.  The guy at entry control didn’t even scan the QR, just looked at it and said I was good.

In conclusion, complete the eGovPH form the night before your flight and make sure to save that QR.

[CuriousByNature]

On 1/15/2026 at 11:31 PM, BSR said:

Oops, one more tip (I knew I was forgetting something).  Make sure to have the entry form on the eGovPH app completely filled out before landing in Manila International (a true shithole of an airport).  Upon successfully completing the form, you should get a QR code that you need to enter the Philippines, no ifs and or buts.  Without that QR, you’ll be stuck inside the airport longer than Tom Hanks.  You can complete the form up to 72 hours before landing.

Because I’m an idiot who prioritized stuffing my face with free airport lounge food over my entry form, I waited until I landed to fill it out.  Big mistake!  You need an Internet connection to fill it out, and while there is free Internet at Ninoy Aquino, it’s horribly unreliable.  You get only 1 free hour, but my freebie lasted just 6 wobbly minutes before it fritzed out and said “Time expired.”  Lucky for me, a kind airport worker let me use his phone as a hotspot, and I finally got my QR.  The guy at entry control didn’t even scan the QR, just looked at it and said I was good.

In conclusion, complete the eGovPH form the night before your flight and make sure to save that QR.

How do people manage if they don't have a cell phone?  

[BSR]

2 hours ago, CuriousByNature said:

How do people manage if they don't have a cell phone?  

You can fill out the form online on a computer or tablet and print out the QR.  If you can’t do that, upon arrival tell Immigration and they’ll set you up with someone to fill out a paper form and print out the QR.  It’s a common problem, especially with senior travelers, so no big whoop.  

But my guess is that if you’re doing it the old-fashioned way, expect to wait a while.  Filipinos are incredibly nice and helpful, but they’re not the speediest or most efficient.

[BSR]

After my second hire this stay left a while ago, I had a mini-panic attack.  Lemme ‘splain … Filipinos are the gossipiest people on the face of the earth.  Even straight men who should (in other countries) be talking about sports, chicks, cars — here they’re a bunch of washwomen obsessed with wringing every last detail from every tidbit of gossip.

I’m living in my mom’s apartment while she’s in the hospital going through chemo.  I’m with her during the day, but in the evening when the pain meds kick in, she’s out for the night, and I go home.  Well, a man’s got needs …

I realized the two Gladys Kravitz security guards downstairs are all too aware of the comings and goings of the fit young lads who have been visiting me.  Crapfest! they’re about as discreet as a neon sign, and by tomorrow morning all of Metro Manila will know.

And of course, word will make its way to Mom, who will ask who my “visitors” were.  She knows I don’t know anybody in Manila.  What do I tell her?  They were Mormons??

[+ azdr0710]

@BSR   very entertaining reading and reports......I hope your Mom is doing well.......