A bargirl is a woman who works as a hostess or dancer in bars to provide company or sexual services to patrons; the exact nature of services and varieties of bar varying by country/region. In most cases, these cater mostly to male clients, although in some cases women are also clients. Variants on the term include "B-girl," "juicy girl" and "guest relations officer."

These kinds of bars include hostess bar

Hostess bar

Hostess clubs are a common feature in the night-time entertainment industry of Japan, east Asian countries and other areas with a high east Asian population. They employ primarily female staff and cater to males seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The more recent host clubs are similar...

s (primarily in East Asia, but also elsewhere), go-go bars and "beer bars" (Southeast Asia), dance bar

Dance bar

The term dance bar is used in India to refer to bars in which adult entertainment in the form of dances by relatively well-covered women are performed for male patrons in exchange for cash. Though dance bars were banned in the Maharashtra state, in August 2005, with the passing of the Police Bill,...

s (India), and while the term "bargirl" is not used, the basic form is similar in some other areas such as the boliches of Argentina.

Note that this term should not be confused with a barmaid

Bartender

A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...

, who serves drinks in a bar but is not expected to entertain customers personally or provide sexual services. Many bars that employ bargirls will have additional service staff, who may be of either sex.

Associations

The term is often associated with some Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...

n countries (especially Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 and the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

) where many (but not all) bargirls also act as prostitutes, either on-site (effectively a brothel

Brothel

Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...

) or by being available to be bar fined (see below).

Bargirls sometimes get a commission on drinks bought by their customers and a percentage of the escort fee ("bar fine") paid by any customer who wishes to take them out of the bar. In other cases, they may have a periodic quota of drinks or bar fines, or both.

In addition to entertaining customers individually, many bargirls work in go-go bars where are also expected to dance on stage, often in skimpy costumes (such as bikinis), semi-nude or nude.

Bar fine

A bar fine (sometimes written as "barfine" or "bar-fine"), is the payment made by a customer to the operators of a bar

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

 (particularly hostess bar

Hostess bar

Hostess clubs are a common feature in the night-time entertainment industry of Japan, east Asian countries and other areas with a high east Asian population. They employ primarily female staff and cater to males seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The more recent host clubs are similar...

s or go-go bars) that allows a dancer or hostess or some other employee of that bar to leave work early, usually in order to accompany the customer outside the bar. A bar fine may also be required in order to take the employee to a more secluded part of the same establishment, such as a short-time room.

Although it is not universal, this practice is very frequently associated with prostitution

Prostitution

Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

 - especially in South-east Asian countries such as Thailand

Prostitution in Thailand

Prostitution in Thailand is illegal, although in practice it is tolerated and partly regulated. Prostitution is practised openly throughout the country. Local officials with commercial interests in prostitution often protect the practice. The precise number of prostitutes is difficult to assess;...

 and the Philippines

Prostitution in the Philippines

Human trafficking and the prostitution of children is a significant issue in the Philippines, often controlled by organized crime syndicates.Human Trafficking in the Philippines is a crime against humanity....

. The bar fine amount and whether sexual services are included in the bar fine or have to be negotiated separately are both subject to local custom.

It is also a standard feature of dockside nightclubs in South Africa that cater to foreign seamen.

Bar fines also make an appearance in Latin countries in the form of a Salida (Spanish: exit fee); in some other venues, such as boliches in Argentina, there can be a similar requirement to buy the lady a number of drinks before she leaves.

Prostitution

Where bargirls act as prostitutes, patterns vary widely: regionally, between bars and also just on individual preference. Some will seek to have as many customers as possible in a given day, like many prostitutes in the west; these women will generally only take "short-time" clients. Others will be more selective and only accept one customer in a day, taking "long-time" customers overnight or even for a few days following.

In some cases, the cost of a bar fine is fixed; in others, the cost of a "long-time" bar fine is higher than of a "short-time" one.

A payment over and above the bar fine may or may not be expected; this varies nationally (payment for sexual services is almost always separate from the bar fine in Thailand), and by the length of time the bargirl spends (it is generally customary for "long time" but not for "short time" in the Philippines.) When it is paid separately from the bar fine, this additional payment is usually referred to as a "tip" or a "gift."

Conditions

Working conditions vary highly both between and within countries; even within individual countries, conditions can vary highly between venues - for example, within the single red-light district adjacent to Pattaya Beach, Thailand some classes of bars employ women who are relatively well-paid and live independently from the bar, while others will employ lower-paid women who live in rooms on site in conditions only a little better than the indentures seen at outright brothels.

Individuals working as prostitutes

Prostitution

Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

 are vulnerable to violence (including rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 and murder

Murder

Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...

) and to sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

.

Legal issues

In some countries prostitution is treated as a serious crime; in the Philippines it is covered by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act. In Thailand, and in many other countries where bar fine prostitution is common, it is technically illegal but widely tolerated.

In respect of American soldiers, the purchase of a bar fine has been prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice

Uniform Code of Military Justice

The Uniform Code of Military Justice , is the foundation of military law in the United States. It is was established by the United States Congress in accordance with the authority given by the United States Constitution in Article I, Section 8, which provides that "The Congress shall have Power . ....

, making it an offense considered equal to buying the services of a prostitute.

Juicy girl

One variety of bars employing bar girls is prolific in Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, and other East Asian countries

East Asia

East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...

 . A juicy bar employs a juicy girl who sits and chat with male/female customers and persuades them to continue to buy alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

 for themselves and expensive juice drinks for the "juicy girl", under the guise that the woman is also drinking alcoholic drinks. Depending on the bar this could be no more than mango juice and ice, or a watered-down alcoholic drink. Some bars will allow the customer to choose a drink for the girl .

The actual time spent with a juicy girl is generally like a date in that the girl sits with the customer, drinks, and asks questions about his/her life. Assertive girls will often memorize everything the customer says, creating clientele for recurring business, and may tell real or fabricated stories of their struggles at home to create an emotional bond.

At some bars, sales pressure is the responsibility of the mama or mama-san, an older female supervisor, which encourages the customer to spend more time with the juicy girl. The juicy girl and mama-san may leverage sales with a good cop/bad cop

Good cop/Bad cop

Good cop/bad cop, known in British military circles as Mutt and Jeff and also called joint questioning and friend and foe, is a psychological tactic used for interrogation....

 routine, in which sales pressure is put upon the juicy girl, and the customer buys drinks out of sympathy to prevent her from getting in trouble.

Depending on the individual bar, there may be an area more secluded where sexual prostitution

Prostitution

Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

 takes place, but typically not to the extent of having sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse

Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...

. The practice of a bar fine is not uncommon: a patron can pay the bar owner some amount of money, usually in the range of ten to hundreds of U.S. dollars. This is also known as "buying her day off," as the women work seven days a week. Common belief is that customers assume they are paying for the woman's company, similar to an escort service. However, it is usually presumed by all parties involved, though not mentioned conversationally, that sexual services are being purchased. However, women may choose to not engage in sex, as some just want to get away from the bar.

Bar owners traffic young women from usually working class

Working class

Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...

 farm areas. The women typically see spending a few months away from home and making some "easy money" exciting, and sign a contract with a bar owner. Most of these women are recruited by "managers". Women usually respond to advertisements of exciting work to make a lot of money, or are approached personally by a "manager" who recruits them. They are invited to an audition, as many of them believe they are trying out to be a singer or some other type of entertainer. If they pass the audition (usually if they are attractive, they'll pass), they are then to work.

A typical dwelling for a juicy girl is a sub-standard apartment with the entire "brothel

Brothel

Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...

" housed in one unit. A juicy girl's personal expenses must come from her commission

Commission (remuneration)

The payment of commission as remuneration for services rendered or products sold is a common way to reward sales people. Payments often will be calculated on the basis of a percentage of the goods sold...

. Her commission

Commission (remuneration)

The payment of commission as remuneration for services rendered or products sold is a common way to reward sales people. Payments often will be calculated on the basis of a percentage of the goods sold...

 varies, depending on the bar.

At juicy bars near United States bases overseas, some of the girls will attempt to marry a U.S. serviceman. At this point, the soldier can either buy out the contract or work through the local government and U.S. military to get the lady a new passport

Passport

A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....

. The governments of Japan, South Korea, Russia, the United States, and the Philippines have established that the women can get a new passport for $200 instead of buying their original back from the bar owner. However, "buying" a girl from the bar is a serious crime under the UCMJ. A lot of these women enter South Korea under false names and documents ; most are currently from The Philippine or Eastern Europe/Russia. However, many of the women are married in their home country and do not want to return to get new passports .