A karaoke nightclub for women opened in Kowloon Tong about six months ago. From outside, it looks like an ordinary nightclub. However, inside the club, one thing is immediately apparent: All the waiters are male, and the customers are almost all Chinese females.

"Nightclubs for females began in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan two or three years ago. Hong Kong is just following the trend," said the nightclub's owner, Mr. Kwok, who did not want to give his full name. "I speculate that there are about 10 or more similar nightclubs in Hong Kong. Most of them are operated as karaoke nightclubs," he said.

According to a receptionist at the club who goes by the name of "Bill", the club has 45 to 50 waiters aged from 18 to 30. They are all Chinese. "But this is not an accurate figure because some of them do not work very often. Some of them have other jobs in the daytime, like clerks, receptionists, or even construction site workers," said Bill.

Mr. Kwok said the club recruits staff by advertising in newspapers and through personal references. "The waiters must look good and be 5 feet 8 to 5 feet 9 inches in height. This requirement is important in serving our customers. However, they often drop out, so we have to recruit new staff members from time to time," said Mr. Kwok.

The waiters' duties are similar to those of hostesses in karaoke nightclubs---singing songs and playing hand games with the customers. Yet, the income is considerable. "The service fee for each waiter is $100 for 15 minutes," said Bill.

However, Mr. Kwok said, "I am not certain of the salary they actually earn. It depends on how long they spend with the customers. It's lucky for them to get richer customers or build up longer and better relationship with them. It does not solely depend on their handsome faces and good figures. The most important thing is that they communicate well with the customers," he said.

The club attracts a variety of customers, from young ladies to middle-aged women. Many are nightclub waitresses or bar girls, while some are housewives, said Mr. Kwok. "Most of our customers are VIP members. They join us through their friends. If they are satisfied with our service, we may invite them to be members," he said.

Meanwhile, male customers are not so welcome, as their presence causes embarrassment to other clients. "We do serve male customers, but we charge them higher prices," said Mr. Kwok.

Nightclubbing is no longer an exclusive activity of males

Before opening this nightclub, Mr. Kwok was a manager of nightclubs for male customers. He said that clubs serving female customers have special difficulties. "Men always have a clear reason to go to nightclubs, but female customers do not have that. They want to enjoy a better atmosphere (than male customers do), which is rather difficult to generate and control," said Mr. Kwok.

Another difficulty is managing the waiters. Said Mr. Kwok: "Different people have different habits and backgrounds. They (the staff members) may have conflicts or misunderstandings, especially when women are involved."

There are also worries that this kind of nightclub will become a hotbed of male prostitutes. Mr. Kwok refuted this. "Besides the services that I have mentioned, we do not provide any other services, like prostitution. I do not allow any indecent deals inside my place."

However, Mr. Kwok said he will not intervene into relationships between waiters and clients. "You know, it is natural for them to date, as they may see each other very often," he said.

Still, some people reject the concept of such a club. "I do not know anything about these clubs. I am not interested in such places and would not go in any case," said Miss Jessica Lam of Tai Po . "I would not accept my wife's going to such places. If she did, I would feel very odd," said Mr. Man Kai Fai of Tai Wo. "I know that there are nightclubs serving female customers. But I could not imagine what the waiters look like."

There are few regulations for such places. At present, there is a regulation forbidding girls under 18 to work after 8 p.m. in places selling alcoholic beverages, according to Mr. Cheng Tak Wing, senior staff officer in the Urban Services Department. "This regulation helps prevent immoral business, like prostitution, in places such as bars and nightclubs." said Mr Cheng.

The regulation does not apply to male juveniles, however. Hence, the Urban Council plans to initiate legislative control on the age of waiters in bars and nightclubs, especially those serving female customers. "It is necessary to protect male employees as well as female ones," said Mr. Cheng. "We know that there are bars and nightclubs serving female customers only. But we are not very clear about the actual situation in Hong Kong," said Mr. Cheng.

Apart from the nightclub business, there are massage and escort services provided by males as well.