The best places to cry in Bangkok, according to Reddit and us

Ask Bangkokians where they cry and home is the obvious answer . Fair enough. But home isn’t always an option – not when you live with your parents, share a one-bed with a flatmate or the walls of your condo are thinner than your patience. Bangkok runs on mai pen rai – never mind, it’s fine – but some days it isn’t fine.

So we asked friends and strangers on Reddit where they go instead, matched their suggestions wiht places around the city and added a few of our own. There are private rooms at R&B Karaoke, a dusk circuit of Lumphini Park and sad films at Sala Saneha on Decho Road. Our own address book adds Ice House’s rooftop sauna in Khlong Toei and James Turrell’s sunset skyspace at Dib Bangkok. Here’s where to let the tears fly, with something to look forward to afterwards.

Inspired by Bangkokians on Reddit

Sing it out in a private room at R&B Karaoke

Karaoke is crying with a backing track. Shut the door on a small room at R&B Karaoke, pick the saddest Thai or English ballad from a catalogue the operator puts at more than  200,000 songs and give it everything. ‘Pick a sad song then stand there and let it all out. If it’s one of those places where you get scored you’ll probably do well,’ TheGregSponge wrote. For the encore, there’s a large Singha and ‘I Will Survive’ to finish on a high. Branches include Sathorn, Silom, Ari and Asoke, plus Echo House by R&B Karaoke in Chidlom. The Sathorn branch is at 1124/2 Narathiwas Ratchanakharin Soi 9, Thung Maha Mek, Sathorn; BTS Chong Nonsi, then onward by road. Daily 6pm-midnight. Room rates vary by size, day and branch, with 10% service charge and 7% VAT added.

Let it out at Lumphini Park at dusk

Any park will do in a pinch – there’s shade, space and room to sit without someone  standing too close. But Lumphini Park is the classic, and at dusk the joggers are busy with problems of their own. 

‘In front of [the] water monitor lizard,’ ThaiEdition wrote. The lizards don’t judge; give them some room anyway. Afterwards, join the free aerobics near Gate 4, from 6pm on weekdays or 5pm at weekends and on public holidays. It’s hard to stay absorbed in your own troubles when an instructor is blasting K-pop and luk thung remixes and the aunties, office workers and students are matching every move. If exercise isn’t your thing, look out for the resident cats instead – they seem more sympathetic than the lizards. Rama IV Road, Pathum Wan; BTS Sala Daeng or MRT Si Lom. Daily 4.30am-10pm. Free entry.

Blame the film at Sala Saneha

A dark cinema is one public place where tears need no explanation. Sala Saneha has 25 mismatched seats in a 70-year-old building on Decho Road, with a changing programme that moves from Thai classics with English subtitles to cult films. No adverts, no trailers, straight to the sad part – provided you’ve chosen the right film. ‘In the theatres playing a sad film – comfort, AC and company,’ OneWayNomad wrote. Afterwards, head to the bar for a glass of red while insisting it was the film that got you. 9/1 Decho Road, Bang Rak; BTS Chong Nonsi or Sala Daeng. Latest reporting lists Monday and Wednesday-Friday 6pm-midnight, Saturday-Sunday 11am-midnight; closed Tuesday. Tickets have been listed around B320-B350, depending on the screening. Check the current programme, subtitle language and hours via @sala.saneha before booking. 

Find a quiet corner in your condo’s rooftop garden

If your condo has a communal rooftop garden, a quiet bench after dark can give you a little breathing space without leaving the building. ‘Rooftop garden area of your condo,’ Melodic-Track-2044 wrote. Privacy depends on who else has the same idea, so use the garden during its permitted hours and keep to the seating areas. Afterwards, order pad kra pao with a runny fried egg to your door – the dish that tastes like every good day you’ve had in Bangkok. Order it phet phet, and if you’re still crying, it’s the chillies

Shed a discreet tear on the BTS at rush hour

Crying in public sounds like a terrible idea until you realise everyone on a packed BTS Skytrain is staring at their phone anyway. ‘Crying silently on the BTS, frozen like a statue but with a single tear running down your face as other passengers awkwardly pretend they don’t notice – ahhh, yeah, that’s the stuff,’ Teem47 wrote. Once you’ve left the paid area, pick up a cha yen, Thai milk tea, or something to nibble from a station kiosk or nearby vendor. Eating and drinking can wait until you’re outside the system. Trains run broadly 6am-midnight, with first and last departures varying by station and direction. Adult single journeys on the Sukhumvit and Silom lines cost B17-B65, depending on the route; check the BTS journey planner for your trip.

Say goodbye be the departures escalator at Suvarnabhumi

Anyone who’s watched someone they love disappear towards international departures at Suvarnabhumi Airport knows this one. Just ask the long-distance couple on their fourth goodbye who still haven’t made it past the barrier. ‘On the escalator going up to international departures in Suvarnabhumi Airport would be the most popular place is my guess,’ Present-Alfalfa-2507 wrote. . If you’re the one staying in Bangkok, swap the airport mango sticky rice for a street-stall version once you’re back in town. The Airport Rail Link takes about 30 minutes to Phaya Thai, plus waiting and onward travel. International departures, fourth floor, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Samut Prakan. Terminal open 24 hours; Airport Rail Link daily 5.30am-midnight, with fares B15-B45.

Take a 2am snack break at 7-Eleven

The lights are bright, the staff have seen it all and there’s usually a 7-Eleven nearby. 

‘7-11,’ longasleep wrote. Enough said. If your local branch stocks the chocolate lava cake, ask for it heated at the counter until the middle oozes, then take your snack home. Stock and prices vary by branch. Many branches open 24 hours; check the one you’re heading to.

From our own address book

Let tears mingle with sweat at Ice House’s rooftop sauna

In a sauna, everyone’s red-faced and dripping anyway, so nobody can tell tears from sweat. Settle on a comfortable bench at Ice House Rooftop Baths, close your eyes and let it all run down together. During Aufguss, a sauna master swirls a towel, sending waves of scented heat your way. Watery eyes? Entirely plausible. The crowd includes people who’ve swapped late nights out for early wellness, and sharing the experience can get a conversation going. Then there’s the ice bath, where staying composed in cold water gives your brain something rather immediate to work on. Follow the staff’s guidance and take it at your own pace. Afterwards, share Caribbean-inspired small plates at Rum & Orange, the rooftop bar on the same floor, with anyone you’ve befriended along the way. Sixth floor, The Fig Lobby, 55 Rim Thang Rot Fai Sai Pak Nam Road, Khlong Toei; MRT Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, then onward to the hotel. B590 for two hours. The venue advertises Aufguss on Wednesday and Friday at 7pm; use the live booking calendar to confirm session hours and rituals.

Look up at James Turrell’s skyspace at Dib Bangkok

You may have been to Dib Bangkok for the photos. Go back at sunset for James Turrell’s Straight Up, a silo-like structure whose upper room has a circular opening framing the sky. Each evening round admits no more than 10 people. As the programmed lighting shifts and the sky darkens, it’s hard not to feel something. Afterwards, ask whether the pineapple basil is on the current menu at Watthu-Dib, the courtyard bistro – you don’t need a museum ticket to visit. 111 Sukhumvit Soi 40, Khlong Toei; BTS Ekkamai, about a 20-minute walk or a short motorbike-taxi ride. The sunset programme has three evening rounds, with the venue listing a 6pm-6.50pm admission window and approximate showtimes between 6.25pm and 7.15pm, varying seasonally. Book a slot online and arrive at the artwork kiosk at least 15 minutes before your reservation; late arrivals may not be admitted. Sunset tickets are listed at B250, separate from museum entry at B550 for Thai residents or B700 general admission. Confirm your date and ticket category when booking.

And if none of these do the trick, sometimes the best place to cry is still in someone’s arms. Call a friend. If it feels heavier than a bad day, Thailand’s mental health helpline 1323 offers free, confidential support 24 hours a day. You can also turn to the Samaritans of Thailand (02 713 6791 in English, 02 713 6793 in Thai) for someone to talk to.

Did you see our round-up of Bangkok’s best ice bath and sauna spots?

Plus: the best late-night restaurants in Bangkok for when the crying works up an appetite.