Don't trust a random guys invite into a "lounge club"
This happened on my recent solo trip to Istanbul.
I (20M) was at my hostel at 10 pm, almost asleep, but decided to go out again.
Outside of a bar, I meet this Azerbaijani guy who’s super friendly, starts talking to me, and then invites me to a “lounge club.” so I’m like sure, why not.
We take a taxi there, he pays for it. We walk in and yeah… not really a “lounge club.” More like a "gentlemen's club" he says. I don't know why i didn't just turn around at this point...
We sit down, order drinks for us and two Russian girls who join us. They also bring these plates of cut vegetables for the table, which was random but honestly pretty good.
At this point I’m slightly drunk and having fun trying to speak Russian with them. My vocabulary is basically “privet” and vibes, but somehow we manage.
Neither of them really makes any move on me (like I saw at other tables). At one point one of the girls literally tells me I'm like her younger brother.
Anyway, time passes, drinks keep coming. I’m also a bit drunk and decide I should probably leave, except everything inside looks exactly the same.
Eventually the Azerbaijani guy goes, “let’s pay now.” They bring the bill. 18,000 Turkish lira (350€)
I pull out my wallet and show him I’ve got like 50€ total on me. He looks at me, pauses for a second, and then just goes, “bro… take your 10€ and leave.”
I think i lost 40€, they let me walk out, and he ends up paying the rest.
Looking back, I’m pretty sure the guy works with the club and brings people in. But weirdly, it didn’t feel like he wanted to completely screw me over, maybe because of my age.
Anyway, lesson learned. It could have been a lot worse.