The VVIP clientele were whisked to the VVIP rooms, with their padded walls and plush sofas.
Thai government bigwigs partied at Krystal - one of its mottoes is "the luxury entertainment of night light" - as did diplomats, army officers and business owners. For much of the pandemic, coronavirus restrictions did not stop the fun.
But this spring, as go-go dancers shimmied, Krystal and another neighbourhood nightclub, Emerald, turned into the epicentre of what is now Thailand's biggest and deadliest coronavirus surge, according to health ministry officials.
Scores of people linked to the clubs have tested positive, including an ambassador and a government minister. (The minister's staff said that he was infected by an aide who frequented Krystal.) Police officers and women who worked at the clubs have been infected, too.