Luodong’s night, planned on a torn-off calendar page.
Same town, but Monday and Saturday are two different places. This page does not run routes; Luodong Night Market, the local way did that. It runs by day of the week, seven cells, one destination each, with every name and number from the Luodong registry.
Monday and Tuesday: the massage cell
The first two weekdays, Luodong at its loosest.
Gongyuan Rd 75, 呂師父養生館, 4.9 stars, over 3,240 reviews, the most-reviewed shop in Luodong. Friday and Saturday nights mean waiting; Monday or Tuesday at seven you mostly walk straight onto a bed. Sec. 3 of Zhongshan Rd 269, 武淵堂足體養身工廠, over 1,590 reviews, and Tianjin Rd 8-3, 足滿足休閒足體 養生館, a perfect score and over 1,300 reviews, are the same story on weekdays.
Foot massage NT$800 to 1,200 an hour, posted prices rule.
Out of TRA Luodong Station, follow Gongyuan Rd about ten minutes; Master Lu is on the way and the night market sits at the end around Zhongshan Park. These two nights have fewer stalls, but the famous ones are open and the stuffed tapioca balls need no queue.
Wednesday and Thursday: the bar cell
The after-work slot. Zhandong Rd 190, rooftop, The Roof 190 星空酒吧, 4.2 stars, over 520 reviews, Luodong’s only rooftop scene. Zhongzheng North Rd 20, 藍調酒館 Blues&Jazz 酒吧, 4.9 stars, 460 reviews, music and long sits. Xingdong Rd 14, DCC Draft Cocktail&Cafe - 羅東那間紅色酒吧, 4.9 stars, 180 reviews, for cocktails.
Cocktails NT$250 to 400 a glass. Weeknight atmosphere arrives after nine; at eight it is too empty.
Eat first. Zhanqian Rd 60, 炙火串燒 居酒屋(建議預約), 4.9 stars, 280-plus reviews, with “booking advised” written into its own name; Heping Rd 26, 愚人居酒屋, 180-plus reviews.
Friday and Saturday: the full-load cells
Two cells shaded red.
Popular night-market stalls queue until eleven; eat the famous ones before ten. Singing needs a booking: Datong Rd 22-2, 超級巨星自助式KTV 宜蘭羅東店, 4.9 stars, over 3,750 reviews, the thickest in the county, phone 03 955 0033, call Friday afternoon. Zhongzheng North Rd 30, 2F, 星聚匯自助式KTV, 1,160-plus reviews, 4.9 stars; Gongzheng Rd 163, 2F, 好樂迪KTV 羅東店, 860 reviews, chain rooms. How the three split is in Luodong KTV and self-service singing.
Massage on these two nights after eight starts at a half-hour wait.
Plainly: arriving in Luodong at eight on a Saturday with nothing booked, you will queue at every door. Either arrive at five, or come on a weekday.
Sunday: the early-close cell
The weakest of the seven. Fewer stalls than Saturday, most bars closing before eleven, KTV easy to book though.
Yilan residents settle Sunday night locally; visitors should not schedule the main event on this day, move it to Saturday and leave before Sunday noon.
The rain cell
Luodong handles rain best. Parts of the night market run under arcades and awnings, and KTV, massage and bars are all indoors. From November through March the northeast monsoon rains; switch the plan to “massage first, then sing” and stay dry all evening.
Budget and getting back
NT$1,000 to 1,500 for the evening: night market two to three hundred, stir-fry four hundred, massage under a thousand.
Back at the station before the last train; intercity buses use Luodong Bus Station within ten minutes on foot. Rooms and bars both pour drinks; open one and call a designated driver, leave the car. Yilan has no MRT, and Yilan late-night transport covers how to arrange a designated driver.
Seven cells filled. Tear off today’s page and follow the cell.