You're a braver monger than I to be considering venturing into a Chinese KTV by yourself. I've been a couple of times with work colleagues/associates but would never attempt it alone. Are you sure you really want to do this? Why not stick to the sauna/massage places?
Plaboy accurately discussed the goings-on at a KTV in simple, easy-to-understand terms below. Honestly, it sounds great. I would like to visit one alone and do the very thing you're suggesting. But There are just too many potential problems and opportunity to be ripped-off for my liking.
These places are really for groups of friends or businessmen to spend time talking with pretty young girls. Where the cost can be picked up by the company as an entertainment expense and nobody is really thinking much about how much the drinks are. Entertainment, companionship, drinks with friends and singing are the main reasons these places are frequented. The sex is often just icing on the cake. Also, safety in numbers. A group of five businessmen isn't 5 x less likely to get ripped-off by an unscruplious establishment than you going alone; the group's probably 50 x less likely!
Primary concern on these occasions is to not be seen as stingy in front of colleagues/co-workers/suppliers/foreign customers etc. Extravegance is part of the occasion in these informal work gatherings. If someone gets laid at the end of the night, it's a bonus. I'm not keen on paying top dollar to spend time talking to a girl and buying expensive drinks for hours when I'm alone and just after one thing.
Best scenario is you'll put yourself in a very vulnerable position and end-up paying a *lot* of money at a reputable place for the same thing you'd get at one of the popular clubs discussed on this board. Worst scenario -- and a very likely one -- is that they'll see you coming; you'll be hit with a Y5,000 bill for a few drinks and some chat with a girl who promises a lot but delivers nothing. You won't have any back-up and will be like a lamb to the wolves, just having to pay whatever you're charged.
That said, I am biased by my own personal preferences and you are probably more savvy at these types of places than I will ever be. I hold a infinitely higher level of trust and regard for my financial and personal safety at unclean, dingy BBS shops for the lone visitor, than a KTV establishment. At least there, everything is out in the open. What you see, and what you're provided with is what exactly what you get and pay for (even if, quite often, that is not very much!).
I wish you luck and hope to hear a report of your successful visit. Have fun, but please make sure to stay safe; and the best way to do that is to avoid potentially unpleasant situations in the first place. With all the KTV horror stories I have read about, IMHO, like Craigslist without a credible first-hand recommendation from a fellow monger, it's simply not worth the risk.
a.t.