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My first visit to the Gaiety was in 1983. I was amazed. It didn't take long before I hired someone. Prices were under$100 in those days. I think the most shocking thing that happened there for me was turning down Joey Stefano. I once lusted after him, but when he tried to entice me there he was so stoned I knew it wouldn't be fun. Stella's was a masterful people watching place. You could sit back and see all of the subtle signs of cruising, yet ostensibly guys were just drinking and playing pool. Some really hot Latinos there. I met Tomcal at Stella's years ago. He first tried to take my seat, then he tried to take my virginity! (Believe the second part at your own risk!)

Cuba seems to be getting more interest now that Americans can fly straight to the island. I'm traveling to Cuba myself and I appreciate any recommendations from fellows who've been there. We all know about Las Vegas and Bimbom and the Malecon sea wall. Numbers and/or photos of real escorts or pimps are appreciated. Muchas gracias!

The days are not numbered. Already asked and answered. Your next once-a-decade trip to Rio in 2017 is safe.

I remember Brazilian skeletal guy. Messed with him once or twice. He was just okay to me. Rounds, the upscale hustler joint, had some hot pieces. A few aspiring actors, models and competitive bodybuilders. One guy modeled for Calvin Klein. Another ended up in a few independent mainstream movies. One guy was a Broadway dancer.

This has verred off topic...but i don't mind going down memory lane! Lucky I remember the muscular Brazilian guy who had the complete anatomically correct Skeletal system tatooed on his backside from neck to heels! I went to with his cousin several times to their apartment in the first year ot two i went to the Gaiety in '96

I will gladly take ownership that I didn't go to The Gaiety at its bitter end. Its increasingly sterile environment bored me in its last few years. But the reason why the dancers / hustlers there were mostly white had far more to do with the tastes of its overwhelmingly white clients and the management, and not who would potentially get more tips. Please don't misattribute your personal racial or ethnic preferences to some mislabeled standard of quality. Just acknowledge that you prefer white guys and move on. Don't make rationalizations. It's a bit patronizing and insulting.

I cant even pronounce it, let alone understand WTF it is !!!!! but I bet the topic is a hoot at a Gay party ?

Thanks for posting that book. I will purchase it on Amazon or eBay. It looks like a great historical read.

In the ealy eighties there were cabins in the back, but mid+ eighties it was over by mayor Kock trying to curb the AIDS epidemic I'm pretty sure it did not get to the nineties,even then only the dancers and his clients were allowed to use the cabins,a hustler could not walk from the Street and do his trade it ended at the same time of St Marks baths and all other major saunas, along some notorious back room like The Anvil and Candle Bar uptown. mid eighties was the first major shock in repression in NYC Mayor Koch did it and maybe he had to.

I just wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this discussion! while there were some differing and divergent viewpoints, everyone made their valid points and no one got upset or angry! unusual for internet/forums discussions! :-)

I was in NYC when Stella's closed. I went there at least once if not 10 times a week for years. I loved it. I also liked the Gaiety. I was disappointed when they closed. Agree it was not Internet but if they had stuck around, the Internet would have done them in. In both Brazil and Thailand, I see two of the great bastions of the gay hooker world. Both are amazing and the Internet is changing both. I'm in Thailand now and the apps are wild and crazy and the bars are still amazing but less than 4 years ago. I do think both of these places will slowly decline. But, I hope that some of the major players will hang in and stay in business. For me, I like to see what I am getting.

I can't speak for Numbers in LA, but I definitely know about The Gaiety, Stella's, Cats, Rounds and the hustler bars of yore in NYC. The internet didn't shut them down. The policies of Mayor Rudy Giuliani did.

The Barcelona festival you mentioned lasts until August 16. If your trip continues, you can be confident that the sauna will continue to be filled with a great selection of working guys. I know that sauna well. The remodel of the sauna a couple or a few years ago makes for a cheerful place. I have had many great times in that sauna and still keep contact with some of the working guys, many of whom, advertise on Plantetromeo, in addition to working in the sauna. Even though most of the working guys leave the sauna by nine o’clock, some of the guys actually sleep at the sauna. The sauna is open 24 hours a day. As you know, there is no charge for the rooms on the cruising floor. The guys who did not score a client or those who are short of money or no place to go, can sleep at night at the sauna for the admission price they paid for sauna access. They can close the room door, get some sleep and have shower facilities when they wake. If they are lucky, they will score a client the next day, without paying entrance again, since they are already in the sauna. I have talked with working guys that have done that. I hope your stay in Barcelona continues to be amazing.