Marcorjbr

I was in SP on business and went to Lagoa last Friday and Sunday. It certainly is much smaller than the original but all in all I think the layout and space utilization are well done. The place has a modern club like look and I appreciate the thought put into the materials and finishings used. Yes there are stairs and ramps but they are all wide with hand rails and the step hights are reasonable, especially for the more elderly clients... I found plenty of boys on both nights with a pretty good mixture of sizes, colors, and ages. Looked pretty much like the old Lagoa type boys. The suites were clean with showers and excellent sheets and pillows. I will certainly be a client on my frequent trips to SP. Imho... in recent years ... with cell phones...the best boys were never to be found in the saunas. As the internet / smart phone / app world has developed the better quality guys moved into the technology. The old Lagoa is from another time.... I am guessing the new Lagoa will be very profitable for Rudolpho, maybe even more so on a profit per sq meter bases.

The boys pay entry fees... currently running 20 reais in Rio. Not sure about Lagoa but imagine that the boys pay a fee.... It is one of the ways to eliminate the boys who do not produce revenue fir the owner.

Might be worth noting that the latest attempts by Acir (all 3) were previously hetro saunas / termas. Copacabana, centro and zona norte are littered with closed down hetro saunas probably mostly due to the poor economy since 2013 and the on line availability of garotas.... As for Jr and 202, I think he has certainly impoved the space over the past years. He has matured and seems to have learned... finally... how to run a sucessful business. 117 has always been well run. I arrived in SP yesterday for a few days of business and will check out the new lagoa space. I am curious to see what everyone is whining about.....

Tomcal and likeohmygod are on target about the sauna business. I would only add that the sauna boy business is changing. Imho... its a dying business model like bookstores and paid porn. Lagoa was already losing customers and boys over the last serveral years and was far too large of space for the current market. Technology is changing the rent boy business... I believe that we are the last generation of the saunas as we know them. Just look at the straight sauna biz... they are closing the doors...

Its really quite simple.... if you don't like the sauna or the available boys... DON'T GO. Better yet.... why not invest your own time and money to start your own boy / man sauna and make your own rules.

I too enjoy the sauna experience. The steam, the visuals, the masculine comaraderie.... My comment was geared toward the " business model " and the cultural changes. My guess is it is a dying. Lagoa in SP was dying even before the recent relocation. And yes rents, real estate speculation and other costs make it very difficult to see sucesss. Things like water / sewer and electric are outrageously expensive in Brasil. While real estate taxes are still considered cheap by international standards... they will be the next to increase as the broke city governments look for revenue..... I will be a customer... but certainly not an investor... rs

I am afraid boy saunas ( and girl ) saunas may be a dying business model. I beleive the new generations of boys are finding more success on the internet / whattsapp networks.... I have noticed the average age of the boys and clients have risen over the years and while there are always new boys, friends / primos of boys arriving.... its nothing like it used to be. The new brasileiros (clients and boys) want discretion... less exposer. They garotos can make their money without going to saunas. I feel that this may be the last generation for the typical sauna.. thermas crowd. This is only my observation as a 27 year expat living and working in Rio....most of my carioca friends agree

It seems so many want to pay as little as possible. I can't tell you the number of times I hear ( in brasil saunas) some old guy with a 100k USD or Euro salary trying to negociate a discount from a poor boy who traveled 2 hours on a city bus to make some money selling ass or dick. Personally, I pay the asking price plus a small tip....or choose another that is in my budget. The boys also have pride and deserve respect.....

Glad you did not get shot. You actually put your 2 brasilian friends in danger by going back in the door. All very lucky!

I am American living and working for over 25 years in Rio. I have frequented the sauna scene for years. Over the years I have had friends drugged ( boa noite cinderella), beat up, tied to beds, chained to toilets, robbed and several murdered. Brasil and especially Rio are extremely dangerous. The police are poorly trained and paid very little. A very small percentage of crimes are solved and most likely the crime will not even be investigated. The judicial system is slow and inefficient. The boys and all of us who live here know this as it is constantly repeated in the press, on the news and portrayed inthe local novelas.... In Rio, often, nobody is who they seems to be. The gringo tourists often behave badly, in ways they would nerver conduct themselves at home. Many falsely allude to wealth or the possibility of taking the boy away to Europe or America. The boys must register with copies of ID to the suana...... but mostly the boys give false names (nome de guerra), ages, home locations, to the clients...... I've seen many foreign clients try to negociate lower prices and even refuse to pay afterward... claiming the boy did not provide the agreed service. Prostitution comes from lack of opportunity and poverty. That does not mean they are stupid or have no pride. Treat the boys with respect.... I recommend doing as the locals.... Never bring a stranger into your home or hotel room. And if you do not speak portuguese and know Rio de Janeiro well.......NEVER EVER BRING A STRANGER INTO YOUR HOME OR HOTEL ROOM.

Thanks for your tips msclelovr.... i appreciate all your help. I will try to give a full report after a few weeks i Medellin

I have looked at the Colombia thread forum. Unfortunately it has little useful information. Perhaps the city is lacking options? I was hoping that a titled Medellin thread might produce more detailed tips for clubs, bars, saunas, sex options, etc..... I will try to give a report after arriving in the City of Eternal Spring.

Long time Rio resident headed to Medellin for 3 months ( Dec - March ) to escape Rio heat and tourists. Planning to better my spanish and enjoy the famous weather and local boys.... Looking for tips on where the fun might be found. Any recommendations?