Fortaleza, Brazil

[asdsrfr]

I ended my recent trip to Brazil with a night in Fortaleza. It's a town I pass through from time to time and I thought I would give a brief update on the sauna scene as I experienced it. There are three saunas with guys for hire that I have heard about there and I visited two of them on a Friday night. The first I went to was California Thermas Club. From the reviews I had read elsewhere I kind of expected it to be somewhat downmarket but in fact it's a nice facility--on a par with 117 in Rio in terms of facilities. It was packed on a Friday night but clients outnumbered the working guys by about 4 to1. I'm not sure if I just caught it on an off night but although there were some friendly, attractive guys there I didn't see anyone to my liking. Apparently their big night is Thursday-so maybe I was just there on an off night.

I then visited Dragon Health club which is probably the nicest sauna I have been to anywhere. It feels like the spa in an upscale hotel. Unfortunately it was almost deserted at 8pm on a Friday night with only one musclebound massage guy offering his services. It's a beautiful facility with a good restaurant and a plunge pool. I have visited there three times over the last several years and at times there were more clients, but rarely many working guys. I was the only person there at 9pm and they closed early that Friday since it was so slow. I have never seen the place very busy and it's somewhat surprising that they are able to stay in business with such a large beautiful club and so few clients.

There is another club called Rommeo Hotel Sauna that I didn't make it to. I never could figure out if it was more a hotel or a sauna or some combination. One of the locals at California Thermas Club gave me a thumbs down when I asked him about it but maybe that was just his preference.

Fortaleza has some nice beaches and beach clubs and lots of hot guys walking around town. Grindr (very active) and other connections might be a better way to go though given my experience there at the saunas.

[Alaskabear]

Thanks for this update!   I’m planning a trip (fingers crossed) next fall to spend a couple of months in Brazil and I’m super curious about the second tier cities.  In a perfect world I’ll enter Brazil from Peru via the Amazon and take it to the coast.  Then the plan is to follow the coast down to the south and finish Brazil off in Iguazu before heading onwards to Paraguay and Argentina.    It seems that you didn’t hire anyone in Fortelaleza but do you know what the going rate is?   If you could offer insight into the current range of what the prices between the cities are now that would be awesome.    

[TotallyOz]

@asdsrfr Thank you for the post.  I loved my time in Fortaleza as well and wondered how that sauna could survive. It was not busy on the two times I went there but it is a beautiful sauna.  I found in this city, I had better luck on the beaches.

I love reading your post.  Thank you!

[asdsrfr]

@Alaskabear You are right--I didn't hire anyone in the northeast but since 99% of the clientele in the saunas is Brazilian I would bet that the rate is certainly no more than Rio and I hear 100 reals kicked around a lot. Also--don't assume you always have to pay. I met guys on grindr in both Rio and the northeast that were 10/10 gorgeous and didn't even want taxi fare. One guy even insisted on paying for his 1/2 of dinner at a nice restaurant. A lot of gay guys are happy to go out for some conversation and a few drinks and since they live with their families and don't have a place at home to fool around will gladly come to your hotel or apartment for some fun.

[Alaskabear]

Meeting guys who just want to get away from their everyday world has happened to me quite a lot in my travels.   I’ve had the best human connections of my life in these situations and I cherish them.   And if sex is involved even better! Haha. I think travelers provide a sort of safe space for locals to indulge in.  Kind of like how we do that ourselves when we leave to visit new places.  A chance to be something we aren’t back home.   I’m so excited to experience Amazonia, north western and then central and southern Brazil.   I’m curious how different and how similar these places are from each other.   And also, I can’t wait for all the dick.   Haha

[Walker]

Alaska bear, if you don't mind me asking, how do you enter Brazil from Peru via Amazon?  on airplane or?

[demedici]

Dragon is a huge shame - it is a fantastic facility but consistently disappoints in terms of the number of visitors, both GPs and customers. I was there two years ago and went three times but only saw about ten people total on Fri and Sat nights. I hoped that was just my experience.

My favorite is the deck up above the pool, you get some great breezes and the ambience overall is really terrific. 

[Alaskabear]

On 11/21/2017 at 6:07 PM, Walker said:

Alaska bear, if you don't mind me asking, how do you enter Brazil from Peru via Amazon?  on airplane or?

On a ferry!   It’s not supposed to be the funnest trip on earth but I like to see more remote areas a lot.    You can also cross into either Peru or brasil from Colombia via Laticia.    

[Guest bobbalino]

Fortaleza 2 wks Feb 2016 ... Dragao consistent with OP and DeMedici and TotesOz posts... don’t grasp how that club stays solvent. Went with one GP out of boredom ... the cabins are as upscale as the venue.

I did not have a programa the several times attended California. Delish caipirinhas bordering on goodnite cinderellas. 

In spite of much research I discovered Rommeo Singles Hotel afterwards ... maybe I skipped it cuz of the mislead “hotel”

Dragao is in a location such that I wondered if locals were concerned about being seen entering and exiting ... on a major thoroughfare and adjacent to a large arts and dining area.

I took unplanned side to Rio to get laid.

Canoa Quebrada and Jericoacoara very pretty.

[asdsrfr]

Here is an article that makes Fortaleza seem like one big male brothel. Perhaps you have to look outside the saunas. http://gaybrazil.com/gay-fortaleza/

[Guest bobbalino]

1 hour ago, asdsrfr said:

Here is an article that makes Fortaleza seem like one big male brothel. Perhaps you have to look outside the saunas. http://gaybrazil.com/gay-fortaleza/

I need look no further than the nearest mirror to witness at least one casuality of the total bunk that is that exact article. But I am not bitter about it because I can have a quality time in a place like Fortaleza, situational celibacy notwithstanding.

I had made certain my apto was smack in the centre of Beira Mar. I got a lot of exercise trotting long distances to the 2 aforementioned sauna clubs. I am not in the least an inexperienced outdoor RB pickup artist. 

But I would love to know if I can be contradicted in reality, as I would attempt to figure out how I might have crapped the bed in terms of my style of sniffing around.

Additionally, Fortaleza is considerably underrepresented in national RB search sites. 

We do need an intrepid investigator/reporter to check out Rommeo ... by all accounts its Facebook page looks promising. It is unclear, however, whether it is stripper focused (bella noite guys doing the city rounds) or has an equally delectable roster of GPs. I myself will not be returning to Ceara unless I take a jaunt from Brasil to Europe (as I have in the past) and can strategically fold in a layover ... read laidover.

[Tomcal]

I agree with Bobbolino regarding the inaccuracy about Fortaleza!  If you read the article on Pointe Sauna in Rio it has photos showing the small sauna in Botofugo that Junior had for a short time after selling Pointe but the article says the photos are Pointe202!  so accuracy doesn't seem to be a overriding concern!  their article on Porto Alegre is even worse as far as where to go!! "

•           The restrooms at Praca de Alfandega, a public part near the center of town.

• • The shopping center on Rua de Praia. This is just next door to the Praca; you can often cruise guys here and then head over to the park.

• • Parque da Redencao. At night this park is full of rent boys who will be more than willing to take you into the bushes for a few minutes.

• • Bourbon Assis Brasi. This shopping mall is also a hot cruising spot for those who like bathroom blow jobs. (And, really, if the boy toy is cute enough, who doesn’t?)

 

Having been to all of these places except for the rest rooms in Praca de Alfandega(i value my life to much) I have never seen any action or got a hint of it in the Bourbon Mall which is like a large Target or Walmart!  yet no mention of Mezziniu or Plataforma...

 

b====

[asdsrfr]

@Tomcal I guess it proves that just because you read something on the internet doesn't mean that it's true! Actually this forum(thanks to all the posters) has some of the best and most accurate information out there!

[Latindude]

Just an update about Fortaleza. 

Today I tried to visit Dragon, and it seems that the place still have the same problem - no clients and boys. 

I am staying at a Gran Marquise hotel, so it is not a long drive , but what a disappointment.  The place looks really nice, maybe the best one I have ever visited in term of ambience. But the two guys at the reception told me straight away that they would close at 10 pm (it was still 7:50 pm) so they didn’t recommend me to enter (what??) then they said that there was just 5 people inside. I asked how many boys and they said - none! Then 2 clients left... so just 3 clients at the place and no boys. 

I decided just to take a taxi to a restaurant... I expected to have some fun in Fortaleza, but not this time  .

Well - Grindr works ok - few escorts , but none of the free local ones turned me on - quite strange because walking around I see so many pretty guys.... 

 

[asdsrfr]

Maybe try Thermas California. More working guys there.

[CaliPexx]

17 hours ago, asdsrfr said:

Maybe try Thermas California. More working guys there.

@asdsrfr, nice to see your suggestion about trying Thermas Califórnia. However, in your post 18 months ago, you indicated that there weren't many GPs at Califórnia Thermas Club, except maybe on Thursday nights:

Quote

I ended my recent trip to Brazil with a night in Fortaleza. It's a town I pass through from time to time and I thought I would give a brief update on the sauna scene as I experienced it. There are three saunas with guys for hire that I have heard about there and I visited two of them on a Friday night. The first I went to was California Thermas Club. From the reviews I had read elsewhere I kind of expected it to be somewhat downmarket but in fact it's a nice facility--on a par with 117 in Rio in terms of facilities. It was packed on a Friday night but clients outnumbered the working guys by about 4 to1. I'm not sure if I just caught it on an off night but although there were some friendly, attractive guys there I didn't see anyone to my liking. Apparently their big night is Thursday-so maybe I was just there on an off night.

Do you know if the GP situation at Califórnia Thermas Club has improved since your visit in late 2017?

I'm curious about Fortaleza because in February 2019 I met a GP on a busy Tuesday night at Thermas Fragata in São Paulo. Unlike many garotos who have worked at the saunas with boys in just one and occasionally two Brazilian cities, this boy (who, BTW, is also blessed with an enormous endowment) -- named "Thales" -- was like a tour guide to Brazilian saunas with GPs, giving me his opinion about the best nights at each facility in cities he had worked at, ranging from Fortaleza to Florianópolis. He opined that I would really like the working guys at the saunas in Fortaleza, several of whom -- both white and black he said -- have the cool physical characteristic of "olhos verdes", i.e., penetrating green eyes! (and we hope, of course, that they also have the requisite characteristic of what appears in the majority of Brazilian sauna boys: penetrating huge endowments!) 

[pauleiro]

1 hour ago, CaliPexx said:

... He opined that I would really like the working guys at the saunas in Fortaleza, several of whom -- both white and black he said -- have the cool physical characteristic of "olhos verdes", i.e., penetrating green eyes! 

Woowww. I love these eyes. I absolutely must go there. 

[asdsrfr]

Not sure if has improved at Thermas California but on each time I have visited, there were at least a half dozen or so working guys--unlike Dragon Club which has only had one or two. I really can't figure out Fortaleza. It has so many gorgeous guys walking around and from what I hear bisexuality is even more common in the Northern Region of Brazil but the sauna scene for working guys has always been disappointing.