Nervous First Timer to Rio

[stlcards81]

Hi Guys--

I am a 37 yo white guy heading to Rio for the first time in February and have a few questions for you guys...  I am definitely SUPER pumped to hit up the saunas, but, as I have never been to remotely anything like this, being a small-town Midwestern guy--I was hoping those of you who have experience could answer a few questions:

1)  I don't know ANY Portugese....  will I be ok?  Should I hire a "guide" to come with me for the first time?

2)  Do the summer months generally mean more or less guys at the saunas (I will be there BEFORE Carnival)?

3)  I used to play football in college--but, I let myself go and am now a big/chub guy...  Will this matter?  Can I still find garatos who would be willing to do a programa with me?  Can I wear my clothes in the sauna?

 

Sorry for the long-winded questions and thanks for your replies!

[azdr0710]

others will chime in, but I can help a bit after two visits to Rio....

1.  I don't think a real translator should be hired for your first visit.....Google Translate is very helpful, though.....many of the locals in and out of the saunas do not speak English.....you may also want to carry an old-fashioned Portuguese-English dictionary.....I stumble a bit in Spanish in Rio, but fear this is insulting......

2.  summer (now) in Rio is the popular time....I think there are more guys working in the saunas

3.  during my 2012 and 2016 visits to Rio, I was allowed to wear my casual street clothes at all times in all the saunas....they are much more comfortable to me that an ill-fitting towel and I was very grateful for that....(Thermas in Barcelona requires all to wear a towel)

please go thru all the threads here in the forum about Rio......ask questions, if you don't find answers, about the protocol, how to bargain, safety, etc....do not be flashy on the streets or in the saunas....walk confidently and be aware of your surroundings.....don't forget to do the tourist stuff.....

 

 

[mvan1]

1 hour ago, stlcards81 said:

Hi Guys--

I am a 37 yo white guy heading to Rio for the first time in February and have a few questions for you guys...  I am definitely SUPER pumped to hit up the saunas, but, as I have never been to remotely anything like this, being a small-town Midwestern guy--I was hoping those of you who have experience could answer a few questions:

1)  I don't know ANY Portugese....  will I be ok?  Should I hire a "guide" to come with me for the first time?

2)  Do the summer months generally mean more or less guys at the saunas (I will be there BEFORE Carnival)?

3)  I used to play football in college--but, I let myself go and am now a big/chub guy...  Will this matter?  Can I still find garatos who would be willing to do a programa with me?  Can I wear my clothes in the sauna?

 

Sorry for the long-winded questions and thanks for your replies!

1)  I don't know ANY Portugese....  will I be ok?  Should I hire a "guide" to come with me for the first time?

You will be fine without knowing Portuguese - most of us when we first started going to Brazil did not know any Portuguese

2)  Do the summer months generally mean more or less guys at the saunas (I will be there BEFORE Carnival)?

Yes, there are more but it really does not matter as there are plenty of guys any time of year.

3)  I used to play football in college--but, I let myself go and am now a big/chub guy...  Will this matter?  Can I still find garatos who would be willing to do a programa with me?  Can I wear my clothes in the sauna?

Yes, after you arrive in the sauna you will see clients of all sizes and shapes.  Do not worry about your appearance as long as you are not sick and you are freshly showered.  Yes, you can wear your street clothes in most saunas in Brazil.  

All of us who post here were, at one time, new to Brazil.  We had similar questions.  

Relax, you will have a grand time and will be back trip, after trip. 

 

[Riotastic]

You sound just like me my first trip.

I use the itranslate app which is is really good for speaking in to your phone and then having your words translated audibly and in written text. Then I just hand it to the guy and he speaks his response.  Works great.   You need WiFi which 117 does have but you need to get the current password from someone on staff.  Their WiFi works best on the smoking patio in the back.

I wear my clothes at all times in every sauna I have been to in Rio, São Paulo and Porto Alegre.  I do not feel comfortable exposing my out of shape body and keeping my clothes on has never been a problem.

I’m a big guy and I have never felt looked down on by any of the men working in the saunas.  In fact I have had great sex with most of the hottest guys at 117 at one time or another.  I agree with the earlier post saying as long as you are clean and respectful (and you have the money to pay) you will be thrilled with the guys who will want to do business with you. 

I was in Rio last year during carnival and there were big crowds at 117 the week i was there.

You will have a fantastic time.  I was supposed to be there tomorrow for a week but a family medical emergency made me have to transfer my plane ticket to March.  Damn, I was so in the mood for Tuesday night at 117!  Oh well, only 7 more weeks!

haveca great trip and let us know how it went.

 

 

[SolaceSoul]

8 hours ago, stlcards81 said:

Hi Guys--

I am a 37 yo white guy heading to Rio for the first time in February and have a few questions for you guys...  I am definitely SUPER pumped to hit up the saunas, but, as I have never been to remotely anything like this, being a small-town Midwestern guy--I was hoping those of you who have experience could answer a few questions:

1)  I don't know ANY Portugese....  will I be ok?  Should I hire a "guide" to come with me for the first time?

2)  Do the summer months generally mean more or less guys at the saunas (I will be there BEFORE Carnival)?

3)  I used to play football in college--but, I let myself go and am now a big/chub guy...  Will this matter?  Can I still find garatos who would be willing to do a programa with me?  Can I wear my clothes in the sauna?

 

Sorry for the long-winded questions and thanks for your replies!

(1) In the saunas, you’ll be okay without knowing any Portuguese on your first trip, but if you can use a translator app like Google Translate on your phone (download Portuguese in advance of your trip), then it will make your communication much easier. Don’t expect garotos to know any or much English. It’ll always help to at least try to communicate a little in the host language.

(2) Their summer months (U.S. winter months) are the busiest time at the saunas. Any time of the year is good, however — with the exception of a few days here or there.

(3) NOW is NOT the time to be self-conscious about your weight or size. You won’t be the only large / fat guy at the saunas! You’ll probably easily be pegged as an American, though — as people tend not to be that big elsewhere. However, for your purposes (hiring garotos), that may actually be a good thing, because they’ll want your money!  I have a travel buddy who is probably larger than you — in the mid to high 300s — and he has a BALL at the Brazilian pay saunas! He hires more guys than me! Frankly, at payboy saunas, garotos don’t care much about your looks or your build (as mentioned before, be clean and look disease-free — there are showers at the saunas to assist you with your cleanliness). At the saunas, MONEY is the great equalizer and with that, EVERY client will look like a George Clooney / Bradley Cooper / Ricky Martin / Idris Elba / Scarlett Johansson / Beyoncé / Sofia Vergara to a working garoto!

Also, re: towels — you’ll be fine in street clothes but you you won’t be able to go into the hot and wet areas like the actual wet and dry saunas, jacuzzis, steam rooms and public showers — where there is even more activity or opportunities with garotos. If that doesn’t appeal to you, then you can get away with wearing street clothes in the other parts of the sauna. I have one traveling friend who stays in his street clothes, not because of his size — he isn’t large or fat — but because he’s still got that American shame thing about nudity / near nudity. He stays in the bar areas until it’s time to go to a private room with a working boy. Ironically, my much larger / fat traveling friend has absolutely NO issue with wearing only a towel, and he does just fine, and enjoys the steam room very much.

tl:dr version — You’ll be fine. Relax and enjoy your trip.

[Tomcal]

I echo what everyone here says!! i have been going 4 or 5 times a year since 2001 and it is actually so much easier now with the translation apps then it was in 2001 when no one even had smart phones, and information on a forum like this was very limited!  I remembered i only took cash and a 35mm camera the first 5 years i went to Rio!

One kind of a mistake every newbie makes including me is going to the sauna for the first time and going with the first guy that smiles or talks to you! Go in sit down have a drink and take in the scene for 15 - 30 minutes before you pick your guy! I guarantee you will see a guy you think is hotter then the First guy you see, or the 2nd or the 3rd lol 

One thing that a new American i met last trip told me, he says “i thought 117 was supposed to be one of the best saunas here but there are not that many guys in the bar!?” I asked him “did you walk to the left of the stage out the back doorway to the “smoking bar area?” He said “No i didn’t know there was another room!” Make sure you check out all the areas(Manhatten Rios has a hidden 2nd bar also).

 

[pauleiro]

3 hours ago, Tomcal said:

I 

One kind of a mistake every newbie makes including me is going to the sauna for the first time and going with the first guy that smiles or talks to you! Go in sit down have a drink and take in the scene for 15 - 30 minutes before you pick your guy! I guarantee you will see a guy you think is hotter then the First guy you see, or the 2nd or the 3rd lol 

 

Good advice, indeed. Arrive rather early and take your time in selecting aboy you really like. Take some time to "chat" with him even with translator. Some boys are very very  friendly the first 5 minutes just to hook you up but then become bored and boring - as they are in the room - doing as little as possible ...

Other mistake is to arrive late and wait until Mr Right arrives ... Then realizing that the good boys are no longer visible or are permanently in sessions, take any boy remaining ...

Be as precise as you can on what you really want and make sure the boy understood and agreed (ativo=top / pasivo = bottom , rimming, suck without condom, French kiss ....

Of course the translator is somehow limited when ot comes to translate porn slang expressions ...

If you google translate :"can you take my amazing horse dick all the way up your butt ?" by what google proposes ie "você pode levar meu incrível pau de cavalo todo o caminho até sua bunda?". I am not sure of what you will get ... Avoid long and difficult text. Stick to the "me Tarzan you Jane" pattern :  me Ativo. You passivo ? With the correct gestures ... Thence might avoid to have a huge hunk trying to force his 12 inch very thick dick up your ass ... to please you

Enjoy your time in Rio ! 

[pauleiro]

From previous post in May : 

Particularly for a newbie who does not speak Portuguese, you absolutely need to agree on what exactly will happen in the room and how much it will cost. I hate to have boys discussing additionnal fees in the room. And you have other things to do in the room than typing ...

Some Key words :  ativo/passivo : top/bottom (important to define exactly who is top and who is bottom. Many boys will tell you that they thought YOU were going to be passive and ask 50 R$ more for being passive thrmselves) chupar : to suck 

chupar o cu : to rim  

beijar na boca : to French kiss

Foder : to fuck

tomar duche juntos : to have shower together

you will suck me without condom ? Vai chupar me sem camisinha ? 

will you cum ? Vai gozar ? 

In my mouth ? Dentro da minha boca ?  On my face : em cima do meu rostro ?    

[numazu]

Here is the thread I made when I was a Newbie in a Brazilian sauna.  There's some newbie tips in there, though woven into my fairly detailed  and long report.  But whatevs, here it is:

 

[stlcards81]

Thanks everyone for all of these tips!  Awesome!  I can't wait to try the saunas for the first time and see/explore Rio!

[stlcards81]

One more quick concern....  all my very sheltered friends keep saying that Brazil is soooo dangerous...  I live in NYC...  will it really be that much more dangerous?   I have street smarts and I am very aware of my surroundings... can someone speak on that?

[Riotastic]

In my 8 (and counting) solo trips to Brazil I have never felt uncomfortable or in danger.  In Rio I use the metro exclusively and often walk around (even during Carnival) and have never felt worried.  I have witnessed 2 purse snatchings in the Centro area (where bystanders caught and beat down the theif one time) but that is about it.  The only late night stuff I have ever done in Rio is some clubs in Lapa where the streets and clubs were teaming with people but still felt safe.  If you are used to NYC you should not feel unsafe in Rio or São Paulo.  Of course it goes without saying that you should steer clear of the favelas and their surroundings.  You will have a blast!

[Latbear4blk]

6 hours ago, stlcards81 said:

One more quick concern....  all my very sheltered friends keep saying that Brazil is soooo dangerous...  I live in NYC...  will it really be that much more dangerous?   I have street smarts and I am very aware of my surroundings... can someone speak on that?

Brazil is a big country, and criminality varies significantly from one city to another. I just returned from Salvador, and felt safer than in most American big cities I have visited.

[floridarob]

Feeling safe, don't think is the same as actually being safe (maybe lucky?).

When I go to Porto Alegre , I feel safe....then the guys tell me how it's a very dangerous cities in Brasil, so I just looked up murder stats...and Salvador is even higher on the list, 25 vs 39.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_murder_rate

 

And from a different website:
 

Salvador

Though this part of Brazil is by far one of the most photogenic and architecturally pleasing, it’s not worth taking the risk for the sake of a keepsake photo. Even locals warn people to stay as far away from Salvador as possible, as the number of homicides are enough to make anybody cower. Thanks in large part to prison gangs, Salvador has become the most violent city in Brazil, with violent crime rates higher than the world’s other majorly violent cities. The beautiful town has become increasingly vulnerable due to violence and drugs, and avoiding it would be wise.

[stlcards81]

Thanks for those tips too!  I can't wait to hit up the saunas.. I think Brazilian men are the hottest on the planet and this has been a dream of mine for many years... just hope I don't have too much anxiety.. will keep you guys posted!

[stlcards81]

Any tourist/restaurant/must sees?

[Badboy81]

On 1/11/2019 at 11:40 PM, stlcards81 said:

Any tourist/restaurant/must sees?

Try Google....OR read the all the various posts in the forum....

[Riotastic]

Christ the redeemer is obvious but it really is a must see for the beautiful Art Deco statue and the amazing view.  Sugarloaf is another obvious but must see for the view.  The relatively new Museum of Tomorrow is in a beautiful building but I found the exhibits a little boring.  The history museum was very interesting but as I’m sure you heard it recently burned down.  My background is theatre so I really enjoyed taking the tour of the Teatro Municipal and have enjoyed 2 different Ballet performances there.  I’m not a foodie so I can’t speak to the restaurant scene but I will say I have good meals at the cafe on the corner of Candido Mendez across from Club 117 (I cant remember the name right now).  If you are looking for great live Samba music I can recommend Bar Da Boa in Lapa.  I have spent many lively nights there.

[Lucky]

3 hours ago, Badboy81 said:

Try Google....OR read the all the various posts in the forum....

I do wonder sometimes why newbies don’t realize that this forum is a deep font of information to be used to get the answers to what you want to know. Too many guys think they are the first ever with these questions, and it’s a compliment to our members that they patiently help as much as they can. But, at some point one needs to take the bull by the horn. Or something like that!