Lion's Club Rio

[Riobard]

Instagram recently up ...

[SolaceSoul]

“By Acyr & Jamie”.

isn’t Acyr the one behind Meio Mundo and the short-lived Manhattan Rios?

If so, should we expect this new sauna to feature those same kind of garotos (twinks, barely legal, average guy next door builds)? 

Not my type, but those who love them need a place to go, too.

[Riobard]

I also assume that Acyr was behind the recent Manhattan move (see photo) and that it is now also closed or never got off the ground. 

[Tomcal]

Lion's Club, I was told today they "expect it to open some where between the 10th and the 15th of this month! They have been doing a lot of renovations and I was told the sound systems and lighting were the most expensive part!

 Also Lagoa in Sao Paulo will be moving in December to a 3 Story Building. They are presently on a month to month lease. The new building is not as large as what they are in now!

[Riobard]

I hope Rodolfo keeps the gym equipment. It is convenient to get a basic improvised workout scheduled in when you are waiting for Mr. Right Now. 

[sydneyboy1]

7 hours ago, Tomcal said:

Lion's Club, I was told today they "expect it to open some where between the 10th and the 15th of this month! They have been doing a lot of renovations and I was told the sound systems and lighting were the most expensive part!

 Also Lagoa in Sao Paulo will be moving in December to a 3 Story Building. They are presently on a month to month lease. The new building is not as large as what they are in now!

I am considering going to São Paulo in November. Do you think the current premises will be operational? What worries me is being caught between the closure of the old and opening of the new. São Paulo without Lagoa is unthinkable.

Edited July 2, 2019 by sydneyboy1

[Tomcal]

The new Lagoa will NOT be in the "Villa Clementino" neighborhood where it currently is! But I do not know the exact area the new building is yet! 

[sydneyboy1]

12 hours ago, Tomcal said:

The new Lagoa will NOT be in the "Villa Clementino" neighborhood where it currently is! But I do not know the exact area the new building is yet! 

My question put another way will it be a seamless transition? 

[mvan1]

23 minutes ago, sydneyboy1 said:

My question put another way will it be a seamless transition? 

Considering how much Rodolfo cherishes money, I suspect the transition will go well despite Rodolfo's frequent bad decisions. 

Rodolfo, the current sole owner is like the cartoon character, Uncle Scrooge when it comes to money.  

Where there is a will, there is a beneficiary or a way.  

[Riobard]

Perhaps his experiences of sacrifice putting himself thru school and go-funding his whorehouse helped pave the way for the current generation of working ativos.

[mvan1]

5 hours ago, Riobard said:

Perhaps his experiences of sacrifice putting himself thru school

Rodolfo is not Brazilian.  We do not know that he sacrificed himself to go to school.  

He claims to be a medical doctor.  He also admits to not having practiced medicine for more than two decades.  

Rodolfo could be a Trump like person, making up stories.  Maybe he was a medical doctor.  

It seems strange for a medical doctor to leave his country of nationality to make his living from proceeds of a sauna rather than treating patients.  

Now, back to whether there will be a smooth transition - - 

Where there is a will - - - - - - -

 

[floridarob]

I thought he was an Oncologist ...from Paraguay , no?

He was Humble when he was a silent partner type, we got along quite well...even ran into him in BKK (what a surprise that was). After Edgar passed and he became the sole surviving partner, is when it went to his head and became a Diva.

[Tomcal]

I got a FaceTime/live video tour yesterday! The place does look very nice and is large! Almost all client activities/Bar(s)/locker rooms are on the first two floors, garotos lockers on the 4th floor!they have a nice new showers and bathrooms for the boys on their floor along with ty he a fitness center and also nice new bathrooms showers for clients on the second floor. The area above the dance floor and stage does up 2 stories so you can sit on the main floor or in two different areas on the 2nd floor and see the shows and people watch, there are two bars. It is approximately 6 blocks from 117. They had alot of workers in there Sunday but doubtiful it will be open this weekend! They are anitipating Monday and Friday being their biggest days initially....

[Riobard]

Official address #200 Augusto Severo, essentially #2 Joaquim Silva (not #8), with the entrance probably obvious but I suspect on Joaquim Silva.

The official search engine name appears to be Lion's Rio Nightclub, perhaps an effective way around the name trademark. 

[Riobard]

The aduaduct arches then (likely not long before bodies piled up during Spanish flu epidemic) and now ... just a few walking steps up from new Lion's.

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Riobard

[Riobard]

About midway between Clube 117 and Lion's, water source from the downflow system.

[likeohmygod]

IMHO this sauna will have a hard time as MH21 had, as it's short lived successor. Big expectations and huge, expensive facilities have usually turned out to be disappointing. My last visit to MH was to say hello to Acyr....there was no one inside.

The opening date got postponed....still no traces of "propaganda" (Advertising). I hope that Acyr (and Jamie) will not do the same mistakes.

The big question for me is (which is a recurring one among my brazilian friends and the boys to who i usually like to talk to) which kind of guys will it attract? Will they be 117-type? I doubt it, the kind of GP which goes to 117 (and maybe 202), is the kind who get used to the same old place where they never run into any problem and where the customers (especially the international ones) have always been for the last 20 years.

Will it attract AAA guys who can afford to work 100% or their time (or something very close to 100%) using the internet? I doubt it....why would they need to do that.

WIll it attract MM-like guys? Probably yes...as MH did. The nextdoor guy, is not the type of boy I like. And I believe that statistically this will exclude a vast majority of the sexual tourists who comes to Brazil to have sex with beautiful guys for 30 bucks. Not with the nextdoor twink (as i said...the majority)

Probably a few of the guys at 202 will drop Junior for a combination of reasons...but I'd not bet more than.a $10 bill on the success of this new sauna.

It's not easy, even assuming that 117 and 202 will not modify their schedule to compete against LC. "Propaganda" needs money, to make propaganda you need promotions, which need more money.

Edited July 13, 2019 by likeohmygod

[Tomcal]

for what it is worth, i don’t think it will succeed until or if the Brasilian economy improves! Remember “Foreign clients make up a very small % of their total Revenues. it is the local over 45yr olds+ that are the bread and butter of the saunas. Of all of them 117 is in the best economic position because she “owns” the building and has a millionaire Argentinian Husband!(at least that’s what we are told), Having been coming here for 18 years and seeing saunas come and go and go from hot to cold, it does boil down to the boys! Junior has terrible repore with many of them! Acir has much bette relations with many of them so if the boys can make the same or better money they will switch! ihave seen this several times! point has almost closed several times over the years, now the last 2 years it is doing better! bottom line it is out of our hands, so grab a bag of popcorn and see how it goes! we may be surprised!

i remember when Acir and Jorge bought Meo Mundo in 2006 and we all said Why? (me being one of the biggest critics!) no one will go there and they had a successful 10 year run! I was wrong! you might be too!

:-)

Edited July 13, 2019 by tomcal

[likeohmygod]

I can be wrong of course and I'd love to see Acir succeed in his quest. But 13 years have passed since 2006...I cannot talk about those years but for sure since that year a big share of the marked moves to the internet.

Saunas revenue are indeed mostly made up by locals. That's what makes me think, the locals don't care about huge goodlooking facilities, the locals just look for sex and an enjoyable place where to speak, drink and smoke a cigs with friends. Someone said that one of LC goals will be to attract the huge tourists wallets.

Surely the guys who'd like to leave 202 but that cannot go to 117, will have a new alternative.

[Tomcal]

2 hours ago, likeohmygod said:

but for sure since that year a big share of the marked moves to the internet.

i disagree and i could very well be wrong but the “internet ads” are not that many in number and seem disapropriately muscled /older guys and a number who still work the saunas on Tuesday’s/Weds/Friday’s.  i don’t think the internet has had as big a effect in Brazil as it has had in the rest of the world! But that could be wishful thinking on my part as i like seeing in person before buying! :-)  

i am coming back in August but i am not halting the situation either as 8 of the guys i am seeing none work in the sauna anymore!

the best i can say is enjoy it while we have it because one way or another it will be gone someday...Gaiety and Stella’s in NYC because of real estate prices, various cities in Florida because of Zoning changes/violations, and of course the internet in the rest of the world!

Edited July 13, 2019 by tomcal

[Riobard]

I think that the net ad volume has grown quite a bit in 3 years. I follow them frequently and have only occasionally seen cross-over with the GdeP inventory in the clubs we frequent, never a Rio gogo but a few São Paulo gogos.

-----

Has anyone other than me quietly observed outdoors the skittishness of program guys about being seen heading to 117? They are usually more comfortable at the busy corner, but there is no way many of them would be 'caught dead' entering a gay brothel, say, beside eatery Braseirinho just up from Vila Rica dining and across from other small but packed outdoor social venues. What with the cray-cray pop-up sidewalk seating busy evenings.

Some guys approach from the west. Others do a quick surveillance. Discretion is important. Not sure Srs M or E have ever noticed this trend. Many clubs have low-exposure access.

The Lion's corner is less saturated but the building design suggests the entrance is within view of two small corner eateries with pop-up sidewalk seating or standing with a snack and beverage, irrespective of the approach from Augusto Severino or easterly on Joaquim Silva. La Paris drinks and snacks named for the park, and Bico de Ouro full meals. The club entrance is also possibly visible from two other social gathering eateries on the opposite side of narrow Joaquim Silva.

 

Edited July 14, 2019 by Riobard