a visit to the new Lagoa

[sydneyboy1]

5 hours ago, Tomcal said:

When i am in SP, if it is after 10:00pm i take Uber. the cost is immaterial when you are talking about safety and several people i know like have been robbed in São Paulo in the evening walking to/from the metro! just my 2 cents! Uber is so inexpensive it is not worth the risk to me to save a few $

I couldn’t agree more. From the old Lagoa I always took a taxi hailed by the staff outside. Hopefully the same service will be provided outside the new premises. Walking alone after dark in any Brazilian city is dangerous. 

[sfcastro]

The original Lagoa location was closed tonight.  The website says the new location is opening tomorrow, November 22, 2019.  Anyone have confirmation that the new location will be opening tomorrow?

Edited November 22, 2019 by sfcastro
Added pic

[Tomcal]

i don’t think Rudolfo will pass up on a Friday nights revenue even if the place is not 100% ready!

i would be willing to bet it will be open tomorrow night!

[davet]

Passing of an era. The old Lagoa occupied a bigger part of my life and psyche than I would have thought. How could I feel otherwise about a place where my most amazing sexual fantasies came true? where I had one guy after another whom I honestly thought, even in objective post-coital reflection, was the most fucking beautiful man in the world? where cocks bigger than any I've seen in porn and muscles more massive than any in competition were for the offering? Having always been grossed out by American and European dark and grotty bathhouses, I was bowled by Lagoa's bright, open airiness, where flawless men did not need the assistance of charitable lighting and you could soak up the thick pulse-racing sensuality in the air. While there were hustlers and operators, there was rarely a bad news guy, and more absolute sweethearts than I would have imagined who did not hesitate to stay on the bed to chat afterward. It was the most fucking wholesome place for debauchery in the world.

I've been to other saunas in Brazil and I know there's a strong contingent of Rio fans, but for me, nothing was as pleasant or delivered so reliably on each and every visit as the original Lagoa on the street by that name.

Edited November 30, 2019 by davet

[SolaceSoul]

The bad reports on the new Espaço Lagoa just keep coming.

A friend of a very close friend of mine went to the new Espaço Lagoa again last night.  

While there, he said he was again not comfortable with the multi-level sauna, the small crowded spaces, and the incessant stairs. He also commented on the porn room. He said this room can only hold about six people.

But wait! It gets even worse!

Then, he said that Rodolfo told him that he had a “solution” to the crowding of the new, smaller Lagoa. Rodolfo’s Brainiac business solution is that he is now prohibiting all garotos 30 years old and above from working at Espaço Lagoa.

Needless to say, this friend of a friend — who prefers more masculine garotos with athletic builds — was shocked and very disappointed at Rodolfo's decision.

I and most of the clients I associate with think that this age restriction is absolutely ridiculous, and that it will be the death knell of what was once a premier, if not the premier, sauna. Especially for us clients that exclusively want masculine and muscular garotos, our needs and interests would no longer be met at this new Lagoa  For example, most competitive athletic physiques — the type that I would often find a few years ago at the old Lagoa — don’t peak until after 30! Most of the muscular, built, masculine garotos that I met there were over 30, or very close to it. 

Rodolfo seems to want only twinks and the clients who want them. If that’s the case, then Lagoa has immediately lost its reputation as a sauna with top-shelf garotos. He seems to be making quite a number of poor business decisions with this sauna as of late. Hopefully, someone will talk some sense into him about this stupid “no garotos over 30” age restriction, before it’s too late.
 

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by SolaceSoul

[sanddunes]

18 hours ago, SolaceSoul said:

While there, he said he was again not comfortable with the multi-level sauna, the small crowded spaces, and the incessant stairs. He also commented on the porn room. He said this room can only hold about six people.

The new Lagoa (unfortunately) sounds a lot like Manhattan Rios...and we all know that didn’t last long.

The age restriction also sounds completely ridiculous...

[Riobard]

Nothing to stop anyone from figuratively bitch-slapping some sense upside the guy’s head ... or simply reaching out with your congratulations and/or expectations, eg what has always been a value-add viz type of trade.

His email is in the ‘public domain’: rpsaenz@terra.com.br 

———

Besides, age discrimination there is unconstitutional and prohibited, for example freedom to work and pursue free enterprise. I am not putting myself forward as a legal expert, I realize the role of GdePs is ambiguous in terms of employee status versus free agent, and these guys likely lack the organizational capacity of strippers in Atlanta, but operating a “brothel” for private “massage” is legally dicey enough without alienating a faction of your key resource base while making up your own age rules as you go along. It could be argued that in the public spaces these fellows fall into the category of entertainment staff. 

Mind you, prostitution is not considered a profession with labour rights. Nevertheless, it would be foolhardy for RPS to try to invoke an age restriction (other than conventional >17) in a venue that already restricts gender according to mandate, ie nudity-related decency leeway. If you are making donations to the local constabulary you want to honour the constitutional rights of your constituents and be as inclusive as possible in areas that are not directly impeding the business agenda.  

Edited December 1, 2019 by Riobard

[likeohmygod]

Personally, I'm not against the age limit in Lagoa (even if 30 it's a bit too restrictive)...

I've always complained about the presence of old, bad-looking garotos working in the old Lagoa...maybe this will make them disappear.

@SolaceSoul I think that the average age of the guys you like is decreasing since the culture of healthy eating and proper training at the gyms, is getting much more common between the younger crowds in Brazil, interested in bodybuilding. It should not be a huge problem in the next future.

At the same time I believe that the stereotype of gay beautiness in Brazil is shifting towards a slightly less muscular, and more toned body.

Sweet for me.

Lagoa won't go bankrupt and won't end up like MHR....it's the only sauna in SP (not counting Fragata for obvious reasons)....for now.

[SolaceSoul]

3 hours ago, likeohmygod said:

@SolaceSoul I think that the average age of the guys you like is decreasing since the culture of healthy eating and proper training at the gyms, is getting much more common between the younger crowds in Brazil, interested in bodybuilding. It should not be a huge problem in the next future.

Then, you think wrong. “Interest in” and “peak physical athletic development” are two different things. 

The very thought that there are men already at or near retirement age who are actually defending this ludicrous age restriction, and equating over 30 with “old” and “bad looking”, is quite disturbing, to say the least. But I can’t say that I am surprised at what lurks in this forum. 

[Tomcal]

On 12/1/2019 at 12:47 PM, Riobard said:

Nevertheless, it would be foolhardy for RPS to try to invoke an age restriction 

I was told by a lawyer that he can put a upper age limit for guys working there but cannot stop them from going there it’s just they would have to pay the entrance fee we pay!  

I agree that everyone has different tastes in guys and my Namorado who is joining me in Mexico for the next two weeks turns 37 this Friday and is one of the sexiest guys I have ever been with!!(we have been going out for 3 years). As someone who has done a fair number of guys in their 20’s and 30’s there is a sexiness at least for me in the “older” guys! one guy i met up with this year is 35, i originally met him when he was 19 at 117. and i think he is more fun now then he was back then!

[likeohmygod]

3 hours ago, SolaceSoul said:

Then, you think wrong. “Interest in” and “peak physical athletic development” are two different things. 

The very thought that there are men already at or near retirement age who are actually defending this ludicrous age restriction, and equating over 30 with “old” and “bad looking”, is quite disturbing, to say the least. But I can’t say that I am surprised at what lurks in this forum. 

Not saying the contrary, what I am saying is that independently from the age limit, the kind of boy you're talking about (competitive athletic physiques), is going to disappear from saunas and also from the internet's escort sites too in Brazil. It's been happening since 2 years ago moreless. The masculine guy with a competitive athletic physique is not anymore going to be the standard of gay beauty in Brazil (thankfully for me)...especially in Sao Paulo. IMHO.

I really don't get the next period, and since you're referring to me, I'd reply by saying: "The very thought that there are men, who are not accepting an opinion different from their one, is quite disturbing to me".

...you're making wrong assumptions about something I've never said. If you read carefully you'd see that I've never made the equation you're talking about and I was tallking about garotos, not about customers. Just after i said:  "30 it's a bit too restrictive". FYI...I am just a bit over the 30yrs old mark...so no retirement for me yet :(.

Since we're talking about garotos... yes, If you're brazilian and you've passed the 35/38yrs old mark and you're still working as a garoto inside saunas....chances are that you're beauty has faded or is fading away (to don't say "you're ugly"), comparing to the average of the working boys. There might be rare exceptions.

The thing is: It's a fact that there are some working boys in Lagoa (the only sauna in the whole Brazil where I've seen so many "forniture" guys as @pauleiro would say) who are ugly, i cannot find a better word, and 100% of them is very ahead with their age compared to the average boy. And since I'm paying not only the guys but the also the entrance fee for a sauna with rentboys, I'd like to see that if there's a new facility with a smaller room for the boys, this room will be reserved to the youngest and best looking ones. Not to the ones I'd should be paid by to have sex with them.

@Tomcal There's no legal problem. As they can ban a boy or a customer from entering because of his "bad behaviour" (ie.), they can forbid the entrance depending on the age too. No one is going to sue Rodolfo, there will never be any evidence and/or a single court involved in a similar case. We're still talking about brazilian saunas in the end :D.

Edited December 3, 2019 by likeohmygod

[msclelovr]

Perhaps Rodolfo could solve the problem of overcrowding by simply restricting entry to two groups: fit-bodied garotos aged 18+ and only foreign clients aged 55+.

It seems an easier solution to me ;-)

[Riobard]

The venue is bricks-and-mortar, with today’s challenges of sustainability in the context of expanding online merchandising. That is what many here are saying, after all.

If your music store is (unexpectedly) too crowded because you downsized, eliminating the Classical section is not the answer, capitulating to the digital world. You will think outside of the box in managing the shoppers and inventory.

For a brothel you find a way to uphold diversification, not second-guess arousal templates based on ambiguous standards of attractiveness. Everybody should be able to access their preferred Krispy Kreme and wretched Pumpkin Spice latte without the stock plummeting. 

Everybody is an expert and a critic. Perhaps R should just smile and nod politely while all stakeholders try to be patient and see how things evolve, unlike young guys there consuming anabolic-androgenic steroids at alarming rates.

It’s been one week within well over 1,000 weeks of venue operation. 

[SolaceSoul]

23 hours ago, msclelovr said:

Perhaps Rodolfo could solve the problem of overcrowding by simply restricting entry to two groups: fit-bodied garotos aged 18+ and only foreign clients aged 55+.

It seems an easier solution to me ;-)

File this one under: “self-serving statements”! 

[SolaceSoul]

On 12/3/2019 at 2:25 AM, likeohmygod said:

Since we're talking about garotos... yes, If you're brazilian and you've passed the 35/38yrs old mark and you're still working as a garoto inside saunas....chances are that you're beauty has faded or is fading away (to don't say "you're ugly"), comparing to the average of the working boys. There might be rare exceptions.

The thing is: It's a fact that there are some working boys in Lagoa (the only sauna in the whole Brazil where I've seen so many "forniture" guys as @pauleiro would say) who are ugly, i cannot find a better word, and 100% of them is very ahead with their age compared to the average boy. And since I'm paying not only the guys but the also the entrance fee for a sauna with rentboys, I'd like to see that if there's a new facility with a smaller room for the boys, this room will be reserved to the youngest and best looking ones. Not to the ones I'd should be paid by to have sex with them.

There’s a saying: “when you’re in a hole, stop digging.”

[wncdemcub]

On 12/3/2019 at 7:23 AM, msclelovr said:

Perhaps Rodolfo could solve the problem of overcrowding by simply restricting entry to two groups: fit-bodied garotos aged 18+ and only foreign clients aged 55+.

It seems an easier solution to me ;-)

Haha some of us who are under 55 might have a problem with this

[SolaceSoul]

On Wednesday night, the same friend of a friend from before who is a regular at Lagoa went back to the new Espaço Lagoa.

While he was talking with Rodolfo about the new restriction of garotos 30 years old or over, Rodolfo also said that he has now made an exception to this rule for "old" garotos that he personally knew and who were still, in his view, “good-looking” — provided that they are “hugely hung”. 

Anyone who is familiar enough with Rodolfo can attest that with this new restrictions, there will only be a few garotos that will fit into his “exceptions” category.  

Then, Rodolfo proceeded to tell my friend’s friend that his (Rodolfo’s) priority is to solve the overcrowding of the small sauna.  

Therefore, he has yet another genius, Brainiac restriction. 

His new restriction: any very young garoto that does not look or act masculine cannot work at the new Espaço Lagoa sauna. If the garoto appears to be even slightly effeminate, they are evicted. Once again, like “good looking” and “old”, “masculine” and “feminine” appearing will be at the sole discretion of the business and marketing genius of Rodolfo.

Thus, there are now two groups that are not allowed to work at the new, smaller Espaço Lagoa sauna: (1) garotos who are very young and effeminate or not masculine enough (according to Rodolfo), and (2) garotos who are 30 years of age and more — unless they are still “good-looking”, according only to Rodolfo, and only if he previously knew them, and he can confirm that they have very big dicks.

Is he running a client-driven business, or his personal playground? 

 

 

[Gotti]

Garotos' age is the least of the problem of the new Lagoa, the real issue is architecture, which means cannot be solved. A stupid decision was made from ground up. Hard to believe that people involved had decades of experience running this type of business. If they wanna make up for it, the only thing to do is lock the door and look for a new site.

[Riobard]

Brazilian, tricenarian, good-looking, gym build, generous endowment, gay-for-pay. Sounds like the more lucrative Thermas in Barcelona for this contingent. 

But in São Paulo ...

[Latbear4blk]

9 hours ago, SolaceSoul said:

On Wednesday night, the same friend of a friend from before who is a regular at Lagoa went back to the new Espaço Lagoa.

While he was talking with Rodolfo about the new restriction of garotos 30 years old or over, Rodolfo also said that he has now made an exception to this rule for "old" garotos that he personally knew and who were still, in his view, “good-looking” — provided that they are “hugely hung”. 

Anyone who is familiar enough with Rodolfo can attest that with this new restrictions, there will only be a few garotos that will fit into his “exceptions” category.  

Then, Rodolfo proceeded to tell my friend’s friend that his (Rodolfo’s) priority is to solve the overcrowding of the small sauna.  

Therefore, he has yet another genius, Brainiac restriction. 

His new restriction: any very young garoto that does not look or act masculine cannot work at the new Espaço Lagoa sauna. If the garoto appears to be even slightly effeminate, they are evicted. Once again, like “good looking” and “old”, “masculine” and “feminine” appearing will be at the sole discretion of the business and marketing genius of Rodolfo.

Thus, there are now two groups that are not allowed to work at the new, smaller Espaço Lagoa sauna: (1) garotos who are very young and effeminate or not masculine enough (according to Rodolfo), and (2) garotos who are 30 years of age and more — unless they are still “good-looking”, according only to Rodolfo, and only if he previously knew them, and he can confirm that they have very big dicks.

Is he running a client-driven business, or his personal playground? 

 

 

Is it really so crazy marketing-wise? I have never been there, so my opinion is only based on what the friends are sharing here. Apparently he moved to a smaller facility, right? And he assesses that he cannot longer accommodate his previous demand. It makes sense to me to cut the crowd by targeting a niche. We may not like the new profile, but I think the strategy may work very well.

[Riobard]

Cramming the cute guys in ...

 

[Gotti]

The problem with the new Lagoa is not the fact that it's got smaller, there is nothing wrong with downsizing if it's well done, unfortunately not the case here.

[Bucknaway1614502762]

I hope it gets sorted out before my May arrival.  Maybe this is the perfect time for a competitor to seize the opportunity to grab the Lion's share of working guys and customers in a new venue.

[Walker]

8 hours ago, Bucknaway1614502762 said:

I hope it gets sorted out before my May arrival.  Maybe this is the perfect time for a competitor to seize the opportunity to grab the Lion's share of working guys and customers in a new venue.

Lion's is in Rio.  Lagoa is in SP.   Hello??

[Bucknaway1614502762]

17 hours ago, Walker said:

Lion's is in Rio.  Lagoa is in SP.   Hello??

I had to go back and read my post, now I see you were doing an Abbott and Costello routine on a play on words and names. Ha!