Sao Paulo - Feb 2023 - is Lagoa worthwhile?

[Riobard]

7 hours ago, Menaughty said:

Thanks thats good to hear. I met an escort in Thermas Barcelona from Brazil and he strictly advised me to take uber/taxi when going to sauna in brazil. 

I love when they can convincingly pull off being strict.

[davet]

On 1/29/2023 at 5:47 PM, Riobard said:

had just begun to dip my toes into the ad-based and spa-based options and now currently continue to breach my previous longstanding avoidance of those alternatives for programa acquisition, to my surprise more satisfying than my earlier assumptions about their merit.

Agreed and equally surprised. Given that ad- and internet-based listings in the U.S. have been often disappointing, I was very pleasantly pleased that the guys in the SP spa sites really do look like their pictures (OK, minus a few years, but not always) and you don't get the surprise of the "muscle man with sequined purses falling out of his mouth." The 4-5 I've engaged have been cordial and boy-next-door that I think some curating and maybe training is involved.

[davet]

On 1/30/2023 at 4:50 PM, sydneyboy1 said:

The travel editor of the New York Times once described São Paulo as “ the ugliest and most dangerous city you’re ever likely to love.” Having been there 9 times I think I know what he means. 

If I add up all the days I spent in SP on my multiple trips, I've "lived" there longer than I did in NYC the summer I interned there. I used to go only for the saunas and used to think, of the old Lagoa, that it was one of the most incredible, amazing, surprising travel and cultural experiences anywhere in the world and it's a shame that straight middle-class tourists don't get to experience it. LOL. Gradually, on the off days, I poked around odd corners of SP. The Temple of Solomon (cheesy) in the immigrant neighborhood of Mooca (more interesting), the new ritzy neighborhoods of Vila Olimpia, the way-out suburb of the famous Mocoto restaurant. I found that there are almost-charming side streets right off of the ugly highways and arterials. I even finally found a cute, quaint, colonial area - though it's 45 minutes away in Embu das Artes.

Whoring around really can expand your mind!

[Actionforyou]

On 2/2/2023 at 1:07 AM, floridarob said:

There's 2 taxi drivers outside of Lagoa on most nights. Douglas an older gentleman with a very nice car and Paulo, a louder crazy funny guy....I use Douglas to take me to the airport, he matches Uber prices. But they don't speak English I believe, Douglas might, I forget.

Also, Lagoa is in a safe neighborhood, waiting outside for a ride is no problem.

There is currently a great airline fare from Miami to Sao Paulo and I am trying to talk myself into making the trip.  While I have visited Rio many times, my only experience with Sao Paulo was changing planes while headed to Rio.  It is good to hear that Lagoa is in a safe neighborhood.  Does anyone know if the subway is close to Lagoa?  Does the area near this sauna have hotels/restaurants?  I would rather find a hotel near Lagoa that allows guests than look for a Taxi/Uber but don't know if that is reasonable.  Is there a "gay" area of Sao Paulo that would be best for finding "gay-friendly" accomodations or does anyone have a specific hotel suggestion?  

[davet]

Lagoa is in Consolacao, THE gayborhood of SP and one of its main entertainment districts, gay or straight. It's very lively, lots of restaurants, barbers, juice shops, etc. It edges up to Avenida Paulista, SP's Park Avenue, on the other side of which is Jardims, an upper-class neighborhood holding the city's best restaurants and shopping. Two major subway lines cross this area. The sauna is a 10-minute walk from your choice of 3 metro stations. Lagoa might not be right anymore (for those of us who remember the old version) but it's in the right place. 

[scott456]

The sad thing is there is no other GP sauna choice in SP, so you are pretty much stuck with it. 

[scott456]

46 minutes ago, davet said:

 Two major subway lines cross this area. The sauna is a 10-minute walk from your choice of 3 metro stations. 

Please.  My Uber ride only cost USD$3 for a 15 minute ride. 

[Riobard]

2 hours ago, scott456 said:

Please.  My Uber ride only cost USD$3 for a 15 minute ride. 

That choice of transportation mode tracks for somebody making themselves a human living target … 

[scott456]

1 hour ago, Riobard said:

That choice of transportation mode tracks for somebody making themselves a human living target … 

Uber is a door-to-door ride, the rider has no or very little exposure to the public area except the few seconds when you get on (don't wait for Uber on the street) and get off the Uber car.   Can you please explain what you meant by living target?

[davet]

Sometimes the taxis are cheaper and more readily available than the Ubers. But I've never felt threatened in either one in Brazil.

[Riobard]

34 minutes ago, davet said:

But I've never felt threatened in either one in Brazil.

Agree. I draw from Metro subway, Über and taxi options, or my feet. There are certain people that wouldn’t and shouldn’t walk to a subway. I think others here catch my drift. 

[davet]

For getting clear across town, if both your end points are near a station, the underground metro is much faster than a taxi or uber. I've gone from Sao Conrado to downtown on the Rio metro. The surface trip, though beautiful, would have sat in traffic. 

[scott456]

There was an extensive discussion on Uber, Taxi, subway in this thread already, just go to first page.

[andygchicago]

Met some Brazlians when I was in Zurich recently. Both were from Sao Paulo. They said the crime is about as common there as in Rio, but it can skew more violent. They also said that the boys in Sao Paulo are far more racially diverse, while the Rio guys tend to all be Black Latinos. Has this been everyone’s experience? Was afraid to book to Sao Paulo due to the crime, but the idea of a racially diverse buffet is really tempting

[Riobard]

12 hours ago, andygchicago said:

Met some Brazlians when I was in Zurich recently. Both were from Sao Paulo. … They also said that the boys in Sao Paulo are far more racially diverse, while the Rio guys tend to all be Black Latinos….Was afraid to book to Sao Paulo due to the crime, but the idea of a racially diverse buffet is really tempting

Brazilians are, by definition, Latino, so the term there comes off as superfluous. Genomic admixture is so extensive that it doesn’t make sense to assess individually or arbitrarily according to colour groupings. It’s just dumb, and no smarter to stratify according to two large city populations, including their brothel subsets. One would be hard pressed to obtain an impression from innocent young objectified Brazilians abroad that wasn’t dumb in essence in the context of performative dynamics indulging the purveyor of an absurd tasteless inquiry. 

All this isn’t to say that differential attitude and treatment in general according to skin colour is absent. 

[Marc in Calif]

13 hours ago, Riobard said:

Brazilians are, by definition, Latino, so the term there comes off as superfluous.

Your internal logic here is missing some synapses. 😘

[Riobard]

13 hours ago, Marc in Calif said:

Your internal logic here is missing some synapses. 😘

cc’d to the wall of what cave on what planet in which you take up residence? 

[Marc in Calif]

On 3/25/2023 at 4:48 AM, Riobard said:

Brazilians are, by definition, Latino, so the term there comes off as superfluous.

I think it's hilarious — but not at all surprising — that you extrapolated from "Rio boys" (in the original conversation reported by andygchicago) to any and all "Brazilians." So whether you're talking about native language, race, or cultural identity, your assumption is still way off. 

You're evidently unaware that the word Latino has several interpretations. But that too is not at all surprising. 

[andygchicago]

On 3/25/2023 at 6:48 AM, Riobard said:

Brazilians are, by definition, Latino, so the term there comes off as superfluous. Genomic admixture is so extensive that it doesn’t make sense to assess individually or arbitrarily according to colour groupings. It’s just dumb, and no smarter to stratify according to two large city populations, including their brothel subsets. One would be hard pressed to obtain an impression from innocent young objectified Brazilians abroad that wasn’t dumb in essence in the context of performative dynamics indulging the purveyor of an absurd tasteless inquiry. 

All this isn’t to say that differential attitude and treatment in general according to skin colour is absent. 

What in the pretentious nonsense is this

[Riobard]

41 minutes ago, andygchicago said:

What in the pretentious nonsense is this

Get it through your thick skull, Cartman: All skin colours and racial admixtures are represented in most venues in the majority of places in the world, no less Brazil.

Declaring that you are assortative about it in terms of destination choice is ignorant and tone-deaf. Fishing for input to corroborate your flaky view about what city dovetails best with your preferences is absurd.

Read the room. There is no shortage of Board content on this theme. The miscreant preceding you wished to screen out a particular racial subgroup, declaring they are known for a malodorous characteristic. So there you are, in that bin. 

What is pretentious is the pretence that you belong where you’re going. 

—-
I wish posters would leave their origins out of handles. Gives others that identify origins but don’t make like jackasses an unfair bad rap. 

[SolaceSoul]

On 3/24/2023 at 8:57 PM, andygchicago said:

They also said that the boys in Sao Paulo are far more racially diverse, while the Rio guys tend to all be Black Latinos.

Now would be a great time for a reminder that the original comment in question was referring to “Black Latinos” or Afro-Latinos — thus making the reply from the blathering, neurodivergent, socially awkward poster who ranted against it even THAT more kooky.

[andygchicago]

2 hours ago, SolaceSoul said:

Now would be a great time for a reminder that the original comment in question was referring to “Black Latinos” or Afro-Latinos — thus making the reply from the blathering, neurodivergent, socially awkward poster who ranted against it even THAT more kooky.

Oh damn you chose violence, lol. I'm just glad this board lets us ignore users

[davet]

There are periodic variations depending on day, season, locale, and luck, but I don't think either Sao Paulo or Rio has more diversity than the other. 202 does have a strong presence of twinkish blacks, and 117 has its bevy of white bros, but there are blacks and bros in each. Sao Paulo now has basically one sauna, so everyone goes there (who still goes). SP's online massage houses seem to be 90% white or lighter latino.