davet

One thing I had not thought about at all. Yikes. Gonorrhea is also rampant in the saunas but it's sometimes symptomless so people aren't aware. But it can still be spread to the next person who might not be symptomless.

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

On my last trip, I contacted a garoto to meet up at the sauna. He said he no longer goes there and wants to meet at my apt. I wasn't keen on that, and he insisted that he would not go to the sauna again. Do you think he was a problem guy and has been banned? This guy used to join the gogos and drag queens on stage at 117 so the establishment must have known him pretty well. Did I pass up a good thing or were my spidey sense on to something?

That is totally a steal especially for that time period. Buying early usually lets you pay less, not more. I think your risk is cancellations and schedule changes, this far out.

What spectacular snobbery. They hardly travel like peasants so perhaps you should find out what it's really like.

That is their Christmas, New Year, AND summer vacation all in one. Yes, all over S. America, travel-related expenses can double in December and January.

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.

I have found that "quero provar outros garotos" (or something like that in portunhol) is readily accepted by everyone, with no further hassle.

This is good update information about 117, but pls post it in a separate thread so that others can find it. (I was wondering about the Wed. night promo myself.)

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This is what I have and it's good till 2025. I hope it still works. I actually hadn't noticed that the airlines didn't check for my visa in the last couple trips so I didn't even know about the brief visa waiver.

You are talking about a whole overnight or just a shorter date outside the sauna? You are super lucky to find someone who would do an overnight for barely more than the 30-min. quickie rate. I have only done 1 overnight and asked about one other, but my impression is that it's roughly double the in-sauna rate. And the one guy ordered pizzas and drinks with abandon in our room but he delivered 3 loads, which he proudly counted out.

Is Wed. still 202's free cabin day? The wait there can be pretty long too.

For me it was never about the free cabines. But free cabines attracted clients which brought out the biggest and best selection of talent. That's the idea - but the talent is unavailable because it's waiting in line for 30 minutes. I think Saturday is probably the best compromise between not enough crowd and too much.

Are the guys on the clock for social add-ons like this?

There must have been some delays in the remodel. Unless they changed the areas of non-access, what I saw a few months ago was the bar, lounge, lockers, and bathrooms on the main floor and cabins, videos, play areas, and a jungle shower on the upper floor. There were about 15-20 rent boys split amongst Brazilians and East Europeans. They were good-looking and service-oriented. Better than Barcelona or Lagoa.

I've seen this phenomenon a few times and wondered. It's hard to believe they can't sneak off or be excused to make a few extra reais. Most cabine engagements take only 10-15 minutes.

Many places to relax and still subtly check out guys and things. Can't beat that sightline from the lawn chairs (where our exhausted beauties rest up for their next encounter) through the locker area to the pool area. Now the site is just another skinny skyscraper condo building. Oh, the poltergeists the new residents will find!

Thank you. Your prize will be in the mail once I get there and confirm the information. I heard there are also a couple picturesque historic towns nearby.

Is Bruce Harrelson still available and reachable?

I don't know if this is a subtle joke. Isn't Monday their Ladies' night now? Will I have to put on a skirt to get laid?

Sao Conrado is considered one of the wealthy, quiet suburbs, but it is cheek-to-jowl and shares a metro stop with Rocinha, the largest favela in Rio and the one that "favela tours" take you to. Welcome to Brazil. You do know that there are favelas all over Copacabana and Ipanema, right? Many of the guys working at 202 walk down from the favela right up the hill.

The guys seem to segregate themselves psychologically. "I'm a stripper, not a go-go." "I'm a go-go, but I would never sell my body." Whatever makes them feel better about continuing to give us happiness.

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!

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.