SolaceSoul

I’d much prefer it not to be a competition. Rio is big and great enough for 3 payboy saunas that can coexist.

1. Keep the cash in your locker. I like to carry my iPhone, and I do it in my hand. 2. 117 is right around the corner from the Gloria Metro station. The neighborhood is not unsafe — especially if you are just going in the well-traveled path directly from the metro station to the sauna and back. But if you are a Nervous Nelly or if you think you stick out like a sore thumb as a target, then just Uber it after dark. You might have gotten 117 confused with 203, which is in a decent area of Copa and right down the street from the Siguero Campos Metro, but if you make the wrong walking or driving turn , you’ll end up going up a hill to the favela — and you don’t want to do that. Especially not a Nervous Nelly turista who looks like a gringo! 3. I can’t help you there. You really should be taking the same precautions you do at a Brazilian sauna that you would during a casual sexual encounter in your hometown or anywhere else. 4. All of the saunas you mentioned have free WiFi access in certain common areas of the clubs. Ask an employee or the front desk for the network and customer password. But Google Translate works without WiFi if you preloaded language dictionaries. And you should consider getting an unlimited cellular data plan for your international travels as well — that way you can use apps (like translators or WhatsApp) without WiFi. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your input, but FYI, many guys do love that kind of scene. My favorite travel buddy from a few years back couldn’t get enough of Cine Rex in Cinelandia and places like it — as he preferred the “edge” or even the sleaze anout it all. The men there tend to be more street. I just can’t get into any dark rooms at all — even the ones at nice, clean, pristine saunas like Rio G are bothersome to me — because my eyes don’t adjust well in darkness, and I need to see what I am getting. However, some guys love the darkness and the mystery. As was said here earlier, to each his own. “The Boyfriend Experience” isn’t for everyone.

It is a classic sci-fi novel, first published in 1967, and had a few sequels. It later became a major motion picture, a TV series and a comic book series in the late 1970s and early 1980s. “Logan’s Run” is often discussed in modern lit or film classes due to its extremist ageist solutions. In the book series, all citizens were mandatorily killed at the age of 21 at a city-wide festival showcase using a Ferris wheel-like Carousel. The film and TV series modified that age to 29 — presumably because to find marquee actors to play the roles.

My friends and I LOVE Jacqueline. Consummate professional. I will definitely give the new place a try just because she is there.

Perhaps it’s a cultural thing, but calling the police on something like this seems really petty. With many people, the police aren’t always seen to have their best interests at heart, at best, and corrupt and murderous, at worst. Brazilian police also aren’t always the fairest to those that they know they can extort for money — like European or American gay tourists at a brothel.

As much chatter as there is on this and other boards about garotos or escorts ripping off customers, I see just as many, if not more, instances of tourist clients cheating GPs by trying to get free or additional pleasures out of the garotos.

Don’t be daft. He’s referring to physical violence or robbery outside the sauna.

Reads like a domestic dispute. He was probably fucking her.

Why single out garotos who may be a bit “long in the tooth” for their ptofession? There are plenty of advertising escorts here in the States and elsewhere who have been plying their trade for well over a decade and some may say that they have long worn out their welcome. Some of them may be on various message boards... even here! The point is that although many here may prefer young, fresh and freckle-faced, straight-off-the-showroom-floor garotos / escorts / gogo boys / hustlers, there are also clients who may prefer the “seasoned” (in either actual age or look). Maybe this business should just be like “Logan’s Run” and have a carousel that murders everyone at the age of 29 (and I just dated myself with that reference)?

My version has lines that end with “fuck it” and “suck it”. And there’s no woman anywhere to be found!

“There once was a man from Nantucket...”

Rob: i agree with your observations. I will also add that some casa owners are more particular about Cuban guests signing in than others. It is probably best for your own safety and protection to get the ID and sign in — this way, the Cuban hustler or guest is less likely to do anything like rob or maim you, knowing that la policia could cause them grief. The boys don’t even like walking with foreigners on the street, as this could create suspicion and harassment from la policia. In any event, my experiences have been that casa hosts and police are much more on the lookout for female prostitutes, trans prostitutes and underage sex trafficking than male-male visitors. So, make sure they have their ID, get a copy and a willing casa and you should be okay.

The kilo (or quilo) restaurants are everywhere. They are buffet-style and the cost is by the pound (or kilo). Just Google “kilo / quilo restaurant Copacabana / Ipanema”. Names escape me but two off the top of my head because they were close to where I have stayed are: Temperarte Posto 6 on Nossa Senhora in Copa, and Fronteira on Rua Visconte in Ipanema. There is also a good kilo on Sigueira Campos, the same street as Point 202, but about a 7-10 minute walk east from it. But the name escapes me. I’m sure Google knows.

Get yourself an additional casa particular or arrange a room at a casa where the host doesn’t mind guests having Cuban “visitors” (check with the host in advance). You can also just wait until you get to Cuba and ask around — there are plenty of Cubans that are renting apartments and rooms as a side hustle, and many don’t mind if the foreigners have Cuban guests (with restrictions, usually they must present their ID and the name must be written in a book, by Cuban law). Cuban locals are restricted from visiting hotels. Also, if you’re American, be extra careful about going to Cuba as a “tourist”. Follow the regulations and be sure to leave a paper trail of your accepted activities.

If you are trying to save money on food and want to eat like a true Brazilian, avoid most tourist-trap, Euro-American styles restaurants (many in Copa and Ipanema) and hit the kilo restaurants — where food is charged by the pound. Some are pricier than others, but the locals know the better, less expensive ones. A good, hearty, tasty meal can be had at a kilo restaurant for much less than $40 USD for 2 people — I’d say half that price.

Personally, I would only give contact info on a good apartment to a friend or someone I trust, and not just to some rando on a message board on the Internet. When they might book the place is not my greatest concern. What I’m more cautious about is how they might treat the place or how they might abuse the unspoken or spoken rules of the place — which could affect others’ ability to rent that place freely in the future. If I know you and trust you, then sure. If not, then do your research like everyone else. So, I guess I treat this info about apartments the same as I do for men that I might meet. I have become fairly good friends with the owner of one of the places I rent regularly in Ipanema. If I were to recommend his place to someone, and that someone abused the place or caused grief, my chances of staying there again would be diminished. And the only response I’d have is, “I didn’t know the guy either. He was just some rando on the Internet!”

Yes, I moved to NYC in 1994, Guiliani’s first year as Mayor. I had visited, each for a week at a time, once a year starting in 1991, I believe, and each time, I had hit the scene. By the close of 1995, I think, Show Palace and Cats were no more. Rounds closed near the end of 1994. Only Stella’s, The Gaiety and that peep show for hustler trade on 8th Ave. & 34th raged on until their bitter ends.

Rounds was phenomenal. I caught the last year or so of it. I had just come from London and was working as a newbie on Wall Street. The men for hire were top shelf. Some were top fashion models, aspiring actors, competitive and semi-pro bodybuilders and athletes. As mentioned above, Calvin Klein was a regular patron. The description of Rounds in the article is wholly inaccurate and does not even do it the justice it deserves. Cats and The Show Palace (not Show World, as the article states in the honorable mentions) were THE places for free and paid for black and Latino hustler trade. Then, those places were later replaced or surpassed by Stella’s and the peep show on 34th and 8th — which eventually were closed by the early to mid 2000s as well. Nothing has replaced them since. There were several video stores and movie houses along Christopher Street and West Side Highway in the Village that had similarly, more streetwise action. Those places were all gone by 2000 or so. That gayborhood has been replaced by nannies with baby carriages. As property values in NYC have skyrocketed, the sexual energy of the city has inversely diminished. The City is now just a sanitized bore.

If you really like him, and you aren’t already married on paper, you can do a K-1 90-Day Fiancé visa. He will be allowed to stay in the USA for only 90 days as your fiancé. If you do not marry him before the 90th day in the USA, his visa has expired and he has overstayed. He will have no other legal options to stay or convert that visa to a legal one other than a marriage to you, that particular sponsor. It would take about 6 months for approval of the K-1 and it does require an application, proof of a previous relationship in person, and an interview of the foreigner at the embassy or consulate. There is even a reality show about the 90-Day Fiancé visa.

No more fun sleaze left in NYC. You can thank Guiliani for its Disney-fication.

The one and only time I visited Chili Pepper, there were fugly trannies (or tranny-looking guys) there. I didn’t see any attractive guys so I left quickly. i an curious to learn if others had a better experience.

And for real sleaze a la Bar Fama, the Show Palace. Fuck Giuliani. I’m sure our paths have crossed. As it seems that our tastes differ, we probably didn’t share any DNA samples.

Personally, I don’t consider the Arouche / Republica area all that “rough” although it is a bit dodgy — and your safety, or rather, your semblance of it, may depend upon how well it looks like you “fit in” to the environment (i.e., older, conservative white or Asian guys probably should just take taxis). Yeah, the Largo Do Arouche area around Praça do Republica is a mix of street people, trannies and gay bars, and the less initiated should proceed with caution — especially when traveling alone late at night. The area reminds me of late 80s to early 90s Times Square seediness or maybe even mid 90s pre-gentrified West Side Highway / Meat Packing Didtrict New York area. Not really for the squeamish but those who look the part and have their wits about them should be fine. Others — cab it. There are some good hotels around Republica Park as well as good AirBnB apartments, and the Republica metro is commonly used. But again, your mileage may vary.

There are 3 guys at 202 from recent years who obviously inject synthetic oil into their muscles to make them look bigger. One is the above mentioned and pictured Joey. BTW, Joey is much bigger now than in those above photos, due to the odd synthol injections. Another is a tall guy who goes by Carlos who is about 6’4 - 6’5. I believe that he got into a fight with either another garoto or an employee at 202 a few years back and was never allowed to work there again. I have always found him to be a nice guy — at least he was nice to me, but I guess he does have a temper issue, apparently. The other is a garoto who is about 5’10 and goes by or went by Marcos. I don’t think he works there anymore, but with these boys, you never know. Times are hard in Brazil. I don’t post photos. Personal policy.