Xclay

For the record, since May of 2023 Brazilians have to pay the USA the sum of $185 for a non-refundable application for a ten-year tourist visa, plus have an in-person interview at a US consulate!!! (Previously Brazilians had to pay $160.) Looks like US citizens are considerably advantaged by this lack of complete reciprocity. Maybe our $8 per year for our visa for Brazil ain't so bad?

Due to the limited number of clients in the Zurich sauna, I wonder if the Czechs have now moved instead to Barcelona or online? Or maybe my few days were just randomly unlucky?

I have a British friend who loves to go after bartenders as if it is a special accomplishment to "seduce" them because they are not officially GPs. They use the same lines discussed in posts above and say they don't really do this sort of thing, hence the high price. And it needs to be on the DL so that adds to the thrill. So my buddy pays too much and is invariably disappointed in bed. But he is still not cured of his bartender addiction.

Exactly! That's my experience too. Many of the egotistical guys who demand high fees think they are so special that you are lucky to get the chance to worship them. But they are often a lousy lay.

Maximum I've been asked was yesterday! Yesterday in Jericoacoara I exchanged WhatsApp numbers with a cute young (19?) dune buggy driver who had held my gaze a few extra seconds. Later exchange that evening in Portuguese: Me: How about a massage? Him: Everything of value has a price. [Impressive choice of words, and so superior to "how much., gringo."] Me: 250 Him: 800 Me: 400 [going above my usual range but it had been a few days since the sauna in São Luis] Him: 800 So I politely declined and said I could wait another 24 hours to get to Fortaleza where guys (more fit than him) would be delighted to get 150. ___________ Regarding your second post above about establishing your best prices, here are suggestions:

Or a ten-yeat chart:

I never ask (see link below) but here I offer 150 (or sometimes 200 depending on the guy). No refusals yet. https://www.gayguides.com/topic/70395-last-minute-trip-to-rio-dec-5th-to-dec-25th-anyone-else-in-rio-now-or-coming-soon/page/3/#findComment-432230

That is what I was hoping, but that was not my experience the first week of June in Zurich. A large majority of the guys were Brazilians, with only a couple of Romanians (surprisingly blond and handsome), plus a Thai, a Kurd, and one day a couple of Africans. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

I can update based on more visits to Paragonya and more familiarity with origins. Some of the guys I called "Mediterranean" initially turned out to be Brazilians. Countries: Majority Brazilians* (half Mediterranean white and half darker shades) plus a few Balkan guys (mainly surprisingly blondish, handsome Romanians). Others varied from day to day. You might find a Thai, a couple of Africans, or randos such as the cute, smart Kurdish jock who came over from Germany for a long weekend. * I assumed that the Brazilians who travel to Zurich would mostly be the top tier. Not true! Most were OK but surprisingly average with few standouts. Also, my June array of nationalities was not the same as reported by posters in January, so maybe seasonal variation is a factor? Roles: Did not survey everybody, but seemed like a fairly standard sauna mix of predominantly tops, but btms available too (sometimes covertly of course). Times: The 12:30-2:30 band was best. Lots of the more sexy guys seem to leave if they make some cash rather than wait around. Those who do not score early seem to stay until they at least can cover their entrance fee (over $40 USD) and make a little profit. So you can still find a good number of guys working later in the day (based on the one day I stayed later), but you may miss some of the more successful ones. Days: Not as much variation as I would have thought. Guys complained that Saturday was slow and just as many men were there on Monday. If you go, please give us an update!

Here is an old thread about Athens: These posts are certainly not entirely up-to-date but you may find them worth a quick skim to get some background and context.

Quick wrap up on my Patagonia Paragonya visits in Zurich the past few day: Perhaps Riobard's chastising the staff for merely flipping the mattresses had an impact because each one of my guys soaked the mattresses with disinfectant spray and rubbed vigorously with paper towels before spreading out our cloth towels. Imperfect, but no fungus so far. For me, Paragonya would never be a destination sauna due to its high costs and Zurich being one of the most expensive cities in Europe — but I needed to be in town for a few days for a wedding. I'm glad I checked out the infamous $auna and had some fun, but I won't return.

I returned to Patagonia this afternoon. It had more clients and more young men than yesterday, but I was told it was slow for a Saturday. A large majority of the working guys were Brazilians plus three or four Romanians. Maybe I was judging the Brazilians extra harshly knowing they would expect the equivalent of 700 reals (!) in Zurich — but only one appealed to me. Today I had sessions with each of my two Prague-type studs (blond and fair enough that I'd never have guessed they were Romanian). Both the "ΣΑΕ" and the "sailor" (see prior post) were enthusiastic activos and good to hug even if their kissing was not quite as passionate as I get in Brazil.

"Their fee: CHF 100 still seems standard." The expectation and default still seems to be 100 Swiss franc (about $122 or €107). As a newbie here, I don't know to what extent they are willing to lower the price depending on the situation.

I posted a bit more about the Paragonya experiences at the Zurich thread:

A May '25 update to this long-running Zurich thread focusing on Paragonya sauna: Visited: Friday 1:30-4:00 Available: About 12 (4 Brazilians; 3 Prague-looking; 3 more Mediterranean; 1 Thai; 1 ?) Their fee: CHF 100 still seems standard. Clients: About 10 Entrance fee: CHF 44 Room: no charge, but no sheets Total cost per session: 3 times as much as Rio's Lagoa Stars for me were the two I called sort of Prague-looking, although one (tall, handsome 20-yr old ash blonde) looked to me like he could have been an ΣΑΕ pledge at Duke — and the other (tall, handsome, 26-yr old sandy blond with a killer smile) looked like he just stepped off a US Navy ship. I went with the ΣΑΕ and he was good. After a break, I realized that the handsome Thai guy (sturdier than the usual petite versions) was a very submission bottom, so I flipped to use him the way he was eager to be used. Overall, I hate the price tags, but I'm very happy with the hot memorable experiences.

Here is my price comparison of Zurich vs. Sao Paulo. Zurich's Paragonya: Entry (CHF 44), room (free), "service" (CHF 100) = US $175 total SP's Lagoa: Entry (R$75); room (R$50); "service" (R$200) = US $57 total So, a session at Zurich's Paragonya costs roughly three times as much as I'd usually pay at Lagoa. For two sessions each visit, the ratio does not change much, but is slightly even more favorable in Lagoa.

At Olimpo, a good amount of action between (not bad looking) patrons goes on in a dark area in the far side of the sauna. I'm pointing it out because I didn't even realize that area was there my first few visits. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Outstanding facility but surprising it lasted this long with so few GPs. Here's the Google translation of the Instagram announcement:

Some of us who are more jaded and skeptical can still wish you the best with your new great online Brazilian buddy who really likes everything you suggest. But don't be suprised if, when you get together in Brazil, there are unexpected "transaction costs" beyond picking up his tab for all aspects of your shared adventures. After all, in his eyes you are a multi-millionaire. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Thanks. If you are considering Fortaleza, be sure to check out the info and tips in this long recent thread: https://www.gayguides.com/topic/67100-fortaleza/#findComment-429915

Good for you. I started off with ten-day visits, soon increased to three weeks, and now up to seven or eight weeks twice year. My suggestions: You said "possibly" even five weeks, but probably better to test yourself with four weeks first. Good idea to visit varied destinations, but not so many that you have too many flights — perhaps 8 days in SP, 8 days in Rio, a week in Salvador, and 5 days in Fortaleza. I'd make it easy going, not complicated. For convenience of course use CGH in SP and SDU in Rio as much as possible. ✈️ Not everybody cares, but I like to optimize the weather. Belo Horizonte can unleash heavy rain 24/7 in December. I like to use this site below, which has lots of comparative charts for whatever cities you are considering. September can be a pretty good sweet spot. https://weatherspark.com/compare/y/30563~31123~30268/Comparison-of-the-Average-Weather-in-Rio-de-Janeiro-Fortaleza-and-São-Paulo Let us know what you decide and how it goes! Boa viagem.

Me too. I have often walked those exact same Rio routes -- as well as regularly walking in SP from my hotel around Paulista Av. down to Lagoa. And it has never "seemed" dangerous. Forgive me if this seems to obvious but... It's crucial not to look like a target. So, zero jewelry, no watch, no bulging billfold. And dress down, not up.

Thanks for the great pics and details! Now I've gotta return! I was there about 20 years ago and, like you, I found the helicopter flight a spectacular way to get an amazing, big picture view of this enormous waterfall unlike any other. You made a good choice skipping the boat ride. Boats cannot go far into the long channel, so you just go to the first little waterfall, get wet, and that's it. Some people like it, but I thought it was a waste of time. I loved wondering all around the labyrinth on the Argentine side and standing for an hour mesmerized by the thundering power only a few years away at Devil's Throat. Do you recommend staying at Samna? Looks very nice. The classic old Hotel das Cataratas on the Brazil side and the Gran Meliá Iguazú on the Argentine side are wonderfully close to the falls but you pay for their prime locations and their prices have skyrocketed.

Not my experience at all in Rio and SP in this past Nov/Dec. I said 200 firmly and they said OK.