Juan Corriolis

Good to put rumors to rest. I am puzzled about one thing, though. In all the years and countless times I have visited there, the place has never had an interior painting despite the rooms looking rather shabby. Despite the shabbiness, the sauna is likely clean. Given the above, I can understand why a rumor developed over the possibility that the sauna might not have a long future.

Just among friends in Rio. They reminded me that Monique has not added any improvements to the place during all those years of ownership. The place is shabby in many parts. Unnamed friends say that she gives off the feeling that she is tired of the place but likes the money, then reminds them that more than twenty years of ownership have been difficult. Maybe it is all conjecture or assumption on the part of my friends who believe that she is planning a shutdown or sale of the place. All things eventually come to an end. Think of all the wonderful saunas in Brazil that once were but are no more. Think also of Sao Paulo, a huge city with only one sauna. Junior might soon be the symbolic Rodolfo of Rio (only one sauna in a huge city).

I agree to your not being a fan of internet escort sites. I have tried that on occasion. Not once did the experience even come close to the enjoyment that I got from a face-to-face meeting with a guy before engagement, as we got from the Brazilian saunas. My experiences with internet hires have been disappointing. My friends who tried internet sites also had disappointments. Occasionally, the photos on the internet ad are outdated, and sometimes the photos are not of the person advertising. Without exception, my biggest complaint from hiring internet escorts is that many of them insist on being paid in advance of any activity. Once they have your money, they can do as they please unless they want repeat business from you. I look back with extreme fondness on the many saunas that were in Rio and Sao Paulo that are no longer there. It seems that Rodolfo, of Lagoa, has a special charm as the only sauna that survives in Sao Paulo. There are rumors of Monique in Rio planning to shut down 117 so maybe Junior (of 202) will have the luck like Rodolfo and be the only viable sauna in Rio.

Sorry, I do not believe that the old Fragata reopened and closed. There is a sauna that opens and closes and opens again, named 555. I wonder if that is the sauna you mean. That sauna is not anywhere near where the old Fragata was. It is in a very nice area. I went there several times in hopes that it might be as nice as the fold Fragata or some of the saunas that formerly were in Rio and Sao Paulo. If it is sauna 555 that you mean as the replacement for Fragata, then let me comment that my time, the Uber money and entrance money I spent were a waste. I can understand why they close but I remain puzzled why they reopen only to have just a few customers, then close again.

This thread started discussing Sao Paulo saunas. Are there any posters here who remember the extraordinary sauna in Sao Paulo called Alterosas? For anyone who remembers, do not forget, this sauna was opened 37 years - yes, 37 years. Then, one fateful day, a church was built across the street from the sauna. Needless to say, the sauna (a fay whore house) across the street from a church was destined for clash and eventual death for the sauna. Sure enough, the sauna was falsely accused of harboring drugs and worse. After 37 years in the wonderful business. the church people called the police and had the sauna raided for drugs but no drugs were found. The police ordered all garotos and customers to line up against the wall and be photographed while wearing a sauna towel. The raid became a reason for the owner to choose retirement of the sauna. What great memories were made at that facility. Here is an old newspaper article that discusses the fake raid and the false accusations against the sauna. https://extra.globo.com/noticias/brasil/sauna-gay-de-37-anos-recebe-visita-da-policia-741071.html

I read through the responses. I did not see where it was suggested that, in your passport, someone could find the exact dates of arrivals by looking at the immigration stamps in your passport of the Brazilian immigration. When you arrive in Brazil, they stamp your passport and write in the "prazo" section of their stamp, the number of days you are allowed. When you leave Brazil, they stamp you out there is no date listed. Those who have a frequent flyer account can check their airline account to see the date of the return trip which would be when you departed Brazil. Hope this helps.

Well, it is happening again. I am making my next trip plans and find that Marriott (Renaissance) is back to nearly $400.00 daily. What is causing the price hike again? Brazil is having a recession, of sorts, which would normally bring down their hotel rates. What can one do except pay those high prices? Does anyone know why the rates are so high again? I am aware that the garotos in the Lagoa sauna have increased their prices, but the increased prices are nowhere near the increases that Marriott charges for rooms in Sao Paulo.

Great hotel. I have stayed there many times. If you have at least Platinum status, that hotel treats you very well, including upgrades to suites, its gym, its lounge access (where you can get a decent breakfast without paying extra). The location is perfect, only one block from Avenida Paulista, but, Lucky already knows these things. I posted in case other readers might want to stay at that hotel. Even if you do not have high status with Marriott's loyalty program, the hotel is very nice and in a great location, and it has a decent restaurant. It is likely that readers are going to visit Rodolfo's Lagoa, which is only a short Uber ride from the hotel. I was once talked into walking there but I doubt I will do it again (about two miles). There is a taxi stand across the street on the corner, but if you have Uber, you will get a better price and better service. Uber meets you in front of the entrance to the hotel. An odd thing happened when I was booking that hotel again. A month or two ago, I was making a reservation for Sao Paulo. At that hotel, the daily rates were around $400.00 U.S., but last year, the daily rates were around $200.00. I hesitated to book a room at twice the price and waited. Now, I see that the rates have come down to a little more than $200.00 daily. During the day, MASP is within walking distance of the hotel. MASP often has some excellent art on loan from various museums around the world.

Marriott, are you writing about the one in Morumbi? I am not aware of a Marriott in the area around Avenida Paulista.

Not too many years ago there were seven nice saunas in Sao Paulo. One by one five saunas closed. The last nice sauna of the seven to close was Fragata. There are two remaining saunas, but they are not doing well and will likely close. For some strange reason, Rodolfo, of Lagoa, has a gift that keeps on giving because he (and Edgarde) ran the original Lagoa which was a wonderful, large sauna comprised of three houses that were joined together to make the three houses appear as one large sauna. Most know that the lease ran out and the three houses were later sold and torn down. Now, in the place of the original Lagoa, there is a huge condominium and office structure built where the original Lagoa stood. Following Lagoa's move to its smaller current location, the other six saunas in Sao Paulo closed, one by one (four closed and the remaining two will not last long). Rodolfo must have some magical quality that keeps his sauna the only sauna in Sao Paulo that survives for more than twenty years (the original Lagoa and the smaller current sauna). Remarkable!

As shown in the previous post, it confirms that the medical community learned more about the gene than it thought it knew back in 1995, when I took the test. As I stated, I believed that I was immune based on what I was told by the literature and by the laboratory that administered the test back in 1995. Although I gained a lot of resistance, as the articles show, I was not totally "immune" as I had been told. Thankfully, I never acquired that awful disease, even though I likely was intimate with many who were HIV positive. I appreciate the posting of this updated and corrected information.

You will find many different percentages. Each percentage is an educated guess. Some articles might say the resistance to HIV is only 1% while other writings say 2% and some even say the number is 5%. Who really knows the actual number? Unless an entire population is tested, every estimate is an educated guess.

Members 3k Posted just now I am puzzled why I have never seen, in any gay forum or gay news reports, the fact that there is a certain group of people who are lacking a specific gene that prevents them from becoming infected with HIV. These people can have sex with thousands of HIV positive people and never get infected with HIV because of the lack of a certain gene that prevents HIV from infecting them. When HIV was raging before and into 1995, there was no HIV medication that prevented most HIV patients from dying. Several of my friends died from HIV in 1995 and prior. About that time, the CDC and other reliable medical sources (Medical schools) wrote articles about a lab test that would let a person know if they lacked a specific HIV gene receptor ( CCR5-Δ32 mutation). Most who lack the HIV receptor gene were Northern European, however, some were not. A friend and I hunted for various articles written about the lacking receptor gene. We also hunted for a lab that administered the test to see if we lacked the HIV gene receptor. You can find labs on the internet that administer this test. Some labs require a doctor's prescription while some do not. Happily, my friend and I found a lab and took the test. It was determined that we lack the HIV receptor. Needless to say, we were pleased that we could never become infected with HIV. We are not completely Northern Europeans. We are a mixture of Northern European and a bit of Southern Europe. If you are concerned about being infected with HIV, you might consider taking that test to see if you lack the receptor. For convenience, next is a copy of a response that I got from the internet about the receptor. Yes, a small but significant number of people lack a specific gene mutation, the CCR5-Δ32 mutationCCR5-Δ32 mutation mutation, which prevents HIV from infecting their cells, making them naturally resistant to the virus. This genetic variation, more common in Northern European populations, results in the absence of the CCR5 co-receptor that HIV uses to enter CD4+ T cells. Individuals with this mutation, even when exposed to HIV, cannot become infected with the virus. AND CCR5 Δ32 Mutation The CCR5 Δ32 mutation is a deletion of 32 base pairs in the CCR5 gene, which encodes a protein called the chemokine receptor 5. This mutation is found primarily in people of European descent. Function and Significance: HIV Resistance: The CCR5 protein is used by HIV to enter cells. The Δ32 mutation prevents HIV from binding to and entering cells, making individuals homozygous for this mutation (carrying two copies of the mutated gene) resistant to HIV infection.

In the saunas to a garoto?

In the saunas to a garoto?