SouthOfTheBorder

I chuckle at the irony of your comment - which to me seems ultimately an attempt at normalizing, condoning, endorsing use of crystal meth. comparing it to the main subject matter of this forum is a false equivalency. Hiring providers is legally problematic in only a few countries (mainly US) and the clients generally aren’t on a path of addiction and/or self-destruction. While I’m aware of some who may have a sexual addiction, I’ve never heard of support groups or programs for those trying to escape addiction to providers. Contrast that with the known health crisis of crystal meth use & addiction throughout the US (and many other countries) & especially in the gay community. Go to any major US city and find multiple CMA meetings for those trying to beat their addiction. For those who want to do it, then by all means go do it. And I suppose that requires a certain level of self-delusion to somehow think things will be different for you. Btw - most meth users say they do it because they can then do things they wouldn’t normally do sober. Think about that. Links below from New York Times re: gay meth crisis and City of New York meth fact sheet https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/22/opinion/gay-meth-addiction.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare Gay Men Are Dying From a Crisis We’re Not Talking About https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/survey/msm-crystal-meth-2023.pdf

From the US Embassy in Brazil: the country of Brazil is designated as Level 2 which means “Exercise Increased Caution” Then there are additional warnings for specific areas such as favelas & they are designated as Level 4 which means “DO NOT TRAVEL”. US Embassy & other US government personnel are forbidden to enter these areas. Link below for maps of several Brazilian cities showing the known favelas Maps of U.S. Citizen Caution Areas - U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Brazil BR.USEMBASSY.GOV The caution area maps shown below were created to help U.S. Citizens travelers avoid potentially... Informal Housing Developments (commonly known as “Favelas”) – Level 4: Do Not Travel Do not travel to informal housing developments (commonly referred to in Brazil as favelas, vilas, comunidades, and/or conglomerados), even on a guided tour. Neither the tour companies nor the police can guarantee your safety when entering these communities. Even in these communities that the police or local governments deem safe, the situation can change quickly and without notice. While some informal housing developments have clear boundaries or gates, or even names such as “favela”, “vila”, “comunidade”, or “conglomerado”, other such developments may be less obvious, and may be identified by crowded quarters, poorer conditions, and/or irregular construction. In addition, exercise caution in areas surrounding these communities, as occasionally, inter-gang fighting and confrontations with police move beyond the confines of these communities. Except under limited circumstances and with advance approval, U.S. government personnel are not permitted to enter any informal housing developments in Brazil.

true - and those same people are terrorized by the gangs & drug dealers that actually run the favelas. nobody lives there by choice because of the dire circumstances. I guess naive tourists could somehow perceive it differently. one of the purposes of this forum is to try to help others stay out of trouble when traveling to destinations discussed. In this case Rio. You evidently know more than the locals, the Brazilian media and all the members here who have shared their actual experiences Bravo for the Oscar award winning virtue signaling performance though. Which seems to be the entire point.

In Rio, favelas are very close to almost everything - it's not an unusual thing. They surround all the popular beaches. The favelas are full of gangs, drug dealers, weapons, desperate people & immense poverty. so when they see the rich foreign tourists wandering about & some of them very stupid - of course they're going to rob them

it’s actually doing damage - leading some to think entering a favela is no big deal. there are some here that just won’t acknowledge real facts on the ground (or multiple similar reviews from unconnected people in this forum), but rather spin a different Rio reality based on a couple isolated anecdotes. All the Brazilians I know have been mugged, robbed or worse. The general attitude is that if it hasn’t happened yet, it definitely will. Your number just hasn’t come up as they say. Rio is extraordinarily dangerous - especially in tourist zones. You can still go & have a great time and not be a crime victim. Just requires a different level of vigilance. If not, they will find you. They look for stupid tourists because they are the easiest targets. And always leave town shortly after the crime.

x

and that is precisely the problem. among non-users who have friends that pnp, it’s clear that recreational users don’t see themselves or the situation accurately. They are convinced they can “handle it”. They lose friends because they change when using & in the days spent recovering. They start to hang out with other users as their non-user friends tire of the behavior. There is a lot of shame attached to the use, thus the need to hide it & be secretive. Not to mention paranoia, lack of sleep/eating - it’s actually very obvious to see when anyone is using meth. Of course, the users don’t believe this. for those recreational users who think can “manage it”, they compare themselves to the addicts who have lost jobs, homes, family & relationships. Basically like comparing a burned-out building to another building on fire & somehow thinking that is ok. If meth use is is necessary to have exciting sex, then there’s a whole lot wrong that needs fixing. And that doesn’t start until the use is curtailed. It’s an insidious drug. I’ve supported addicts in recovery through friendship & even going to CMA meetings with them. I’ve heard all the stories in those meetings. Only to see those same friends relapse and go through it all again. Meth is different than most other drugs in that it can permanently alter brain synapses, affecting speech, movement & cognitive ability. I’ve seen the end result in formerly handsome, healthy & smart men. All this talk about judgement, virtue signaling, etc distracts from the results of this drug use and unfortunately paints a benign picture of a deadly drug. btw - many of the guys in CMA meetings were providers or former providers who thought they could handle it. Of course.

I don’t agree. I’d say some people can do PNP without going down the road road to addiction & life ruining consequences. However, I’ve been around dozens of guys who do it “recreationally” and still have jobs, careers, family & relationships. That said, when they’re using - the personality changes are distinct and my observations are consistent: they get agressive, mean & beyond bitchy. It’s all about getting dick ( and there’s never enough, maybe because of limp dick unless there’s more drugs). If it turns into a run (more than 48 hours) then these people are no longer recognizable based on behavior & personality. Forget the judgment & health consequences, they’re just not fun to be around. I’ve shared houses with these types on extended vacations - an absolute nightmare. They’ve lost friendships for sure - basically because they became super assholes sounds like fun, right ???

I’m sure I’m in the minority here - but, any mention of PNP by a provider in their ad or anywhere in communications w me is an automatic hard NO. It’s difficult enough to find someone reliable & trustworthy- throw PNP into the equation and anything is possible IMO. I tend to think that if a provider (or anyone else) is that thoughtless about their own health & well-being, then mine is certainly not going to be a priority. I just don’t think it shows maturity and good judgement - absolutely something I don’t want to be around under any circumstances. And then I suppose it could impact performance. So, what exactly then is the point of any of it ?

the wait must have been acceptable, otherwise the manager would have been summoned !

same thing happened to me in BCN. It’s a strict policy there. I’ve seen it happen to other clients there many times. They’re not really rude about it - but if there is a language barrier it could come off that way. I believe they are wary of law enforcement going in & less likely to happen if everyone is in towels…among many reasons to enforce that rule.

Most seem to object to the layout of Lagoa - it’s vertical, like a smaller version of Termas BCN. However, Lagoa is fairly new (maybe 2 years old max) and it’s in a safe part of SP with very easy access to major hotels. The number of working guys varies by time/date just like all the others. Lagoa does seem built more for business than compared to more socializing at 117 & Pointe 117 & Pointe are both old facilities, albeit traditional Brazilian saunas with garotos. I’m not a fan of 117 just because I don’t like going to Gloria. Pointe is really central in Copacabana with easy access, but the neighborhood can be dangerous day & night. The saunas are more what you make of them vs what some expect to be served. For me, it’s really more about safety and there is no question the area around Lagoa is far safer than Pointe & 117 in Rio. Not even close. As for the working guys - just go on a few different nights and you’ll see that it varies and can be unpredictable. All of them should have more than enough choices to make even the demanding client happy (except a few here).

did you ask to speak to the manager ? and let them know that this world-famous sauna was just not up to your expectations ? LOL I can’t even

I have no doubt that providers getting scammed by clients is a reoccurring problem. as mentioned previously, when I briefly used a burner number the call back ratio by experienced providers was almost zero. I don’t know how they could ID a burner number, but they were able to do it. Less experienced providers were the ones responding to the burner number. I have a lot of empathy for providers, knowing how they get so many inquiries with no intention to hire. Then, an actual appointment and more BS from the client. The discussions here tend to be client focused and about providers pulling scams. I’ll bet it’s at least an equal ratio with clients scamming providers. And back to the original topic - I’ll bet plenty of providers get stalked by clients too

I have not met this provider in-person. But, I have seen his profile over the years and he was previously Miami based for a long time. I clearly remember several 1-star reviews and that was always the reason I didn’t hire him. And it seems like there might have been a name change. Also, his look has changed dramatically (for the better). The current reviews are all positive, so it might have just been that he was new & didnt take the job seriously and professional. That seems to be a recurring situation with new providers, then they figure it out.

in context of hiring providers & hookups of any sort - do not believe a word they say or write. prepare for the worst and then make your choices accordingly. if someone is naive enough to take a providers word (or anyone) regarding sexual health/practices, then there’s really not much to say. that same person likely makes many bad choices based on faulty information as far as knowing specific providers aren’t being truthful - chalk it up to experience. no surprises there

oh the irony - quite something to opine about people using multiple aliases when one does the very same thing, ad infinitum. and particularly when one is known for the multiple aliases due to the signature verbose ridiculous/pompous/pretentious posts not surprising in context , yet a stunning lack of self-awareness. again Hi Riobard !!!

there’s more than one here. and some operate under various names. it’s been discussed here before & of course, this is a prime environment if someone is looking to mine personal information from others. I think most of this goes on by private messaging. It’s not unique to this forum, the same things happen in every online community. This just tends to attract a few more people on the margins given the subject matter. It is to be expected.

I think it’s safe to say that “burner numbers” cannot be traced to a specific person - thus, providing some additional privacy protection. Law enforcement & the cell phone carriers can trace burners as they are routed through the real cell phone number. However, saying a burner number is not traceable is not the same as saying that the burner number can be verified as a fake number. Real phone numbers will yield a treasure trove of information with reverse lookups, etc. When no information comes up searching a burner number, then a provider could determine that’s a burner number they won’t reply to. I had the app Hushed for quite some time (same as Burner - both ranked best 2 apps for second numbers) and my provider call back ratio was a fraction compared to my real phone number. A provider who became a friend told he routinely checks searches phone number data and won’t return calls to numbers he thinks are burners. Also - there are many apps that will recognize burner numbers and those numbers cannot be used to authenticate certain online services. Perhaps the technology is getting better and this is becoming less of an issue. And to be fair to the providers - there are many “clients” that stalk & harass them. Or, at the very least they are bombarded with calls, texts, inquiries and the vast majority do not hire. So, of course there has to be a screening process to weed out the time-wasters & fakes. Thus, my preference to stick with a few trusted providers to avoid the inevitable time-consuming screening process.

this brings back a memory - not blackmailed, but definitely stalked by an online hookup many years ago. At the time, I was living alone in a single family home. This guy would show up unannounced at my front door and didn’t live anywhere close by. It didn’t seem dangerous, but did seem very strange & creepy. Months & weeks would go by before it would happen again. It only stopped when I got a boyfriend that moved in that same house and answered the door when the creeper was there. That was the end of it. I think IRL and online stalking are way more common than people realize.

agree. some providers won’t answer alternate phone numbers - evidently, there is way to determine if it’s a “burner number” vs your real phone number as mentioned, I’ve never had anything actually happen. just not a good feeling when someone has made an effort to investigate. tbh - in the provider world, there are many guys with lots of problems. It’s a numbers game - eventually you’re going to run into someone who has bad intentions. Lots of legit guys too who are professional. but it’s not like we’re dealing with a regulated & licensed profession- buyer beware

not familiar with either club, other than basic location. be very very careful in those areas after dark.

he looks like a crackhead - and the former partner even worse.

great review of Lagoa. I’m assuming you probably have some specific contact information for garotos you met & liked. When you get private messages asking for that information (and you will) - do not give it out. Keep all your contacts for you only. All you need is for one creeper to ruin a nice relationship.

Have you ever been stalked by a provider ? Something like after the meeting, they go looking for personal information about the client. Once they have a real phone number, they can find out almost anything. And if they’ve been to your home, then even worse. I’ve definitely had a couple guys let me know they knew more information about me. Nothing ever happened, but a general feeling that someone is up to no good and trying to leverage something. In todays world of course, that doesn’t just happen with providers. Anyone can do it if they think they have some valuable information. Kind of twisted & creepy for sure. Then factor in all the information available online and it’s a breeding ground for the mentally unwell.