robear

Disagree about Jake. Had some memorable sessions with him. Yes, he has a certain ... presence ... but his massages were over and above every time I saw him. I don't think he ever advertised as an escort, his offerings were always in the context of his massage services.

I've lived in a fifth floor NYC walkup for 30+ years, so no, three flights up is not a problem. Comes with the territory. Although you'd do well to let clients know in advance that they have to climb to get to you.

My holistic physician suggested this herbal supplement along with others to help control my blood sugar, hopefully to avoid medication. Won't know if it works for that until March when I see him again. However, when I sought it out to order (3 X 500mg standardized extract) I noticed the manufacturer marketed it to "men wanting to increase testosterone levels." Surprisingly, for the first time since lockdown I'm actually horny again, much to my surprise. Googling a bit, I find references to "increased libido" as a potential side effect. Works for me! Curious if anybody else has experience with this.

Bureaucracy in service of lobbyists for massage schools, and the banks that provide student loans to pay for it. Credential inflation in much professional training is rampant and big bucks for the business of education.

With the availability in the US of generic Truvada, I'm almost certain my insurance will require that over branded Descovy (which is currently covered). Watching for the 2021 formulary to check that. On a PrEP holiday due to COVID, won't go back on until the storm passes, so probably won't need to deal with that until the spring at the earliest.

Denver is also a city and county. And the capital of the State of Colorado. Historically part of the vast Arapahoe County formed by the Kansas Territorial legislature, it was created as a separate city and county in 1901.

Drake Jaden is now a physician in Florida. I guess his porn work helped pay for medical school.

Great list, @Geriatric Otter, jealous of your good times with fine men.

@MikeBiDude I can't speak to your coverage, of course, but in my experience when generic drugs become newly available, my pharmacy manager shifts over automatically unless the prescription is written "Dispense As Written", which I don't think doctors generally do.

https://preprx.ucsf.edu/2-1-1-prep As Frank says above, 2-1-1 begins with a double dose 2-24 hrs. before sex, and is followed by a single dose the next 2 days. It would be prudent to follow that protocol for all sexual encounters, not only "unprotected," but that's up to you. If you a very active with different partners, the daily dose of Truvada or Descovy probably makes more sense. All PrEP therapies are based on those 2 prescription drugs. I'm sure there are sketchy operators out there in internetland willing to take your money to bypass the physician-pharmacist route, but IMHO doing that is not very wise. A reminder that for most people with commercial insurance, PrEP is free or low cost with the manufacturer's copay programs, available for both drugs https://www.descovy.com/treatment/co-pay-assistance Many states and most big cities have programs to provide PrEP at little or no cost to those without commercial insurance. If you feel unable to ask your regular physician for a prescription, or you don't have a regular physician, I would check out local HIV services or STD clinics, you can almost certainly find a physician who will manage PrEP therapy without judgement at or through such facilities.

Another thanks, @BuddyWorker, these notes are really excellent. I'm struck by the range of providers and experiences that you found positive. And not a dud in the seven (unless you just left them out ...). I envy your bodywork budget!

OMG, a feature is "Vaginal Anus Available." How can I live without this device??

The HPV vaccine is a special case in which the target virus is widespread in the human population in many variants, as noted above. Recommendation is for young people to be vaccinated before they become sexually active, or up to age 26 as a kind of catch-up. Beyond that, anyone sexually active at all (ahem) is almost surely infected with an array of HPV types already and the vaccine is presumed useless. I tested positive for HPV years ago in a research study, although I didn't get the strains that they found at that time. A few months ago I asked my doctor for a "pap smear" up the butt. The result was that no abnormal cells were found, and no evidence of the "worrisome" strains of HPV. Good to know.

One thing I'd including in "training" is to engage the services of a carefully selected provider or 2 to help with your explorations. Be completely honest with your guy as to your goals for the session, and let him help you open up, relax and enjoy the sensation, with your toys or otherwise. A real pro, not a fly-by-night tryin' to make rent guy, is likely to have valuable expertise to share in this area.

It was (closet case) Ed Koch, long before Giuliani, whose admin closed the baths in NYC in 1985. Admittedly a confused time, the city was under pressure to "do something" about AIDS. Making a show of closing sex venues at least didn't cost anything. Giuliani's contribution along these lines was to declare porn shops illegal, requiring businesses selling erotic material of any kind to dedicate a percentage of their floor space to non-erotic wares. This nonsense continues today (although even the concept of "porn shop" is pretty much on the way out).

Interesting, but by now I think the concept of "gay bath house" has gone the way of flared pants and polyester prints, along with many brick and mortar gathering spots. Yes, I know some old places still hang on (at least pre-COVID, I expect there will be a shake-out when restrictions lift). It's hard to imagine, though, anyone trying to develop a new facility along these lines as a viable business.

There are providers listed online at the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association http://www.glma.org/ and the LGBT Center https://www.sfcenter.org/resources/ and others, as @honcho has mentioned above. My sense is, though, these online listing are kind of old school, most professionals in and adjacent to the LGBT community don't bother with them. If I were doing the search, I would start with the PCPs available through my plan, narrow it down to a geographic area convenient to me, and then check out the individual candidates online. Almost everybody has some kind of online bio these days, and LGBT friendly physicians usually indicate as much on their bios. LGBT Medicine, HIV Management, Trans Medicine, etc. are all good indicators that the physician treats a number of LGBT patients. My own physician in NYC says he is a "proud member of the LGBT community" in his bio. You can even get a little stalkerish and google the candidate's name, which often brings up wedding announcements, social activities, etc. etc. I know what you're really looking for is a direct, personal recommendation, and hopefully someone here will be able to respond in that way. Meanwhile I hope the above is helpful.

Has anyone shown that COVID can be transmitted via urine? It's broadly regarded as a respiratory infection (with circulatory complications), and urine is generally sterile. Feces is way more complicated in that regard, but again, I'm not aware of evidence of COVID being spread via fecal contamination.

Pro tip: when he pushes in, you "push out" a bit. If you clamp down (contract) it will be painful. OTOH, once he's in there the prostate itself should not be painful. It may feel "weird" or "full," but actual pain may be due to whatever ails you, not a healthy response.

To answer your questions: they can be, sometimes, yes. Bodywork, whether erotic, therapeutic or something inbetween, is by nature a very intimate interaction between two (or more) people. Providers take different approaches, and have different goals for their services. Some style themselves as "sacred intimates" or similar, taking a more holistic view of the interaction than just physical manipulation. It's your massage. Though you described the provider's questions as "non-intrusive," their approach seems to have bothered you a bit. If you see them again, use your words to (kindly, gently) suggest that you're only interested in the physical experience. Frankly, the provider sounds like a keeper to me.

For private meets, tipping is truly optional, unlike a spa setting where a substantial tip is more or less expected. If I'm pleased with the service, I like to add a bit to the provider's fee as a sign of appreciation. I usually have the fee in an envelope and make a show of adding a 20 or 2 to the envelope before handing it over. I think it shows satisfaction and builds goodwill if the provider is someone I will see again.

Not a plug, but if you're a fan of big beefy guys, The Guy Site does have a history of featuring amazing models, most of whom don't appear anywhere else, either in porn or on hiring sites. Don't know how he does it. In the past year or so, he has more and more of the models interacting sexually, too. I don't know how the guys "identify," but the producer clearly makes it worth their while to "play gay" for video.

In the internet age, fact is that if you've done commercial porn, future employers, clients etc. are likely to know about it. Or discover it. That's a given, and I think it serves anyone to be upfront about it, so there is no discovery to be made. In the scenario of a gay/bi/etc male client and male therapist, as mentioned above, it really depends on the work the client seeks and whether he feels that a sexualized view of the therapist would interfere in that work. ('Cause you KNOW he's gonna find that porn.) I saw a therapist for several years who in the course of our sessions shared a bit of his own experience with casual sex, bathhouses and all that. It was relevant to the conversation. If that had extended to my seeing video of his behavior, I don't think it would bother me or change our relationship. But that was him and me and the specific work we were doing.

It may not be just the $3 if you use a credit card. Seems to me a way to harvest cc numbers for resale. Avoid avoid.

It's been discussed in other threads, but this might be a good place to mention the book Every Grain of Sand, a memoir by @David-SF. I was unexpectedly moved by his tale of redemption from a host of personal demons through his discovery of a gift for connecting with men as a provider exactly where they were, and bringing light to their lives, if only for a limited time. Highly recommended if you haven't read it.