J. S.

Met him a few days ago, super friendly, on time, sexy, amazing kisses, rims, it was fantastic and fully recommend!

Its so validating to understand after years of thinking i was the only one that loved natural smells of men.  I commented earlier on how i imagine walking into a small warm humid room with the smell of all those very smelly jockstaps hanging. talk about feeling close to a guy. I did admit to a co worker, i sniffed his dirty underware... he was buzzed on fireball. he smiled at me and chuckled a bit. I get toe curling horny as i sniff my own unwashed for a year plus jockstrap. 

I've met him twice, both have been great experiences for me. 

BUMP ... also curious about Darren

Met him recently, and right away I’d say he’s a nice guy, think teddy bear vibes, but one who also spent some time at the gym. Muscular, solid, with a bit of belly softness that actually made him more approachable. His body overall? Sexy. And his ass? Honestly, worth writing poetry about. Add in amazing lips and you start to see why things clicked. The connection was there, so the extras were definitely enjoyable, even if we didn’t wander all the way into “deli territory.” Not sure if that’s ever on his menu, but what was there was good. 
Technique-wise, he’s got a table, and he mentioned he took a short workshop. You can tell he learned the basics, his hands know the chords. The issue is in the performance: imagine a pianist hitting every right note but all out of sync, with no rhythm or flow. That’s how the massage felt. The ingredients are there, but the recipe hasn’t come together yet. Maybe he just doesn’t have the natural talent for crafting that harmonious, “wow” massage that makes you melt. Or maybe it’s just more practice he needs.
To be fair, massage isn’t even his main gig, he’s a student training to become a physician assistant (or something like that). So this might just be a side hustle to pick up some extra cash. That would explain why it felt more like a well-intentioned experiment than a polished performance.
Overall: sweet guy, sexy body, lips to get lost in, an ass that deserves its own fan club, and a massage style that’s promising but not quite concert-ready. Worth it for the connection and extras, but if you’re looking for massage magic, he’s still a work in progress.

I only see an old thread with no reviews. Anyone with recent experience?
 
DarenForrest - Male Massage & Bodywork in Los Angeles, CA | RentMasseur
RENTMASSEUR.COM Gay Masseur DarenForrest in Los Angeles, CA offering a wide range of massages ⭐ experienced in therapeutic, sensual, swedish, hotStone, deepTissue.  

Thread about him on LPSG
 
 
 

Seems like a total green flag all systems go kinda profile. Just curious if the more trusted members here have experiences with this guy you want to share? Surprised there's no posts about him here (under this name at least).
Headofstate - Male Escort, Gay massage - Los Angeles | Rent.Men
RENT.MEN Headofstate Gay Escort in Los Angeles, California, available for Gay Escorting,Erotic Massage,Bodywork. | Find all the best Male Escorts at Rent.Men  

I unfortunately had a bad experience with him. Him and I chatted and setup a time and when the time came… he totally ghosted me and never replied. 
 
YMMV of course but not even a “sorry can’t make it” just radio silence. TBH I’ve seen him at some of these leather parties around town (eg Tuff) and he’s always on something. Anyways. Hope OP can get sometime with him but I wouldn’t after being ghosted last minute

I personally had a good experience with Jack. His interests list fisting, but I did not do/or ask that from him, so your friend would need to. Good dick size, and is okay with using poppers, breeding, and pushing limits, and is quite hairy. 
Jacktheripper - Pornstar Performer, Rentboy, Gay Massage in Los Angeles, CA | RentMen
RENTMEN.EU Pornstar Performer & Rentboy in Los Angeles, CA - Jacktheripper: Deep Voice / 8” / Dark Hair & Blue Eyes  

It’s important to understand that Roma (gypsy) is different from Romanian. Yes, Romania has the largest percentage of Roma in Europe by they are still very much the minority 3% of the population (with the highest unofficial estimates of around 10% of the population). The Roma/Romani descend from Northern Indian nomadic group that migrated to Europe in the 7th century CE. 

I agree with you. I just returned from Mexico City and I would have to say I was disappointed. The scene there is almost entirely dominate by sex clubs (Dallas, Paradise, Sexto Piso). The one supposed "European Style Sauna", So.Do.Me, apart from its hours ,is really indistinguishable form the sex clubs. These are all dominate by a much younger crowd that have no interest in someone of more "mature years." I can have much more success at my local Steamworks.
So I think I will be returning to Brazil next.

Besides Lagoa, you may want to check Python in SP. My sources tell me that the new sauna is taking many of the hot boys that used to work at Lagoa. As in Rio, the saunas are competing for the boys, offering discounts in their fees and feeding them. Apparently Python has been very successful lately at attracting the best and the many.

Loved your report! I go to Brazil every year and I prefer Rio over SP. 
My experience in SP was similar to your Rio experience. The garotos I met in SP were all upcharging me and they spoke really good English.
I speak a little Portuguese and I love the food there. Very fresh and natural. I hope you go back and explore more of Brazil.

great report....thanks @b2bf.... 
for fun, just checked the US/Brazil exchange rate after several months......wow, very favorable for Yanks (and others??)......only 18 cents for a real (was 16 cents a few months ago - lowest I've seen)........I see some hand-wringing over at gayguides ("the other site") about garoto/sauna rates and fees/haggling.......quibbling over five dollars or similar!!.......not all gringos are that way, but I gotta wonder what the garotos are thinking when the haggling begins

Glad you had fun. 
By the way if you’re 65 or older you ride free on both Rio and Sampa Metro. Locals age 60+ can also ride free with a special card issued by the transport entity. I carry a copy of my passport and leave the passport secure in my lodgings but the turnstile agent or the uniformed guard I hail always accepts looking at my d.o.b. on my province’s health card. Learn how to vocalize your birth year (ano de nascimento) while pointing to it … dezenove etc. 
I don’t quite know how you mix-and-matched the two respective cities’ two airports each but I have always managed to fly to Santos Dumont in downtown Rio (near 117 in fact) from Guarulhos, and vice versa, so not needing to transfer from Congonhas to Guarulhos to fly back home, and bypassing the haul between central Rio and Galeão. All Brazil ground transfers by rail at no cost. To get through to Rio right away after overnighting on Air Canada I ticket from Canada to Santos Dumont and from Santos Dumont to Canada at visit end, each way just a terminal transfer at Guarulhos. Usually Azul Airline and no domestic flight $$ add-on. I realize you stayed in São Paulo to start, perhaps separate ticketing, and that may account for the some of the complexity and rush you described.

- This is long so I’ve added headings to let you skip the parts that are boring.
Aknowledgments
I hope this is helpful for someone contemplating their first trip to Brazil. This is my way of giving back to the many people on here who helped me with their generous advice in the various postings. Thanks.
Please forgive the ramblings and injudicious assumptions of a neophyte and be kind in your comments.
Context
After 41 years I’m a widower trying to distract myself from the realities of living alone. I’m also a bit of a sex fiend so … what better distraction. I’m still in good shape for my age. About the same weight as when I was 25. Yes this was a trip to see the largest Pride Parade in the world but it was really a sex vacation - and I had a lot of it - in just five days!
The Trip
This was fast. I have two kids (cats) that I can’t leave for more than a week, so that limits my vacation. I like it short and intense anyway. 10h direct Toronto to SP overnight. Four days in SP. Morning flight to Rio. 24 hrs in Rio. Afternoon flight back to SP, change airports and overnight back to Toronto.
The Pride Parade
Yes it was spectacular. Worth seeing once. I’m glad I chose to stay where I did. Probably the only hotel with rooms overlooking Paulista. I could see the crowd without having to be in it. The room was overpriced but as a first timer it was safe, gringo friendly and couldn’t be better located. Next time there are really nice upscale (but cheap) AirBNBs in Consolação.
Safety
This issue has been done to death so I just add my brief experience. I have some tolerance for sketchy neighbourhoods but I’m fairly prudent (Toronto: the gay neighbourhood can be rough at night. Our homeless are often severely drug damaged and wild. LA: my introduction to the city in 1989 was driving in from LAX and meeting a fully armed take down in front of the old Spagos’ in West Hollywood. I was maintaining  a fibreoptic-switch at USC during the Rodney King riots. Amsterdam: in the 90’s I’d regularly cross Vondel park in the early hours). SP: I kept to Paulista, Consolação, Bella Vista, and a little Jardim. Mostly during the day although I often walked back from Lagoa in the evening. I didn’t have any safety concerns at all. Once (because I got my directions wrong) I ended up looking for an address in Republica in a very sketchy neighbourhood. NOT advised. I was in a more upscale part of Republica later (Aurora) but … if you must Uber in and out. Chili Pepper - just Uber in and out (hide your phone - it’s not difficult - I’d never go anywhere without it).
Rio: I think in planning I swapped hotels four times looking for a place for just one night - mostly over safety concerns. In the end I was right next to Copacabana Palace ( a place I would never stay at). The place I stayed was already to gringo overlord infested for my liking but as a first visit… I Ubered to Club 117 on the Tuesday night and on the Wednesday morning I walked the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches walking back one street in. At that time in the morning, if prudent, it appeared reasonably safe. There’s a lot more homeless here than in SP. Ipanema is quiet - very residential. Copacabana is all hotels, tourists and tourist hustle.
São Paulo: Espaço Lagoa
Wow! Kid in a candy store! And I was popping them like candies (or they were popping me). The numbers, the size, the girth - just amazing. The thing was, it wasn’t just their physical attributes, their beauty (omg Brazilian men are stunning) or the number of them but also their smiles and friendliness. I know it’s a business and they’re good at their jobs but I felt these guys were especially good at the “customer relations” side. They wanted you back; they wanted to build a relationship. I came back every day for four days and they were there hugging me. And part of that of course is that I’m a generous tipper. This is a very tough life and I can’t help it. I’m sure the news travelled (every day their price went up). The last day I only had time for three. They were all fabulous. They were beautiful and beautifully endowed. They performed with real passion, energy and aggression - really draining themselves. They may be good actors but they made it seem like the real thing to me. It was fun.
São Paulo: Chili Pepper
This was on the Sunday just after the Pride Parade. I probably got there too early although it was quite busy. Probably one of the nicest and largest saunas I’ve ever been in (maybe Hollywood Spa in LA or Thermos in Amsterdam). The layout sucks. All the rooms are at the back with next to zero traffic. Almost everyone (a predominantly Millennial and younger crowd) were concentrated in the 2nd floor dark area humping like rabbits. I scored two reasonable hits. In the end I’m not sure it’s a place for me.
Rio: Club 117
I went on a Tuesday, too early because I had a later appointment. Rooms were free. I really didn’t see enough to pass judgement. The sex I had was very good. Physically, technically excellent. It was however a bit robotic. There was a sense of trying to always encourage the extra fee, to maximize the revenue now without any interest that we might meet again. This is what I call the “tourist hustle” and It’s what Rio is all about. There’s little “client relationship” and it’s all about making as much now as possible. Maybe I’m being too harsh. I’ll see next time. 
RM & Garotocomlocal
There’s little of what’s available in Brazil on RM. A few of the upscale creators with northern links (Timtales) Good luck in trying to get a response from them. For most providers I think the subscription fees would be a killer. Grorocomlocal.com.br has 1028 providers listed for São Paulo and 458 for Rio de Janeiro. There is some form of certification and subscription but I’m not sure how much or how good it is. I don’t trust it that much - it’s a step up from BackPages but maybe not that much. I when to Brazil with the intent of hiring just like RM since I had no experience of places like Lagoa. I had a Brasilian number and communicated in Portuguese through WhatsApp. I put out requests to twelve providers. Seven never responded. Two asked for pictures (I sent my RM link). They ghosted me. I hired the remaining 3 with one ripping me off. In the end Lagoa is better and safer.
São Paulo vs Rio
- Caveat: I don’t go out walking at night so judge accordingly
So … I like big cities. I live in Canada’s mini-manhattan (haha). And SP is Manhattan writ large. I stuck to Paulista, Consolação, Bella Vista and a little bit of Jardim. All very walkable - provided you don’t mind hills. That took me by surprise. I knew the areas quite well from studying the maps except I didn’t understand there were so many damn hills! It’s like San Francisco. In fact there’s a real feel of that in Jardim. Other parts feel like LA. There’s a funkiness about the restaurants and bars in Consolação (the gayborhood) that isn’t either. The people are friendly but don’t expect a lot of English. Yes there are probably a lot of tourists there but it’s so damn big it doesn’t influence the city at all. Security is everywhere. It must be the biggest industry in Brasil. Even the smallest retailer ha a security guard. Military Police cars are cruising along Paulista every two minutes. Not so much beyond, however.
Rio is tourists. Copacabana is wall to wall hotels on one side and tourists stalls on the other. As a result English is more common although not really anymore common among the gorotos. Ipanema is much more residential with only  a few hotels. The condos are immaculately kept and all hermetically sealed behind secure walls and cameras. Being there, close to boteco Belmonte, would be ideal. I left feeling like I should have stayed longer and seen more. I still feel that way but I feel like it’s likely to be one and done. I don’t see it as a regular destination. I’m intrigued by Salvador. As my old friend Nelson Freire used to say “o tempo dirá” - time will tell.

Things To Look Out For
* Be careful as a pedestrian in SP and Rio. The crossings aren’t well indicated and where they are just because you have a green light doesn’t mean the cars will give you right of way. Stay alert!
* ATMs appeared to be more aggressively scalping you than I remember in Europe. Their exchange rate is ridiculously low and they tack on a hefty fee if you refuse and use your bank’s. Try and take cash with you. (I did but I got greedy and needed more. In some situations, however, greed was good).
* I didn’t get to explore much in Rio but I never came across an ATM or a bank (security?). Thankfully there was an ATM in my hotel. In SP (of course I was staying on Paulista) they were everywhere.
* Generally food is not spectacular. It’s like one big Denny’s. It’s serviceable. There are plenty of Michelin starred restaurants to try but I’m not good at eating alone in a restaurant and without the language …
* Carry a power bank! The last thing you want is to be stuck with a phone running out of charge. It’s your life line (Uber is your friend).
* They were starting to install contactless bank payment at the metro Consolação. Soon all major cities will have this so no need for specific metro passes.
Things I Would Change
* Spend more time in Rio. The place is magical and despite the limitations (see above) there’s a lot of good sex to be had. You can be prudent without being paranoid.
* Never try to change airports in SP in one day. Leave yourself room if you have to do it. It’s too nerve racking.
* Learn at least rudimentary Portuguese. I had tried but .. Google Translate only takes you so far. It’s tough to use when you get a WhatsApp from one provider while getting fucked by another.
 

The massage itself was mediocre at best, maybe a C+. He was friendly enough, but the deal breaker, something I wasn’t warned about, was that he wears gloves the entire time. The sensation was so unpleasant I nearly stopped the session on the spot. I only let it continue out of curiosity to see how bad it could get.
Then came the real shocker: midway through, he offered a “happy ending” or mutual touch for an extra fee. I declined, of course. To top it off, he added that even if I wanted to touch him, I’d have to wear gloves. Boy, talk about someone who can’t stand the heat but insists on working in the kitchen.
This isn’t just disappointing, it’s absurd. He is in the wrong business entirely. Avoid at all costs. Unless, of course, you’ve always dreamed of paying good money to feel like you’re being massaged by a hazmat crew.

Avoid like the plague.
I’ll share more details in the near future. 

I hope this is the right place to post this? If not happy to move to a different topic. I have a submissive buddy of mine going to LA for work soon. He’s looking for a very kinky and push the limits kinda session. Has anybody had any good experiences with the men in LA? He’s seeking somebody who’s cool with poppers and max, fisting and dominating.  I told him I’d ask a group I’m in to see if I can get any leads. Sometimes he likes to just let loose and get wrecked and has figured maybe hiring somebody with experience would be the best way to go about it. Any advice to share would be great!  I should just tell him about this place as he could also ask. But any advice would be amazing guys. 

Perhaps even more stunning in person. The massage was okay, but he is a nice guy and very generous with his body. 😍

I had a great time with him, and have now seen him multiple times.   He is even better in person,  a beautiful muscular body and totally handsome.  I found him to be super friendly, sensual, and very strong.  I will definitely see him again when I'm in the area.