Alfstoria

If you’re referring to the saunas in Rio with pay boys, you will almost never have a problem telling the difference between a working guy (“garoto de programa” or the more familiar “boy”)  and a client. First of all, at saunas with garotos, there will almost never be a working guy there who isn’t there to make money, unless he is there exclusively to see one client — and in that case, you’ll either approach him alone and he’ll tell you he’s there for another client only, or you will already see him with that client (in that case, never approach when he is with the client — this is completely disrespectful to the client and could cause you a world of embarrassment… or even hurt).
If you’re asking how to physically tell the difference between garotos and clients at saunas, this will never be a problem 99% of the time. In spite of what may be claimed here by some, very few clients except for the unicorns look like they could be garotos de programa in Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo. In 15 years of regular visits, I’ve personally only seen maybe 4-5 clients at the most who in person would be or were mistaken for sauna garotos in real life and in real time.
Very few non-GP saunas in Rio or São Paulo even allow working guys there, so it’s safe to assume no one at those saunas wants to be paid for a sexual encounter (unless they disclose this to you upfront). They are closer in operation to a bathhouse in the USA. 
 
 
 
 

Where did you get the info that Thermas has been slow? Every time I've been in the last few months it's been similar to how it's always been: a varied mix of working guys, from muscular gym types to twinks. Friday and Saturday are always the best time to go. 

Wow this is fantastic you are such a wealth of information! I’ve been recently looking to plan a trip to SP for this kind of a crazy weekend.
ive taken giant Brazilian cock before but man it hurts. Does anyone use poppers in these establishments or are they still pretty much a no no?

This March I  was a newbie in Rio too, and I'll never see the appeal of an Airbnb.
Maybe it's suitable for a couple or a group, but definitely not for a solo traveler, especially for the first time.
Bringing guys I barely know, who don’t speak English, to my apartment or hotel is also a no-no for me. As others have mentioned, it's important to be aware of your surroundings. While I didn't feel threatened or witness any incidents, it doesn't mean they didn't occur. I relied on Uber for transportation, which sometimes proved faster and easier as well as the  local taxis. However, navigating around Copacabana was challenging due to the poor sidewalk conditions, especially with frequent rain and high humidity affecting my mobility. On one occasion, I made the mistake of walking from my hotel, the Windsor Copa, to Point 202. It turned out to be further than expected, and the area seemed more residential than commercial, with rundown buildings reminiscent of Cuban pensions. The steep stairs at Point 202 were unexpected, and the sheets in the rooms barely stayed in place. The cleaning staff, mostly women, seemed to keep close track of everything, which struck me as odd. Perhaps I wasn't there during the best week, possibly due to the rainy season or Semana Santa. However, I found the layout confusing and by that many hot guys.
While some of the guys were attractive, only two really caught my eye: a muscular man in his late 20s and my all-night boyfriend, a 19-year-old nerdy masculine twink. What a treat! He had a beautiful face, plump lips, and sturdy, big cock. I might have enjoyed more of him but he asked to meet a previous appointment and then one he was done he can continue so he left with a Latino guy who had an accident, fallen down the stairs, causing a bit of drama. I'm not sure what happened, as they were speaking only portugese and Spanish, but it seemed concerning. This incident dampened my enthusiasm to take hot nerdy out  for dinner. also he got dressed up and left with the limping Latino. 
Since I didn't find any other guy hot enough, I was tired because it was my first day in Rio fresh off the plane, I retired early at 8 pm and ate close to the hotel.  
The next day, I had to cancel my touristy plans due to non-stop rain, so I settled for some silly indoor sightseeing. The tiny aquarium was fun, and the RioSul mall in Botafogo became my refuge during the storm. I wished my nerdy boy was available, but he had left in a rush with the guy who had fallen down the stairs. I'm not sure what happened, but it didn't look good.
That day, I visited the Seven Cruising Bar, the only place open early ag 10 am. It's a cute little cruising club in a very remote area. They always have themes, but I wished they closed later so I could have gone after the saunas. Unfortunately, they close by 10pm  and it's quite out of the way. I stayed there from 1 pm to 2 pm, and it was quiet, with only three guys, but they were good-looking thirty-somethings who didn't mind playing with a late 50s chubby gringo. However, since I was still thinking about the hot, young, and well-endowed GP, I decided to save my energy for the sauna boys.
Then to solve my poor internet connection when it wasn’t WiFi. I went to the TIM store in the shopping center RioSul mall, I was able to buy a cheap smartphone using only my passport.That night, it was my turn at the 117 sauna. I will report on that later.
so To be continued...

i am glad i was never too attached to Stock Bar, even tho, was my first stripper bar ever; i met this wonderful blond boy there, SB doesnt have that type of boy anymore. 
I will keep going to Campus since they have exactly what i am looking for. plus, i keep in touch with most of the dancers i like.  
i have reservations for June and July, i will report as alwasy but if Stock Bar is a drag bar, i will definitely skip that
 

The owner posted that Bronco left after an hour citing anxiety as the reason.  

it looks like a nice line-up. I hope you guys have fun, i miss the old Adonis, it used to be more hectic, but the guys used to be top-notch. 

I don’t speak Japanese and I just turned up at their location (i went to the one called king of college)  in the evening and chose one of the boys among the 15 available on that day. Very easy and very enjoyable. No communication issue. Prices for overnight are really affordable, compared to the US. 

I've said it many times.... we need a "BunnyRanch" for gay men. 

Every large city in Brasil has something equivalent to Sauna Thermas. Rio has 3 of them. It’s heaven at a very low price.
If you are in Europe then Zurich’s Paragonia wellness club is where you can always find several guys available every day.
in Bogotá I hear that the st moritz bathhouse is the place to go  
Japan has many all-male brothels, especially Tokyo.  Make brothels are fully legal and regulated there. 

I haven't been recently.
Will try to remember the name.
And by "very upscale" I don't mean the Four Seasons. I meant quite upscale for a brothel disguised as a spa.

I'm more confused than I was before. 
Just enough information to be interesting but not enough facts to reward my interest. 

I hope our GP thread doesn't get canceled. It's filled with valuable information for planning a sexvacation in Brazil. We're all mature adults here, so we each will take care of ourselves. We don't require additional statistics or updates on recent crimes. Whether or not we have that information, we'll be adequately prepared and aware. If I want news, I'll visit a news or statistics forum.
peace and viva 9/10 inch’s uc well built handsome face garotos
 

the current master list:
https://clubxroom.com/ Springfield, MA
https://www.yelp.com/biz/real-luck-cafe-pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA
https://www.silveradopdx.com/ Portland, OR
https://www.stagportland.com/ Portland, OR
https://www.fuzzynavels.com/   Portland, OR - update: closed, but check for a reopening
 
and on varying days (join email list):
Buffdaddysparlour@gmail.com   West Babylon, NY, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA    (update)
 
the conventions are full male nudity in the main "public" area of a US "venue" (club, bar, private space) at least once a week....check with the specific spot for days of the week and hours......

Thermas parties are from 11pm to 3pm, so they start at the end of one day and carry until the afternoon of the next day. 
Thermas has a lot of coed parties. 

Axel One in BCN is nice but obviously Americans. 
Axel in Berlin has reportedly turned into a virtual whorehouse where escorts can be picked up in the hallways. IDK, I'm going next week to find out. 

The name is Pointe 202 - sometimes just called Pointe or 202.  You can find a reasonable/safe/nice hotel within 5 minutes walking (or less) from there.

I wouldn’t try to stay close to 117 - no decent hotels there & it’s not a neighborhood geared towards tourists.  
Lots of better hotels very near Pointe in Copacabana. Travel time between the two saunas depends on traffic, which can be horrible. Within average traffic, maybe 10 minutes in Uber.  Or, the subway/metro is an option with stations very close to both saunas.  Uber is so inexpensive in Rio tho, that it’s not really a factor in decision making.
I prefer staying with easy access to Pointe & then going to 117 when a change of scenery is required.  Others may disagree, but I prefer hotels in Rio just due to extra security and not disturbing the locals in the place they call home.  Most better hotels will not allow guests in the rooms though.  
 

I visited to Montreal last week for the first time in 4 years, and I had a great time. I stayed at the Hyatt Place Montreal, formerly the Gouverneur. I thought the renovations made for a huge improvement. It's clean, comfortable, not too expensive (in mid-December, anyway), and the location is as convenient as ever for the strip clubs. I did not plan it this way, but I made it each of the 4 bars twice.
Campus is thriving, as others have noted. There were plenty of dancers circulating with their shirts off (not always the case), and they were all quite attractive (not always the case). They were all good about taking no for an answer (again, not always the case), and I never saw groups of dancers congregating together and ignoring the customers. I did several private dances; the standouts were Zack, Apollo, and Pepe (looks like a lumberjack, huge all over, very generous and interactive).
Stock was a mixed bag for me. I did not have to pay the cover the first time I went (the cashier had wandered off and the security guard eventually just waved me in), and that was good because it was very dead (this was a Wednesday night). There were very few customers, long gaps between stage shows, and most of the dancers did not drop their shorts at all. Most of the dancers kept their shirts on offstage and huddled in groups talking to each other all night, not circulating or talking to customers at all. I tried to flag down a couple of them multiple times, but no luck. Santiago (Cuban, short, great body, really well-endowed) was the only dancer approaching customers, and he did more privates than all the other dancers combined while I was there. There was a tall, slender Black dancer named Piper who did not even take his shirt off during his stage shows, much less his shorts; that seemed odd to me, at a strip club. Stock was much livelier on Friday, but there were still lots of dancers ignoring the customers and talking only to each other; I don't know how they make any money that way.
Taboo was dead on Thursday night. In fact, I was the only customer there when I arrived (which I did not realize because all the dancers were sitting at the bar, fully clothed, so I thought they were customers). One dancer talked to me for the whole time I was there (<30 minutes); I did not want to do a private with him, but I could not think of a way to get him to move on ("I would prefer to sit all by myself staring into space rather than talk to you" seems a little unkind). I left as soon as I could. It was busier on Friday, and there were 2 dancers I would have done privates with; but they were both occupied with other customers the whole time I was there.
Red Diamond (formerly Expose, formerly Luxe, formerly...) was very quiet both times I stopped in. I have always liked this club - in all its many incarnations - more than most forum members. The staff has always been very friendly, the private dance area is really private, and I have had lots of interesting private dances there. Damian (tall, swimmer's build, friendly and low-key) was the only dancer working both nights. He was very approachable and chatty, and I had fun private dances with him twice. Friday was busier than Thursday, and Damian said he expected it to pick up later in the evening (I was there pretty early).
This was my first real vacation trip since before the pandemic, but I hope to get back to Montreal this Spring.
 
Ichabod

Yikes. 😳 Another stroke on the scoreboard for hiring. Yes there are positives and negatives to hookups and hires, but by and large, hiring offers a lot of value for a lot of people. 
Get what you want, with who you want, when you want. No muss, no fuss.

Has anyone met with this gentleman?
https://www.masseurfinder.com/massage-therapists/21783/

The slandering  I am not only a big fan of the Campus boys, but I can also name a handful who are the sweetest guys I’ve ever met. Don’t just take my word for it; imagine one of them at 4 am in that weather. Most of those boys really take care of themselves with the gym and a healthy diet

Oh. Thanks.  You sounds like a very outgoing and social person. I am not
That was a hot recount. For some reason I thought that it was you with 14 guys 🤑 that is hot but I've been in Adonis and I've seen the type of guys who go there. Mostly hot and big. 
THanks, I will give it a try one day. Will start with 2 I guess I have to have a lot of cash on me that day. 
after the pandemic I will try to do as much as I can I learned my lesson. YOLO
I will go to the next Adonis nude. I was lucky the last two times I went there and Tim gave me a comp entry. 

Blowbuddies is a little TOO "diverse" for MY tastes.
I'm not into bears or daddies and the venue tends to start there and descend quickly to just old and fat.
I spent the hour pushing people away because I was the only fit man I'm attendance the night I visited.  Tried again years later and left quickly, having suffered the same result.
If you LIKE hairy bears then it's probably fun for you. There is a lot of activity as people seem to get down to business pretty quickly.

You make a buddy, you blow him or viceversa.