I used to feel the same way and I think if you want to tip them thats fine 5R is enough , I once had a driver drive me the equivalent of 1 city block and ask me for 20 R , also split a taxi with loving marvin in november and he banged us both for 55R instead of us splitting the bill, so remember next time you reach for the tip they will rob you whenever they can

Did you actualy pay the taxi driver 55R a piece? Or did you laugh and give him 55R total?

80% of the taxi drivers i know are crooks, for everyones information who doesn't know, from copa or ipanema to the airport is about r30 or so and from copa to barra shopping is about r30, anything much higher than that for no good reason (traffic, etc.) you got taken.

They have so many schemes, from not turning the meter on, to charging per person, to taking long routes, to accidently going to the wrong place, they have done me wrong many times. And when you meet so many people in the same profession in the same city that are all rip off artists and assholes, the hard working man arguement doesn't carry much weight with me any more.

apart from the arguement over kickbacks for the drivers from the termas, the only way to not get ripped off is to know your way around copa and ipanema somewhat, and always always always make sure the meter is on. if they won't turn it on, wait for one that will, even at the airport you can get one that turns it on and you will save yourself a lot of money in the longrun. also, if you meet one that is good, get his card and use him for all of your airport runs and barra or other runs (corcovado, pao de acucar, etc.), they can also hook you up with girls and almost anything else your heart desires.

for those of you that go to centaurus, there is one taxi driver that hangs out there in front all the time. his name is marcos and he carrys the girls to and from work, and is a devote christian with good morals and a very friendly guy, he also has 5 kids or so. if you can meet him or hook up with him he will not do you wrong, and he also has the numbers of the girls that work there for afterhours fun.

(Message edited by gr8ter on February 19, 2005)

"a devote christian with good morals" and "he also has the numbers of the girls that work there for afterhours fun"

Sounds like he's devoted to the right cause.

Love the sinner, hate the sin, Hunterman, especially when you can't afford the sinner!

My favorite exchange from one of my all-time favorite movies, "Stripes":

Russell Ziskey: You could join a monastery.
John Winger: Did you ever see a monk get wildly fucked by some teenage girls?
Russell Ziskey: Never.
John Winger: So much for the monastery.

"a devote christian with good morals" and "he also has the numbers of the girls that work there for afterhours fun"

Sounds like he's devoted to the right cause.

yeah, go figure, he is an honest guy though and i like him a lot. he doesn't try to pimp out the girls or anything, but he knows them all because he drives a lot of them to work and home, etc. he doesn't speak english though. i asked him how he could be a strict christian and still drive the girls around and he really didn't have an answer, but he keeps his bible on the passenger seat of his car and it is worn out from usage, go figure......

Christ was known for associating with tax collectors and harlots.

I, however, do not care for spending time with tax collectors.

This place is starting to be serious money. I was there the Thursday evenging two weeks ago. It was 490 reals for a suite for one hour. Man, with the real at 2.5 to the dollar now, this place is big bucks.

It has been 3 years since I was last in Centarus. I use to think there were no ugly women here. There were actually some ugly women here this time.

In general, I would have to say that the ladies here are not as good as they were in 2001 - 2002 time frame.

Still possible to have a great time, but it sure in not cheap any more.

Sure wish the days of 3.9 / 3.8 reals to the dollar were back.

Have fun.

MM

MM I have to agree with you totally. I was at Centaurus last night with a few of my buddies. As usual there were a few great looking girls but on the whole I have to agree with you the quality is way down from say 6 months ago and with the low $ it can get expensive there. Hemp

I agree with Major also but I would say in general everywhere in rio is more expensive now with the dollar worth less reais. This is not a problem only at Centaurus, as prices everywhere (including help, etc.) continue to remain the same or increase while the dollar just falls. 490 sounds expensive for an hour, especially considering for 310 you get one girl for 40 minutes, I know the extra 20 minutes adds a lot to the price but I never get it, I just stick to the 40 minutes. For me around 120 dollars or whatever it works out to for 40 minutes with one of the girls here is still worth it, but I continue to dream of the day when the dollar will be at 3.30 again or higher against the real.

Centaurus is expensive especially when you consider you can get one of the girls at an escort agency for 120-180 reals for 2 hours. And you don't even need to leave the hotel. I can understand the pain of the exchange rate though. However, the real may move in our favor as U.S. interest rates creep up.

Last night, I paid a total of R$310 for entrance, one 50 minute session (small amount of overtime) and five non-alcoholic drinks (2 coco waters, a juice, a coke and a mineral water). No tourist tax and no paying up front either, since for some reason the guys at the desk recognized SweetMesquite. I think he's been there before

Catacony good seeing you there last night my friend. My total bill was about $400 since I bought a few drinks for the girls to warm them up (like they need warming up). If you are a regular there like Sweet and myself you don't have to pay up front since they recognize us. As a matter of fact I am heading back there tonight to do this blonde that was on my list but I ran out of bullets last night. Yeah I'll be with my buddy Sweet again.- Hemp

one data point for the people who ask how much the girls make. an average looking girl at centaurus (i will post her picture later) told me yesterday that last year she made 95,000R at centaurus according to their "tracking system". i was kinda shocked that an average girl could make that much here. she could be exaggerating a little but she is honest from what i know of her and didn't have a reason to lie given the conversation.

Another scary fact, assuming she banged guys for an average of 150, that means she fucked 630 or so guys last year, that is a lot of sucking and fucking. what amazes me is that after fucking that many guys you would think a girl is incredible in bed and knows how to make a guy orgasm in 2 minutes (which would be beneficial for her because she has to fuck for less time), this girl barely knows how to give a blowjob. then again i haven't really met girls in termas with outstanding sex skills which surprises me also (don't get me wrong, they are great and i cum every time, but after fucking that many guys i would think some of the girls would have extraordinary skills and i haven't seen too much of that).

I am travelling with her for a few days for the holiday so maybe i can get some better performance out of her and her friends this weekend

(Message edited by gr8ter on March 24, 2005)

Although this place has alot of garotas and nice facility,They gotta do something about the price and pay up front crap.IMHO the quality has gone down compared to a year ago,but then again thats subject to debate.But the point is I expect a little better than the rest.The girls are real aggressive compared to the other termas and really try to push the duplas big time, which I don't mind at all.It gets kind of annoying cause some of them are hard to shake.

The thing that gets me is the little things that I notice compared to the other termas(which cost less).The lockers are one of the worst,you can pick those things with a toothpick probably.The shower area offers the least compared to others(toothbrush/paste,etc) and they even lock the toilet(at least use to).I don't know about you guys but at least get a female to give massages,I'm not letting some dude touch me at no bathhouse(or anywhere for that matter).I don't drink alcohol,but the non alc drinks suck.When u order water they give this little cup like the ones that comes with Jello pudding.If im remembering correct I think all the have is coke.They gotta do something about those plastic mattresses and those sheets.The girl escorts to the locker usually are pretty easy to ditch.

I know this is old news to many of u veterans and you will continue to go regardless.I for one probably will not be going back there anytime soon unless things change or its the ONLY option.With the weak dollar and if I wanna continue taking numerous Rio trips,I gotta spend more wisely.Personally 4x4 is the best bargain right now(IMHO).For the same price you pay initially at Centaurus for one garota you can get a dupla w/ a drink and take the metro back to copa.lol.Thats $115US now a days which is not cheap for Brazilian standards.God forbid you go in and don't see anything you really want,which i almost did one time,but ended up going back in the pit and finding something eventually.

The staff at Centaurus seem pretty cool though.I never found them to be rude or anything.I especially like the locker ladies they are real cool.They seem to go out of the way to help you,like when one of them made me aware that one of those piranhas got some cigarettes on my tab and took it off my tab with no problems.Too bad this place engages in discriminatory practices against us "GRINGOS".

Have fun guys and cover yourselves.lol

Late

The sheets ALWAYS come off the bed at Centaurus. That sucks. How hard is it to buy fitted sheets?

if they collect up front [which sucks] they will refund to you if you do not take a girl. ways to get around tourist tax and paying up front[ see above princess copa discuss]. anyone stupid enough to do a dupla there deserves what he gets. C is up and down now like all termas and requires more effort in screening to avoid the dreaded RIO TOURIST FUCK [i have seen 40 min become 28min as the girls there keep their own time , no phones] still some of the best girls and sessions have been there.

Despite the above post,I'm pretty sure theres still some hot chicks there.The sessions Ive had there were pretty good.The last two trips when I went it was disapointing,but I know the terma cycle keeps turning up new babes all the time.I usually recommend to the newbies I meet to at least check the place out once.

The one time I was gonna leave without taking a girl, and tried to get a refund they said I couldn't.They said something about it being a package when i paid up front(whatever that meant).But at the end i got my money worth..

Centaurus policy of paying upfront seemes to vary from gringo to gringo and from the front desk person depending on who's working. I have gone through stages of paying upfront total, including the tourist tax; paying upfront total..tourist tax not included; no paying upfront but pay total before a session; paying upfront..only entrance fee and tourist fee..walk out with no session; and finally paying upfront on entrance fee, no tourist tax, and pay again before a session. Go figured.

did not mean to give the impression that the girls are not hot usually. often the hottest. but you have more fun if you know what you are up against rather than leave with a bad taste in your mouth as many here have. if C ever got there act together the line would be out the door. been going there 3yrs so doubt will ever happen. also if it is even slightly busy there can be a long wait on the cabin. and---don't do a dupla or a suite here, save your $for elsewhere. single cabine with a stunner can be cost effiecient and fun if you know there games.

Just a couple of notes from my experience is response to Ee2002 & Gr8ter- If you speak Portuguese (or try your best, the front desk people are friendly), I don't care about being charged up front, I've never walked into Centaurus and not seen a garota that I was excited to session with, so I've never cared about the pay up front thing, the only thing that bothers me slightly is having to go downstairs to pay for any costs for duplas or additional sessions.

I have even had one of the old ladies in the locker area hand me a tel. # I left in my robe (girls are not supposed to give you their number).

You have to ask for a toothbrush and toothpaste, they have them for you...I think the shower room attendant's name is Mauricio or Marcelo...

I have seen the cleaning ladies spray dissinfectant on the plastic mattreses, so I'm glad they are plastic.

The locker areas would be tough to steal from because there are so many people coming through to pay, change or girls walking around, plus the locker attendant lady(ies) are usually around.

The price is what it is, however, if you are like me and make Ipanema your stomping grounds, you save R15-30 on cabs (I've never been able to make the commission thing work for me).

I never can understand what this RIO TOURIST Fuck is...I've never gotten it before at Centaurus or anywhere else for that matter...

With respect to annual earnings, I can confirm that a girl at Solarium told me she made R$80,000...so if you are a star at Centaurus, R$95,000 seems achievable. I've never been discriminated against by the Garotas at Centaurus, in fact, I have been told by two different garotas there that they actually like Americans better than Brasiledos because we smell better(?) and generally are not as rough in the sack...go figure.

yeah, what copa says is true, i just spent a week in europe with two centaurus girls and they mentioned this as the reason they like working there. one thing i can't figure out is why these girls love expensive stuff so much (i.e. gucci, prada, etc.). A lot of them don't even have a high school education but instead of saving for school and trying to get out of the life they are more worried about buying a mercedes or another expensive car and getting the most expensive clothes, jewelry, etc. i guess it is something in their culture or just their world outlook but it drives me nuts to see them waste money like that and then see them complain about how hard work is and how shitty their lives are.

btw, the girls were great in europe, they both speak english very well and didn't want to go shopping with my money, or anything else for that matter. i paid for food and the hotel but that was it. they were great, always up for sex, etc. the one time they did want to go shopping i disappeared and there were no negative consequences for me later, lol.

they also had no real problems getting into europe but they did get a lot more questioning than americans or europeans would. apparently when they entered the union there were about 5 gdp's on their flight who were connecting to spain (to go work i guess). the 5 all had over 1,000 euros in cash and they were taken to an area for further questioning, but i doubt that anything bad happened to them or they were prohibited from travelling further. i don't know though.

Most of the GDP's have grown up really poor and never got to wear nice clothes or have nice things growing up. Now that they are making decent money by brazilian standards they try and make themselves feel better by buying nice clothes,jewelry, etc.
as far as education.. their parents and families are not educated so they do not really lean towards it. Also, just becuase they finish school does not ensure they will be able to get a good paying job. Brazil is very class structered and they take one look at GDP's with zero reported work history and it is obvious how they payed for their degree.
You are very smart to have missed that shopping trip !!!

Was there last Friday. Talent was horrible. Had to spend my time trying to look busy to avoid 3's. Lots of 6's. Had to repeat with the best thing there which was still not that good.

Mitchc: Better or worse than Alameda Jau 480?

Better, but much more expensive.

I guess I'll have to break down and try a SP run soon. I think the Rio Termas are great, so if Mitchee casts such a strong vote in favor of SP, it must be good.

Mitch - just one question - who likes SP more? Dr. J or Mr. H?

DG

Damn - I double posted.
Too many SamAdams here in the airport hotzone


DG

(Message edited by DonGringo on April 22, 2005)

Actually, Julius does not like SP too much. On the other hand......

ok, this is just to get something off my chest because i just got back from centaurus and am pissed off.

it really gets me that these motherfuckers charge foreigners 70 reais more than they charge brasilians. the prices for the girls and everything else is pretty much on par with other places, but the extra 70 reais is out of control.

tonight i went there with a guy who goes there two times a week (his girlfriend and one of my "girlfriends" work there together and we had dinner as a group several times is how i got hooked up with him). he is brazilian, rich, and knows everyone there, including the owner for 14 years. anyway, when i entered, he told the management that i was with him and i did not have to pay upfront. in turn i thought i was in and would not have to pay the extra 70r either.

wrong, when i was leaving, they still had the extra 70 on my bill for a total of 305r for 3 beers and 40 minutes with a girl (tatiana, has large natural breasts and is great by the way). on top of that, they even told the guy i was with (is it separate or together) demonstrating for both of us in the process that my bill was 70r higher for the exact same fucking thing.

i spoke with management there about it again (for like the fifth time, which might be why they added it on, not wanting to give into my complaints), and they basically said (again)that unless you go there regularly (meaning 2x per week average) you have to pay this extra fucking money.

i just think it is ridiculous because although the talent here is good, it is not that much better than solarium, 65, or 4x4. on top of that almost all of the girls here (or at least 30%) are at barbarella or help every night and can be had for 300r for the whole fucking night. on top of that, a girl from here stayed with me every night i have been in rio for the last two weeks and only wanted 800 reais for 14 nights (granted i paid for dinner and a couple hair appointments, but still). the girls who work here are not the ones getting the extra money, they still get the same 120r for 40 minutes, it is the fucking management getting all the money.

granted there are other benefits to going here, but i no longer feel that it is definitely worth the extra 70r (if i remember correctly the entry is also 70r which is 20r higher than at other places). you can get out of most termas for 220r or so (4x4 of course less, especially before 5) so for the price of going to solarium 4x you can only go here three times.

anyway, enough of my rant, but needless to say i think the management here are assholes and although i love the girls here, i don't think a visit here is a no brainer the way i used to. i think the extra 70r charge is ridiculous and wish i could organize a boycott of this place in hopes they would take the extra fee away, in the end this places is seeming more to me like the barbarella of the terma world.

btw, i know the prices have changed very little in the past few years wrt the pricing here, etc. but with the dollar at 2.5 instead of 3.30, and the talent here way down in my opinion, little things like this are starting to piss me off more and more, especially when you get nothing for the extra charge (and neither do the girls). on top of this, the girls here are very aggresive and always try to get guys to add on an extra girl or an extra 20 minutes which are both outrageously expensive compared to the 40 minute price.

(Message edited by gr8ter on April 27, 2005)

ok, so now i am very confused, i am back talking with the brazilian boyfriend of the girl who works there and he is telling me that i did not have to pay more than brazilians pay there. that everyone pays 290 for one girl for 40 minutes no matter who you are and that i was arguing for a discount that no one gets. can someone who knows please explain the pricing and how much more it is for a tourist tax so i can know if i am complaining about the right thing....please. because if it is only 20 reais more i have never paid it, but from looking at the bill (which i don~t have now) i thought it was 70r more.

To recap:

The first pluck to the nuts is the tourist tax. The tourist tax is 20 reals, which is paid to the taxi driver if he comes in or is kept by the house if not. The second shot in the ass is having to pay upfront, before you walk 2 feet into the club. Prepaying for sex is always a bad idea - what if you don't want to session?

I've never had to pay the tourist tax or pay upfront, but I dislike the place primarily because of the newbie tourists, the obvious clipping of everyone else, and the very pushy garotas. Tourists are tourists but the other issues are all managment's fault.

Here's the way to get back at those BASTARDS

Take a cab there with 3 guys. Tell the cab driver to park and escort you in.

Then tell the cab driver that he can earn $60R for taking all 3 of you there. Get his phone number. Tell him you will call him when you are done and wait for him to come and get you.

The cab driver will turn off the meter to take you to Centauras, so you will have a free ride there. Tell him you will wait for him to pick you up and take you home, for free, and you will call him again another day to pick you up.

At least you will have a free cab ride there and back. Fuck Centaurus. The babes are hot, but the sheets don't fit and I always end up fucking a chick on a rubber mattress. Reminds me of the time I bagged a nurse in Grannies Old Age home...

I really don't get it gr8ter.

How can you blame the management of an establishment for trying to extract the maximum amount of money he can get from a customer for services provided? That is their job. They'd be remiss if they didn't get pretty close to the maximum the market will bear without losing volume.

Now, you claim all these other places are better, that you can get a hottie for R$57/day (R800/14), and you are in the know with the girls there, and Brazilian frequent sleepers, etc, and yet you continue to walk in there and pay R300.

Obviously the place is providing you with services that are apealing to you or you would not keep on going back.

When we hire a lawyer or a landscaper prices and services will be all over the place. Same with Rio girls. It is an open market. In the end you can only do 2 things: vote with your wallet or get stressed out over perceived "management a#&holes".

Don't let it affect the enjoyment of the sport.

Regards,

As emotionally implausible as it may seem, I agree with DonGringo on this issue. There, I said it. I may not be able to live with this stance, DG being the sack of shit that he is, but it is really the way that I feel.

"Aunt Bee" really appreciated your attention in "Grannies Old Age Home". Nice work, Opie.

This DG guy really makes my skin crawl...

"How can you blame the management of an establishment for trying to extract the maximum amount of money he can get from a customer for services provided?"

The motto of scamsters worldwide. I guess I shouldn't ever think twice about the taxi drivers in Thailand who are scouting for tourists to ream. For example, I remember one who tried to get me to pay US$20 for a boat ride that normally goes for no more than 50 cents. I suppose I should have applauded him for his free market philosophy rather than condemned him for his attempt to prey on a tourist.

Incidentally, part of the free market is that people such as those on this board are free to express their disapproval of establishments that are setting their prices too high, thereby (through attrition of business to establishments with more favorable price structures-such as every other similar business in Rio) possibly influencing the market price downwards.

Blissman: I wouldn't be so quick to condemn DG. There was another guy on this board (whose name most of us won't even dignify by letting it pass through our lips) who adopted a similar demeanor and the last I heard he was on the run. Don't generate bad Karma dude or it may come back to bite you on your not-too-well-covered ass!

so does anyone know, where does the 290 go to? for example, i believe terma 65 is 120 for the girl 50 for the room, and 50 for the entrance. i know the girl at centaurus is 130 for 40 minutes, but what happens to the other 160? and is it 310 instead of 290 is the tourist tax is paid? also, does anyone else know any brazilians who go there and can confirm that they pay only 290? i have lots more to write and a few pictures from the past two weeks when i return to the us.

i appreciated everyones comments and agree with most of what gato had to say, however, my only comment is that although the market will bear it (cause they are obviously still in business) it doesn~t really make sense for me to go there because there are 10 other options where the girls are almost as hot and cheaper. i just go back now every once in a while for variety cause i already know the girls there i want to know.

(Message edited by gr8ter on April 28, 2005)

Gr8ter,

We discussed the full Centaurus pricing just a few weeks ago, but if I remember right the entry is 70 reals and the garota fee is the rest. The combined fees without tourist tax and no drinks is around 270 reals. Do a search and you should see the thread we were discussing it on.

I think the $R270, breaks down like this; $R70 entrance, $R50 cabine for 40 minutes and $R150 girl for 40 minutes.
CG

thanks guys, i will look for the info. the bottom line is, i think the pricing here is much higher than other termas and not worth it (this used to be my favorite place and i still like it, but with the exchange rate change and improvement in my opinion of the quality of the women in other establishments, it is no longer my favorite and seems to me to be a ripoff compared to other places...my "girlfriend" of course would kill me for saying that cause she works here but it is the truth). centaurus is, of course, welcome to charge what they want and i really like the girls here, but at this point i have other options and choose to avail myself of them. definitely stop by here, but do not upgrade to one hour (another 40 minutes with another girl is almost the same price) or get pressured into doing a threesome or going with an ugly girl.

as for advice to other travelers, i would seriously recommend 4x4, solarium, 65, or even some days mc and luomo over this place. in fact, if you don't like help because perigoso, cheio, piranhas, etc. and are willing to pay centaurus prices or price is no object, go to barbarella instead of this place, i don't really like barbarella that much but for 200 reais more (300-400 for the girl and 120 for the house) you can have a girl who is better looking than the girls here (for the most part) has slept with a hell of a lot less guys, is better educated, and in most cases will stay the whole night (be sure to negotiate all aspects of your transaction with a barbarella girl ahead of time, including how many times you want to bang her and how long she will stay, in my experience this is not usually a problem with help girls or terma girls who stay over night, but I have had a few bad experiences with expectation gaps with the barbarella girls).

One other thing, I hung out with the brazilian boyfriends of these girls a lot this time, as well as hanging out with the brazilians in 4x4. For some reason they all made jokes about foreigners going to vila mimosa, asking if i had been there, etc. I really didn't get it as I don't think we go there a lot, but whatever.

Gr8ter - Great comments my friend. I am heading to Solarium RIGHT NOW! Let the sword fight begin. - Thanks Hemp

Gr8ter -- I hate Centaurus, too, and I'd be glad to participate in a boycott that would be effective like this: walk in, ask how much, say that's too expensive, and walk out. If a lot of us do it, it might have an effect. Especially Hombres who are on the way to another termas anyway and have no intention of sessioning at Centaurus.

I usually go to all the Termas locations on my trips here but this time I won't go to Centaurus. Especially with the dollar down to 2.5, 290 is a lot to pay without knowing firsthand what you are choosing from. Besides, I have always hated the employees here, (not the girls), because of attitudes.

I was in centaurus on saturday and walked out without a girl for the second time in two weeks.
The last time I was in there was november and they have the same girls working there.The only girls in there that are worth fucking are a blonde named fernanda with a huge ass and another girl named lolo who is a black girl from bahia with a great body and a great face.I already fucked both of them before so my suggestion would be to get a dupla with them,blast on there face and beat it like michael jackson.All the other termas are blowing centauras out of the water.Solarium and terma 65 are the best right now.I got a card from a new terma called bahamas that I haven't tried yet.Monte Carlo is a hit and miss but is a lot better than centaurus.Another thing is that I've been here for 5 out of the last 9 months so maybee I havent let rio reload with more sluts.I really need to go to sao paulo or curitiba and check out a new scene.Even help and barbarella are becoming boring for me because I see the same girls over and over and over again.Sometimes I think It might be better to come to rio for a quick vacation and let the place reload so you have a bunch of new girls to choose from.

So, the grass is always greener, even when you're in the middle of the tall shiny emerald stuff.

Is there a refund (less the R$70 entrance) if a customer leaves without seeing anyone he wants?

Mrcrs, why do you specifically mention Curitiba? Is it known for its mongering scene more than other places in Brazil (other than RJ and SP)?

curitiba has a lot of hot blondes and other people of german ancestry. I was there with a couple gdp a few months ago for vacation and liked it a lot as a city. i didn't do any mongering there but ads were everywhere for it and the girls looked great. there are a few colleges there and young people all over the place so i wouldn't be surprised if things were good there. i would like to hear from someone who has been there for mongering though. i wouldn't recommend going for the next couple months though cause it can get very cold there and it is not really a "beach town".

as a general rule, if you like darker girls, they are in the north, and the lighter girls are in the south. one guy told me bahia is about 80% darker and 20% lighter where places like curitiba are 80% lighter and 20% darker. i have been to both places and agree with this assessment from what i have seen. that being said i don't know that the sex scene is nearly as developed as it is in rio but i would expect not (however, i was vacationing with gdps on all the trips so i really didn't explore this side of it).

btw, i am glad everyone agrees on centaurus, but more than them going out of business i really need for the dollar needs to get back up to 3.30 or so which i don't see happening for the next few years.