Language Issues: I speak what I guess can best be said is stupid-man’s Spanish (meaning any native Spanish speaker would say “Man, is that guy stupid” after hearing my feeble attempts at the language), and sub-moron-man’s Brazilian Portuguese. However, even at this low level of language proficiency I probably do much better in Rio than if I was totally deaf and dumb with respect to these languages. If you are going to Brazil for the first time and don’t know either language, I would suggest picking up some Pimsleur Brazilian Portuguese CDs, probably the most effective way to develop a rudimentary ability to speak the language. If you only know Spanish, I would still recommend learning some Brazilian Portuguese since although Spanish is understood by many in Brazil, it is not the first language. In this regard, part of the problem for English speakers is that while in much of the world English has become the second language, in Brazil Spanish is the second language. English is therefore relegated to third language status at best. But if you are a language moron, this should not preclude an enjoyable visit to Rio. You should have fun there irrespective of your language abilities, but maybe more fun if you make the effort to learn some Brazilian Portuguese before your first trip.
A Statistical Summary of My Last Trip (without any Bell curves or standard deviations): During my 10 days in Rio I had 24 sessions with 22 garotas (girls). Of these, eleven sessions were at termas, including Quatro x Quatro, Luomo, Monte Carlo, Solarium, as well as a less expensive terma named Beach Girls Sauna. I also visited Terma 65 (downtown, near Quatro), but was not real impressed and left without taking a session. I did six sessions at inexpensive massage parlors, inexpensive meaning you pay the real equivalent of about $10 U.S., sometimes less. I also had seven sessions at Vila Mimosa. Seven of the terma sessions included anal sex; five of the massage parlor sessions did, and two of the Vila Mimosa sessions did. A couple of garotas insisted on using a condom during the blow job (none at the termas); a couple more started putting one on but agreed to proceed with the BJ without one after I asked; the rest gave BBBJs. I was able to take photographs of all the garotas except for two of the massage parlor girls. This is not to say that every garota allows photos; rather I always negotiated this up front and would generally only go with garotas who would agree, the percentage being at least 50 percent (higher in the termas). The one exception to my negotiating photos up front was at the massage parlors where I usually let the luck of the draw determine whether I would get any pictures (see below). Incidentally, the reason for including these summary statistics is to give some “feel” for the types of experiences you can expect to have in Rio. It should be added though that there is going to be some variability depending on all sorts of factors. For example, if you need a wheelbarrow to wheel your dick around, you might have less luck in the anal sex department. And so forth.
Back to picture taking: to my surprise, eight of the garotas I spent time with did not raise any objection to my taking photos while they were giving me a blow job and/or during fucking. For those of you who frequent Thailand a lot, you will recognize that this represents a distinct advantage of Rio, assuming that photos are important to you. A few garotas did object to blow job pics, and in other instances I didn’t try, either because I had a sense that there would be an objection, or I wasn’t in the mood to take the pictures (for example, when I was about to run into a wall after a series of sessions, and did not have the energy to multi-task, so to speak). Of the garotas who allowed pictures (i.e., almost all of the ones I went with) only one refused to have her picture taken without clothes, and another only allowed pictures with her top off, not bottom. Now for the bad news, particularly given that you may now be expecting to see all the great pictures I took (about 400 spread out over 20 garotas!). For various personal reasons I am not posting any of the pictures; many of the girls told me they did not want the pictures on the internet and I have elected to respect their wishes in this regard. I am torn about this, and even hesitated to submit this report because of the absence of pictures of garotas, but decided that some of the information here should be helpful to some, even if pictures of the girls are not included. No flames or semi-flames on this issue please! And I don’t respond well to begging. If you are a Brazil newbie, at least some of the information in this report may help you obtain some good pictures on your first trip to Rio.
Disclaimer: I have never visited Help (from what I hear South America’s largest disco, but almost exclusively for working girls) or the strip clubs such as Barbarellas. Part of the reason for this is that by the time late evening rolls around, I am usually all fucked out, having started around noon at a massage parlor, moving to a terma and/or Vila Mimosa later on. Another thing is that I like situations where I don’t have to negotiate much or worry about being taken advantage of, something that seems to happen more with Help girls than in other locales, at least from what I can gather. Actually, while I have never gone to Help, I have been with Help girls, both at Vila Mimosa (see below) and at a massage parlor (since the action really starts at about midnight at Help, some of the girls have “day jobs” or early evening jobs before making their way to Help). I suspect that Help girls, who are used to free-spending foreigners, tend to be more aggressive and more likely to try to take advantage of us; this, however, is only a theory based on limited interactions and, as noted above, comes from someone who has never visited Help. The same rationale regarding negotiations and rip-offs has probably kept me from visiting the strip clubs, although my concern there is as much with the management trying to rip me off as the girls. Nonetheless, I probably will eventually get around to checking out both Help and the strip club scene; more than anything, that I haven’t visited these places reflects that I really like the other scenes that are available in Rio, and therefore haven’t found the time for Help or the strip clubs.
Also, I have not used, and therefore cannot comment on, any of the escort services. That is for another trip, and probably will happen only after I improve my Portuguese language skills.
Termas. For the Rio newbie, the higher-end termas may be the best bet initially. Since virtually all of you who have been to Rio have visited these, and the newbie will have no trouble finding massive amounts of information about them on this board or elsewhere, I will not provide much information about them, except to say they are great! Of the four higher-end termas I visited and had sessions at on this trip, I liked Luomo and 4 X 4 the best. Monte Carlo and Solarium are owned by the same people, and did not impress me that much on this trip, although they are perhaps a bit more refined than Luomo or quatro x quatro (a rather subjective judgment though). Also, when I was in Rio two years ago I really liked Solarium so my present terma preferences should be taken with a grain of salt.
While my experiences during a 10-day trip were necessarily limited, my impression is that the Monte Carlo and Solarium girls tend to have more restrictions than at the other termas mentioned above. For example, more of these garotas I approached at these places refused to allow pictures, and fewer would agree to anal sex. Compounding this, on one of the days I went to Monte Carlo, I did not find any garota that interested me, although it should be said that on another day I had two sessions with two very attractive garotas there.
For those of you who are used to Thailand, it should be said that there are far fewer girls in a typical terma than in one of the larger massage parlors in Bangkok. It is therefore quite possible to go into a terma, particularly one of the smaller ones (such as Terma 65, or Monte Carlo) and decide that there is no garota of great interest. Then again, the more common experience is to see many desirable garotas, but fewer in total than at some of the large Bangkok soapie massage parlors.
Getting back to the termas: I prefer the 1-hour sessions over the 40-minute sessions because I have a greater chance of getting off twice during the longer sessions. With the exception of one garota at quatro x quatro on my trip two years ago, every terma session (including two at quatro x quatro on this trip) lasted until the telephone call came indicating that time was up. Unlike in many other parts of the world, you pay for an hour, you have the girl for an hour, and you are not limited to one shot.
Another advantage of booking an hour rather than 40 minutes is that you typically get what they call a suite rather than a cabin. The suite usually includes a rest room; many of the cabins do not (this latter point is to the best of my recollection; it may vary from terma to terma). Unfortunately, at Solarium and Monte Carlo the number of suites is very limited, which means that you often are stuck with 40 minute sessions in small rooms even if you prefer to pay more for an hour session in a suite. This doesn’t seem to be a problem at quatro x quatro (the best bang for your buck terma, IMHO) or at Luomo, although you may have to wait for a room at Luomo on weekends, since it is one of the only termas open then, and it gets real busy. The wait is not all that bad though. Usually your chosen garota will be kissing and diddling with you during the wait.
There is a low to mid-range terma in Copacabana that is not part of the “cycle,” i.e. is not generally frequented by the Monte Carlo, Solarium, etc., crowd. It is presently called Beach Girls Sauna (I believe it used to be called Pedagio) and is located on the second floor of an outdoor shopping mall at Rua Barata Ribeiro 370, just north of Rua Siqueira Campos; Rua Barata Ribeiro is maybe three blocks from the beach, up Rua Siqueira Campos. The terma is not luxurious, and when I went there were only a handful of garotas, not that great looking but a couple were okay. The entrance fee is R$20 but if you try, they may waive it for you; I went there on a Saturday and there were very few garotas so the person at the entrance said if I came back on Monday he would let me in for free, which he did. At the very least, see if you can look around before committing to the entrance fee. The session with the garota is R$70 for a half hour and around R$120 for an hour. This was the only terma where the girl I chose wanted to be paid extra for anal though; whether this was an aberration I do not know. Not a great place but worth a peek. Also, there is an internet café on the ground floor of the mall that was very reasonable, although this may have reflected a temporary promotion.
As noted below, Beach Girls Sauna is in the general vicinity of the Copacabana massage parlors, so you can do some “window shopping” in the area and eventually you will probably find something, if not at your first stop. If you are interested in similar termas, I know there are at least a couple in the centro area, I was at one two years ago, but my recollection is not good as to where they are. If anyone out there has information on this, please share it with us.
Vila Mimosa: Where the Ghost of Fellini Roams. Vila Mimosa is an approximately R$15 taxi drive (before the 8 p.m. taxi surcharge hits--or is it 9 p.m.?--the taxi surcharge applies throughout Rio, not only to rides to Vila Mimosa) from Copacabana. The surcharge is not that substantial, something like 20 percent, so it is not going to break you. Contrary to some posts I read on one of the boards, I never had a problem getting a taxi to Vila Mimosa; in fact most of the taxi drivers I used seemed to like Vila Mimosa and were happy to take me there (the fact that for them it was a big fare doesn’t hurt, of course). If a taxi refuses to put the meter on for a trip to Vila Mimosa find another taxi. I have never had this problem but understand some others have.
If you have been to one of the Boy’s towns on the Texas Mexican border (to be clear, the boys at Boy’s towns are the customers, not the “workers,” although there are a few exceptions ala the Thailand scene), you have experienced something similar, although still distinctly different. Vila Mimosa is a sort of compound (like the Boy’s towns) although there is no fence surrounding it. Essentially it is an assemblage of many small bars, each blaring out Brazilian music, and each with a set of cubicles in the back (or upstairs) in which the “business” takes place. One American I met there (and on a typical night there are not a hell of a lot) said it reminded him of the scene in Vietnam, not now, but back when. Another told me it reminded him a bit of the Dominican Republic. In any event, it will not remind you of the United States (thankfully).
Some of the garotas hang out in bars, other in the various alleys. Those in the alleys nevertheless seem to be associated with bars because as far as I can tell they always bring their customers to the same bar’s cubicle area to perform services. Many of the girls are scantily clad, and it is not unusual to see a few walking around the area topless. Occasionally you may see a girl or two in a bar bottomless, although you can’t count on this.
Hobbyists have markedly different opinions about Vila Mimosa. Some say that there are only ugly fat garotas, others say there are a fair number of diamonds in the rough (along with the fat ugly ones). There is also disagreement as to whether having sex in the cubicles, which tend to be much less than clean and luxurious, ruins the whole thing. As to the latter issue, this is a matter of personal choice and depends on your attitude towards “cheap thrills.” If someone likes pampering in a luxurious and relaxing atmosphere, and does not want to explore alternatives, then the termas, or possibly take home from Help or the strip clubs is the way to go. But if you like to mix it up, and experience the various extremes, Vila Mimosa represents an opportunity to experience something different.
As to the quality of the garotas, in a sense both views (a bunch of uglies vs. some diamonds in the rough) are correct. The ratio depends both on what day and time you visit VM, and pure luck. If you arrive early (let’s say around 7 p.m., although based on perhaps six visits to VM over the course of two Rio trips, I can’t say I have this thing totally figured out) you may see some of the ugliest, fattest things in the world, even rivaling the worst places in Tijuana or the most ghastly images in a Fellini movie. However, as time marches forward, the pickings tend to get better, and you should be able to find something that meets your fancy (as I rarely drink alcohol when I am at VM, the improvement in the garotas’ looks as time goes on is not the result of an alcoholically induced stupor!). I have been there on Saturday night, as well as weekdays; this also represents an important variable. On weekends the place becomes overrun with people and activity, whereas on weekdays there is less activity, although still enough to have a good shot at finding what you want.
This brings up the issue of safety at VM. I have seen a lot of discussion on the various boards expressing fear about visiting Vila Mimosa. From all appearances it looks like it should be dangerous; a bunch of lower class Brazilians, some of whom look like real tough guys, all over the compound. Rio is Rio, and I don’t want to mislead anyone into going to VM thinking it is absolutely safe. However, from my perspective I feel safer in VM than walking around the area near Help late at night, which I will not do owing to the muggings that have occurred in that area. I don’t have this totally figured out, but it seems there is a police presence (and perhaps some private security) operating in the background (and sometimes out in the public) at VM that really lowers the incentive for anyone to create trouble. In fact, on my last trip I saw a number of instances where police cars drove slowly through the main street (the only street that a car can drive through), making their presence abundantly clear. While I do not dress up to go to VM, even with my jeans, etc., most people know I am a foreigner. Nonetheless, I have never experienced any problems at VM, other than one instance where on a Saturday night, with wall-to-wall people throughout the compound, a garota who appeared to be high on something starting clinging onto me in a way that raised some suspicion that she could be setting me up for something. More likely she was just high off her ass.
In any event, if you have some fear about going to VM but want to go anyway, you may want to first try a weekday since it will be less intimidating; however, there is the trade-off that there will be fewer garotas, perhaps a higher percentage of uglies (although I am not sure about this) and a bit less atmosphere. One last comment on this, VM is not a good place to do your best imitation of the Ugly American; I suspect THAT could get you in some trouble. Watch your level of alcohol consumption, etc., be cool and things should be cool during your visit..
Now with respect to the routine at VM. Essentially you approach the garota of interest, unless she has already approached you, and make your desires known. If you speak Portuguese, you may in some instances buy her a drink in one of the bars and converse, but my Portuguese is very limited and I can’t really carry on a conversation. The usual price for services is R$20 for the garota and R$5 for the room for 20 minutes. Some places charge R$27 combined, and there is a slight amount of variability. If I am in the mood I may ask for anal sex (pronounced something like “sexo ah-nowl”; also referred to, particularly at the massage parlors as “completa”–I guess in Brazil if you don’t include anal sex, you haven’t had a complete experience!); at Vila Mimosa my experience is that perhaps one-third of the garotas will agree to anal sex, although again this is based on a limited sample. Some, but not all, will ask for additional compensation; on average perhaps R$10 more, although one garota asked for R$40 more (yes this would tripled the cost, making the encounter a whopping $20 U.S.!; needless to say, I was outraged
). At Vila Mimosa I have never paid more than R$20 additional for this service (more usually R$10), but keep in mind that R$20 is less than $7. One Potential Rip-off Bar. If you are like me, getting ripped off, whether for $2, or for $200, is bothersome as a matter of principle. I HATE the soapies in Bangkok that charge a “farang surcharge” and will avoid them like the plague. I will also never go to the Centaurus terma in Ipanema because of their mis-named “tourist tax” (more appropriately called the “if you are not a local, we will stick it to you, surcharge”). With this is mind, there is one bar in Vila Mimosa that I would tend to avoid. As you approach the center of Vila Mimosa coming in on the main street, it is on the left hand side, just past a food stand with a name “Rosa” or Rose” on it. The bar has purple lighting, and its steps in front ascend from left to right. Granted some of their garotas are fine looking. But both times I went into the bar for a session in the back, they tried to rip me off on the room charge by saying they did not have 3 reais change, trying to keep the difference; of course they had 3 reais. And my limited experience at this bar (with two girls) suggests you can probably expect a re-negotiation of the services offered after you have paid and gone into the room. In one instance a girl (who also works at Help) who had agreed to anal refused once in the room; in the other instance a girl agreed to have her photos taken and named a price for the session including photos, but once in the room demanded more for the photos. In the latter case I had to make a scene and get my money back from the management (the garota’s nonsense really got me out of the mood), who after some arguing finally agreed to give it back to me. Because of the small amount of money involved in these transactions, it is not a big deal, but, hey, as I stated above, I don’t like getting ripped off, and somehow it does not enhance the mood to know you are being ripped off.
All in all, though, I recommend Vila Mimosa to anyone who is adventurous; if you are not, stick with the termas. I was at VM four nights out of the ten I spent in Rio on my recent trip.
Taxis to and from VM: When I went to VM two years ago, the taxi drivers there were charging a fixed (and slightly inflated) rate to get back to Copa; I believe it was R$20. On this trip, the first three taxis I took back to Copa from VM turned on the meter; the cost ranged from R$15 to about R$20 depending on traffic, and efficiency of the route (e.g., when you leave VM, the road out points in the wrong direction, in the direction away from Copacabana. If a taxi driver wants to inflate the fare, he can take you about a mile or so in the wrong direction before turning back; a good and conscientious taxi driver will cut through a particular gas station to circumvent this, or use another trick that will probably take R$2 to R$4 off the fare). Note though that on my last trip back from VM, I got in a taxi who said he wanted R$40 fixed rate to go to Copa and insisted that was what all the taxis were charging. BULLSHIT! I then found another taxi who turned on the meter and drove so efficiently that the fare (including the after-hours surcharge) was a bit less than R$15 (however, this was to the Copacabana Atlantico Hotel, which is a shorter drive than to the area around HELP).
A word of warning. Although I consider VM reasonably safe, the area surrounding VM has a reputation as extremely dangerous. I would recommend against walking in this area; given a choice between a rip-off taxi driver (which you can probably avoid, see above) and walking outside the compound to find a different taxi, or a bus, I would strongly urge the rip-off taxi as the better of the two bad alternatives.
Massage Parlors and Related Places: Another option that may not be mainstream to the hobbyist from abroad is the massage parlors. While they vary in quality (both with respect to the facilities and the garotas) none can be said to be luxurious, or approaching the termas in quality. Some of the massage parlors have small rooms with actual beds, but many have mere cubicles (with doors, but walls that only go partway up to the ceiling) with something more akin to massage tables than actual beds. There is very little, if any, English spoken at the massage parlors but this should not be an impediment unless you are going for companionship in addition to sex (at the least, learn how to say “I don’t speak Portuguese,” in Portuguese). Also, unlike the situation in Thailand where you can recognize the massage parlors from the street, and with a keen eye can even recognize the Thai brothels if you pass by one in Chiang Mai or elsewhere, the massage parlors tend to be in office buildings, usually relatively run-down ones, and you are only going to find them by getting their address from the newspaper classifieds or some other source (like here).
The routine is that there usually is a line-up of sorts when you arrive, and you are also given the option of having a beer or other drink (at least at many of the places). The price can be as little as $10 reais although more typical is R$20 or sometimes a bit more. If you want anal sex (aka “completa”) this may bump the price up a bit-- for example to R$30 at a place that otherwise would charge R$2--and at many of the places not all the garotas are available for this service. While the latter can also be said for the termas, it seems the percentage of garotas who perform anal at the termas is quite high and not necessarily correlated with how attractive a garota is; at the massage parlors the percentage doing anal is somewhat less, and tends to be a bit correlated with attractiveness, although this correlation is probably not strong.
One good thing about the massage parlors is they typically open late morning, around 10 or 11 a.m. They tend to close early too, maybe 6, 7 or 8 p.m. A large number of these places advertise in the classified sections of daily newspapers, although the majority only list telephone numbers without addresses in their ads. As I don’t speak Portuguese (at least not effectively) I limit my selection either to places that advertise their address, or places that I otherwise was able to obtain their address, usually off of a board such as this one.
Diobolicks (sp?) is in Copacabana, located at Avenue Copacabana 583 perhaps a couple of blocks south of Rua Siqueira Campos in an office building. It is in room 203 or 204 (I get these confused; the other room number also contains a massage, although it might advertise as a supposed terma. One thing I don’t particularly like at Diobolicks is that they tend to try to gouge us foreigners. The last time I went there they tried to get around R$60 for half an hour, after making my way to the exit, one of the garotas said something about a promotion, and by the time I was done I got a session for R$30 for 20 minutes. I suspect that Brazilians, or foreignerswho want to negotiate hard, can pay around R$20 for 20 minutes, although it is possible that R$30 for 20 minutes is the best we can reasonably do. If you don’t like what you find at Diobolicks, you can try the Copacabana terma (although it may now have another name) on the same floor. I, however, did not find anything I liked at that terma on my one visit there.
Another massage parlor in the area is Abafa Copaccanna’s at Siquerira Campos, 43. It is on the fourth floor at room number 407. I don’t have much to say about it because when I went there one morning it wasn’t open yet.
For the adventurous, there are many lower-end massage parlors in the centro area. I usually go to them by using the Metro and getting off at the Carioca (sp?) stop, about 15 minutes (and around seven stops) from the Metro station on Rua Siqueira Campos, (that station in on the same side of the street and just before you get to Luomo). This is a bit difficult to explain, but as you leave the Carioca station, you want to be in the square (Largo da Carioca) facing the Convento do Santo Antonio, a convent on a hill. Here is a picture of what you should be seeing.
As you face the convent, you can either make a left, to explore massage parlors on the streets just past the square, or, more productively, take a right and walk to the first street adjoining the square. If you go left at this point, you will be on Rua Carioca. A good place to eat, with an interesting history described on the menu is the Bar Luiz, Rua Carioca, 39, which you will find on the left-hand side of the street. Or, just before it is a decent buffet where you pay by the weight of the food.
A short distance further (it is possible it is a short distance before Bar Luiz) you will see a strip club on the left, which shows x-rated movies between the shows. On my last trip I checked out the strip club and found nothing of particular interest in it. Entrance fee was R$6 and inside is a run down theater, which at one point in history may have been impressive. The strip show was no more exciting than your typical U.S. strip show, i.e., before the advent of upscale “gentleman clubs.” HOWEVER, at one point I went up to the balcony to see what was happening up there, and I saw a scary looking guy talking to another guy seated there. Since the whole place had an atmosphere designed to strike fear in a non-Brazilian, I was a little concerned that they might have been talking about what moves they could make to rob me. However, I was quickly disabused of this notion when shortly after their conversation seemed to end, one of the guy’s head’s started bobbing up and down around the lap area of the other guy. UGHHHH. Also, although there were quite a few garota strippers dancing in succession, some of whom weren’t too bad, at one point there was a tranny with tits putting on a show with a fat guy dressed in drag that I suppose was meant to be funny.
In my reporting capacity I also noted that many of the guys were going to a room in the back. Thinking that I might discover something interesting in the back, I entered and discovered a bunch of urinals and sinks. Enough said. This place does not get my recommendation, and it seemed a bit scary overall. Proceed at your own risk.
Anyway, from the strip club it is just a short distance to Rua Carioca, 59, also on the left-hand side of the street as you walk in the direction away from the metro stop. This building houses at least four massage parlors located on the third, fourth, and fifth floors. The massage parlors are appropriately labeled, so it is unnecessary for me to give the exact room numbers (there are only a couple of doors on each of the floors so it is easy to find the massage places). I do remember that the parlor on the fifth floor is Hollywood Massagens, but LaGuy can tell you that it bears no relationship to the real Hollywood.
Unlike some of the lower-end massage parlors, these seem to have some permanence in those at Rua Carioca, 59, in that I visited them two years ago as well as on my recent trip. You shouldn’t pay more than R$30 at these places for completa, i.e., anal; it seems most of the girls will do this at these parlors. Around R$20 for a fuck and suck, and you might even be able to get a dupla for around that price. It is both appropriate and necessary to go from one place to another checking out the respective talent before finding a suitable garota. Sometimes you will find something that you like; other times not. As for pictures, I have had greater difficulty getting the girls to agree at these lower-end massage establishments than at other places. This may reflect a greater need to protect their privacy (e.g., I have heard it said that many of the massage parlor girls tell their parents, etc. that they have are employed in a normal day job, a con that is possible given that the massage parlor hours tend to correspond roughly to an office worker’s work schedule). It might also reflect that many of the parlors have cubicles and the flashes therefore can be seen outside the cubicle, which could piss off the owner/manager. But I still find that I get pictures perhaps 30 to 40 percent of the time in the massage parlors.
Another massage parlor in the general vicinity is Sonhu’s at Largo de Sao Francisco, sala 317 (on the 3rd floor). Although Largo de Sao Francisco is a main street, I had some trouble finding it on a map, and you may also. It is in the same general vicinity as Rua Carioca as well as the square where the metro stops (see above), but from the square you have to cross Rua Carioca and walk a few blocks to find it (sorry I can’t be more precise). There was one rather attractive garota at Sonhu’s, and some that were average to below average. I ended up overpaying, R$53 for an anal session, but it was worth it, particularly because the girl I had the session with, I believe her name is Vanessa, really was into posing for the camera during the entire session. Probably worth checking out. As you enter the elevator area of this office building you need to show some identification and they take your picture and ask you where you are going. This all is consistent with the notion that the area is not a real safe area, but they do try to take some precautions; I feel reasonably okay here during the daytime, although I do feel I need to exercise my best street smarts to avoid problems. Anyway, I originally was a bit embarrassed telling the woman who checked my identification (I showed a copy of my passport) which place I was going to, but when I told her where I was going she gave me the thumbs up!
There is another building worth noting in the area. If you leave the square where the metro is, cross Rua Carioca, follow the main street, I believe Uruguaiana, for a couple of blocks (past the McDonald’s on the left) and then make a right, you will run into Travessa do Ouvidor, not to be confused with Rua do Ouvidor. Make a left on Travessa do Ouvidor and you will run into 37 on the left-hand side, a picture of the entrance follows.
If you see the following intersection, you have gone too far.
Go up to the second floor and you will see what is either a massage parlor or real low-end terma. You’ll find the same on the third floor, and probably higher floors as well. Although I did not do a session here, it was fun to see the line-up. I also think there was a bar in at least one of the establishments. I suspect that one of the reasons I did not do a session (besides that the talent was questionable, although not terrible) is that Travessa do Ouvidor, 37, is located within a few blocks of Quatro y Quatro, one of my favorite termas, and therefore my choice was between doing a session at 37, or proceeding to Quatro. But next time I am in Rio, I will check out Travessa do Ouvidor again; from all appearances it looks like it will still be there.
Had you gone straight up Uruguaiana rather than turning right, you would have eventually hit Rua Buenos Aires. This is in the general vicinity of the next metro station up from Carioca, appropriately named Uruguaiana. If you turn right on Buenos Aires and go to the building with the number 44, yep you are at Quatro x Quatro. But, if instead, you turn left, and go to building number 271 (which is on a corner, on the left-hand side of the street), on the third floor you have stumbled into another inexpensive massage parlors in room 308. I checked it out; the garotas were friendly and one or two were acceptable, but I passed. Maybe another time.
A few other places in the general vicinity: Rua Ouvidor 130, room 911; Avenue Treze de Maio, 47, room 512 (I believe I had a session there that was okay); Sete Setembro, 88, room 710. I visited each of these places, but with the exception of the one on Treze d Maio did not have a session at these places. Regarding Treze Maio, the way to get there is to go back to the Carioca metro station, face the convent, then turn left rather than right. You will be walking in the direction of Treze Maio and probably will walk right onto it. 47 is an office building on the right-hand side of the street just past the first corner you will reach. See the picture below
If you look at the classified in the daily newspapers you will find a lot more of these places advertised, although the great majority of advertisements only have the telephone numbers. Look under the Termas Massagens section; I believe the best newspaper for this is O Dia, although I’m not sure that is the complete name. In any event, you may want to try a few of the papers, assuming, of course, you are interested in this scene. One important point: Beware of any ads that say something like “Quase Mulheres.” This indicates a quasi woman, aka a katoey, tranny, etc.
Picture Taking: On my first trip to Rio I waited until after having sex before I raised the issue of photographs with the garotas. This was a mistake for two reasons. First, it meant that I lost any opportunity to take pictures while getting a blow job or while fucking. Second, it did not allow me to select the garotas depending on whether or not they would let me take pictures. My general observation is that those garotas who allow pictures tend to be less inhibited anyway, so one is usually not acting at cross purposes by only selecting picture-friendly garotas.
On my most recent trip, I almost always asked in advance about pictures. I would estimate that I had perhaps a 50 percent hit rate on that question, maybe somewhat higher (particularly at the termas).
The number of digital cameras “hidden” in the robe pockets in termas is quite high, the garotas there are used to being asked for their pictures although some will refuse. As a general matter, many of the garotas who at first hesitate about having their pictures taken really get into it once the picture taking begins; being able to show them the pictures on the digital camera screen almost always increases their interest and usually makes them more willing and daring. In this regard, I initially was a little embarrassed to show the garotas the pictures of them having sex with me. But to my surprise, most of the garotas really liked seeing these pictures.
An interesting (I think)aside is that while at Monte Carlo (the terma) I asked one of the newer girls whether I could take pictures of her, and she said she had to ask one of the managers (or, at least, one of the “administrative” people). I went with her to see the manager who said that it was at the discretion of each girl, the only restriction being I could not take photographs in the bar area itself. On a later visit to the same terma, I asked another garota whether I could take pictures of her, and she said this prohibited by the management, an obvious ruse designed to keep me interested in her despite her personal restriction. Instead, the lack of honesty pissed me off a bit, and I moved on. In any event, while it may not be cool to be too blatant about having a camera on you while in a terma, everyone including the management knows this is going on, and as far as I could tell couldn’t care less.
With regard to pictures at VM (this also applies to some of the massage parlors I will be discussing below) one drawback is that there is very little light in most of the rooms. Therefore unless you have a camera that can focus under very low lighting (so low, that you often can’t even see the girl in the viewfinder) you may be SOL. I find the Canon digital elph S400 highly suitable because it shoots a focusing beam of light on the subject when there is low light; earlier versions of the digital elph also have this feature so if you don’t want to spring for a 4 megapixel camera, go with one of the 2 or 3 megapixel versions. The beam of light is visible on the subject, which helps you frame the shot, even if you are not looking through the viewfinder. This is very helpful for taking shots of blow jobs, etc. since you can move the camera to the side and don’t have to look through the viewfinder to have an idea what you are taking. The focusing beam tells you (more or less). One word of caution though: there seems to be a quality control issue with some of the Elph’s, the focus beam is mis-aligned on some of them, shooting in a direction that is not dead center. If you purchase one of these, you should check this out and return any with mis-aligned focusing beams. For more information on this and related issues you could check the Canon forum on www.dpreview.com (This website is a good resource for anyone interested in digital photography).
Hotel: I suspect most of the people on this and similar boards who visit Rio stay at a hotel or apartment in the southern part of Copacabana Beach, near Help. On my first trip to Rio I booked an apartment on Copacabana Beach from one of the internet hustlers, and was not happy with the quality and value of the apartment; nor am I happy that I am still getting spam from his outfit despite my request that he take me off his mailing list. But I digress.
Unlike those who swear by Help, I do not consider staying in this area a plus although others might. On my last trip time I stayed at a mid-range hotel, the Atlantico Copacabana Hotel, located at Rua Siqueira Campos, 90, about five blocks up from the beach but north of the area around help. Cost was about $55 U.S. a day including breakfast for a fairly large room, including a small separate entry room with a couch and table. The rate will differ depending on season though with the $55 U.S. a day being a low-season rate.
On the plus side the hotel is across the street from a metro station, giving good access to downtown (including quatro x quatro, and the downtown massage parlors), it was a half block from Luomo, and perhaps four blocks from Monte Carlo. It is also close to the Copacabana massage parlors, and closer to the various strip clubs than if one stayed in the area around Help. The following picture was taken from my window and shows the building (actually shopping center) in which Luomo is located (on the second floor)
However, while the hotel is within about five blocks of the beach, the surroundings are not that of a resort area; you have to walk about five blocks to the beach for that. In fact, at night the area looks like it has some potential for muggings, although given that it is not a center for foreign tourists, I suspect the area around Help may be more dangerous at night, even though surface appearances may not suggest this.
I had a couple of problems though with the hotel, although both are fixable. First, for the first couple of nights I had trouble sleeping on the mattress because it felt more like a box spring with individual springs protruding. When I mentioned this to one of the managers, he knew the problem and had a softer mattress put on top of the one that was giving me problems. Also, the air conditioning knobs had been removed from the air conditioners apparently because the hotel does not want children playing with them (or so they say); the result is that you either are too cold (air conditioning on) or too hot. I later found out you can ask to have the knobs put back on the air conditioners.
All in all I would say the hotel is around a 3 or 3 1/2-star on a 5-star rating scale. Reasonably comfortable but not real impressive. While I did not bring any garotas back to my hotel, my understanding is that it is guest friendly but they charge a guest fee. Food: Food is both good and relatively inexpensive in Rio. Unless you have an aversion to red meat, I would strongly recommend trying a Churrascaria. One that was quite close to the hotel was on Rua Siqueira Campos, on the left hand side as you are walking a block or so up from the beach. I am not sure but it may be named Carretao with an address of Rua Siqueira Campos, 23. For around $5, you get a dinner that includes a very nice salad bar, and all sorts of meat (primarily different types of yummy beef) brought to your table by various waiters. You take as much as you want, and keep eating until you are full. You are also served onion rings, rice, and other things as well. Having recently started the Atkins diet, I pretty much stuck with the beef, some chicken, and various salads. There are Churrascaria’s throughout Rio; while the one I mention was quite good, I am sure there are many others as good, and maybe even better.
Another good option available in many locations are buffets where you pay by the weight. Again, the food is quite good, and if you are not a big eater, as I am not, you can get a good lunch for around $2 U.S., maybe $3.
Comparison to Thailand: Having spent time in both Thailand and Rio I thought I would share some of my views on the relative merits of each. The advantages of Rio include that the girls are much less inhibited than Thai girls: photographers can have a field day with the Rio girls, those into anal can have their desires easily satisfied, usually without having to sacrifice on the quality of the girl (unlike the Eden Club in Bangkok where the girls to the left of the yellow line (i.e., the anal girls) are generally less attractive), there are many truly beautiful girls in Rio (but as in many countries where the standard of living is relatively low, many don’t age real well), and there are fewer issues in the hobby revolving around race and problems in being a foreigner (surcharges for foreigners are much less common in Brazil than Thailand, and foreigners have access to all the sex locales as far as I can tell, ranging from the very cheap to the relatively (but not really) expensive. On the other hand, there are a lot more hobbyist places to go in Thailand and many more girls in the business. Rather than maybe six or seven top-line termas in Rio, there are perhaps 30 or more top-line soapies in Bangkok alone, and on average there are a greater number of girls at each. Moreover, you pay less in Thailand, and get 1 ½ or 2 hours rather than 40 minutes or 1 hour when you do an incall (i.e. terma (Brazil) or soapie (Thailand)) session. While this may seem to suggest you get more bang for your buck in Thailand, this assumes you are doing termas (or high-end strip clubs such as Barbarellas) in Rio rather than VM or massage parlors, which are quite cheap. With regard to massage parlors, they may be comparable to Thai brothels in terms of price and comfort, but I suspect that not many farangs frequent the Thai brothels, which tend to be a bit underground, in many instances inaccessible to non-Thais, and when they are tend to try to substantially surcharge us.
While the girls of Rio are more enthusiastic and aggressive in bed, the girls in Thailand are more on the demure side, and some might find this “cuter” in a sense. As to whether Thai or Brazilian girls are more attractive, this is a matter of personal preference and cannot be easily resolved, although there are probably a greater variety of “looks” in Brazil, and consequently boredom may be less likely to set in, not that I’m prone to this in either locale.
For me the one significant downside to Rio is the crime. While I have not been a victim, irrespective of how street smart you are, there is always going to be some risk, and you are probably going to be aware of this. While one might think that this is a particular problem for the tourist (i.e., non-local), the people I heard complaining loudest about the crime were locals. For example, while in the sauna at one of the termas, a local, probably in his late 50's, lamented that Rio was such a beautiful city but had so much crime. In a massage parlor, an underemployed engineer was telling me about how dangerous Rio was and I should be real careful. While I know there is crime in many of the big cities in the U.S., in Rio we are talking about something more. Not enough to keep me away, given everything Rio has to offer (garotas, garotas, and more garotas), but for me it is the one significant downside, particularly when I compare it to Thailand. As to which place–Brazil or Thailand--is a better one to visit, the answer is both of them!
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