The Lido Clubs
At one end of Copacabana, there is a small group of clubs that freelancers work out of. I managed to hit Barberella, La Cicciolina, Franks, and Sensoo. These clubs normally charge a cover which includes a couple drinks. Waiters will bring peanuts or some other small snack. If you find a girl you like, you will need to negotiate a price for a set period of time. How much you pay will depend on the girl, how you come across, and your negotiating skills. You should expect to pay at least 200 reals ($71) for a couple hours. I've heard of quotes up to 500 reals ($178) for stunners, but was never quoted that personally.

Barbarella's is a nice nightclub with lots of table and chairs, a small dance floor, and a tiny stage for a topless dancer. Sections of the club are dimly lit, so try to get a good look at your girl before commiting. Out of the Lido Clubs, Barbarellas has the best selection by a significant margin, but you pay for the quality. Expect prices to be higher rather than lower. Some guys are down on the place because of overpricing, but you should still definitely make a stop here to see what is available. Cover charge is 50 reals ($17) and you get charged an additional 50 reals for taking a girl out of the club. The waiters also expect tips and the doorman if he hails you a cab. Consequently, remember to add $40 in addition to whatever you are willing pay the girl to determine your total cost. StayAwayJoe brought me here my first night, and I ended up with a girl named Michelle. She had a magnificent smile and was aggressive but friendly, so I decided to go with her after she agreed to 200 reals for short time. After getting her into normal light, her looks took a significant hit, bringing her down to 6.5. I would later find out that this was the same Michelle that Athos had been asking about as one of the prettier girls at Barbarella. I guess he was fooled as I was by her smile and the dim lighting. Fortunately, Michelle was the only case of "looked much better in the club" of my entire trip. She was really cool and set me up with her friend later, but her performance was lacking with no BJ and only moderate sexual performance otherwise. Before I actually went with Michelle, I got the name and phone number of another girl named Ester. She was really friendly and promised me the best time, but wasn't quite as attractive as I was looking for. Still I ended up taking her for 200 reals on a slow night when she was working out of Help. Despite her promises, her performances were only slightly better than Michelle's. Near the end of my trip, I finally got a good session from Kate (pronounced Ka-shay) after shelling out 300 reals ($107 US, $150 total after club fees). StayAwayJoe and I first saw Kate when she was sitting at the other end of our table. I kept looking over at her but didn't strike, then finally a couple other guys grabbed her and another girl. On my final visit to Barberella, Michelle spotted me and tried to entice me, but she could sense that I was checking out her friend Kate. She was totally cool about it and asked me if I would like to meet her then went and brought her over. Kate was the second girl that Athos and I both did by coincidence (first being Vanessa from Solarium). Kate was very elegant and feminine and provided a great time. The photos from both Athos and I don't capture her well. I highly recommend her, besides being beautiful, she has the kind of personality that will tempt guys into wanting relationships. StayAwayJoe didn't really notice her the first night, but he was very impressed when Kate and I were together the third. Barberella had a number of top notch stunners including Wonder Woman Nicole, who StayAwayJoe was drooling over but never took, and blond bombshell Karen who immediately dissed me when I wouldn't immediately commit to taking her out of the club. There were a number of others, but I didn't get their names.
Photos: Michelle 01 02 03 04 05 06
Photos: Kate 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

La Cicciolina is across the street from Barberellas on the corner. This place is smaller, less expensive, and brightly lit. Cover when I went was 20 reals ($7 US), but from what I heard varies depending on how busy the night is. There is a small stage they use for performances which they use for a variety of shows. StayAwayJoe and I found several girls here that qualified in the looks department, but none of them impressed us enough for us to take the plunge. I spent two nights here and will invest more time in the future for further research.

Down a few meters from LC away from Barberellas is Frank's Bar. Three nights in this place netted me only one potential, I thought the selection was rather dismal save Katia, a solid 9 captured in Athos' May report. Take a look, but keep in mind he rated her poorly. I'll still check out Frank's on my next Rio visit.

Down a bit further in the same direction is Sensoo. There was an older blond who looked like she may have been a former Playmate in her prime. There was a huge nude photo of her posted on the wall and signed "Ana Flavia". She was dancing with another guy in some kind of small show. There were no other potentials here. I may check this place out again or I may just skip it.

It should be noted that I went during a relatively slow time and that there is considerable rotation in talent. For this reason, even though I only really enjoyed Barberellas, you should check out the other places at least once to seek out gems or to research the current talent level and report.

There is a lot of discussion on the specific nightclubs in the Discus section of this website. All nightclubs I mentioned are discussed plus more that I never got a chance to visit.
ClubHombre.com: South America: Brazil: Rio de Janeiro: Night Clubs