Sao Paulo - sauna Lagoa - severe downturn

[coriolis888]

I returned to  Sao Paulo yesterday morning. 

For the evening, I planned for a fun evening at sauna Lagoa.

I had been pre-warned by some of my Brazilian friends that Rodolfo (the owner of Lagoa) had made a lot of negative changes to the sauna in recent times. 

However, I wanted to see the changes for myself.

When I walked into Lagoa, I did not notice anything negative except for the small number of garotos and clients. 

During my two-hour + stay at the sauna last night, I estimated there were only ten ordinary looking garotos and about fifteen clients.  Of the ten garotos, none looked like the good looking garotos of my countless prior visits.  

After staying a little more than a couple of hours, hoping the place would get busy; it didn't, so I decided to leave.

When I left, I noticed that the usual R$50 Wednesday entrance fee was now R$75. 

This is a fifty percent increase over the former Wednesday night admission charge of my last visit a couple of months ago.  Of course, any incidental costs such as a room rental and food or drinks were also increased by a similar percentage.

One example is a charge for a beer.  It is now twenty reias.  The same brand and size bottle of beer in a market costs five reais.

The increases in prices obviously affected the fewer garoto and client turnout at the sauna last night.

Rodolfo did not seem bothered by the small turn out of customers and garotos at the sauna.  He made his typical greetings to customers and walked around with a happy smile on his face.

He appeared not to care about a world-wide recession and that many people (especially Brazilians) are hurting for money.  Despite the worldwide economic problems, he increased his entrance fee by fifty percent and other items by various amounts. 

Fortunately, for me, the increase was not a monetary problem.

Except it meant the sauna would have a low turnout of garotos whose entrance fee was also increased by Rodolfo and it would mean fewer garotos would attend because of fewer clients because of the higher entrance fees and other costs.

These elements remove the incentive to visit Lagoa.

For working and/or unemployed Brazilians, the higher increase in prices makes its impact by the fact of such a small turn-out of customers and garotos.  This makes it less likely that a garoto will engage a client.

Rodolfo had to notice the small turn out of garotos (raising their price for their admission to thirty reais). 

He also had to notice that the sauna had just a small number of clients because of the increased prices and fewer garotos. 

During a recession, some of the first things reduced are entertainment,  Moreover, has Rodolfo forgotten that the garotos must pay for transportation to get to the sauna in addition to the increase entrance fee?  If a garoto does not engage a client, the garoto is out the entrance fee plus the costs to get into the sauna.

Tonight I will check out the other sauna in Sao Paulo (555) to see if Rodolfo's lost business has moved to the other sauna.

I will let you know.

Edited November 4, 2022 by coriolis888

[Bucky]

A city the size and sexually charged as SP can and should be able to support at least 2 if not more saunas of this type.  555 just hasn't caught on since it's closing then reopening, but let's hope it will.  Competition is the best answer and without it, Rodolfo is getting a bit greedy.    

[coriolis888]

20 hours ago, Bucky said:

A city the size and sexually charged as SP can and should be able to support at least 2 if not more saunas of this type.  555 just hasn't caught on since it's closing then reopening, but let's hope it will.  Competition is the best answer and without it, Rodolfo is getting a bit greedy.    

Thanks for the comments.

Let me make one correction, however.

555 never officially closed and reopened.  It, like Lagoa, was closed for a short time due to coronavirus issues only because the law made both saunas close temporarily.

There was some talk of reopening Fragata, but the main owner, Antonio, is well over eighty years old and did not want to open a new sauna.  One of his younger partners expressed an interest in opening Sauna 555 (located in a former medical facility) but nothing ever came of the talks of a partnership. 

The one partner decided to convert the medical facility to a sauna without Antonio as a partner..  The medical facility (now a sauna) is located  in an upscale area of Sao Paulo and now houses the Sauna 555.

During parts of the covid epidemic, both saunas closed off and on.

I had hopes that the Sauna 555 would be a success but it drew only a few clients and customers.

The facility is nice but for various reasons has not been a success.

Maybe, and only maybe, with Rodolfo increasing his sauna fees, enough clients and garotos will be motivated to switch allegiance from Lagoa to Club 555, as that unlikely seems.

I mentioned I planned to visit the new sauna tonight.  If it has improved with the number of clients and customers, I will report back.

Edited November 4, 2022 by coriolis888
spelling

[coriolis888]

 Last night  I went to Sauna 555 with two American friends and one Brazilian friend.  There were four of us entering the sauna together.

Even though I had previously been to Sauna 555 several times, my three friends had never been there.

This was the first time I looked closely at the building.

The building looks like it needs a good cleaning even though it was totally refurbished about two years ago.  There was dust and various trash on the floor in all the sauna rooms that we saw.  There were stains on different walls.  Pieces of flooring was coming loose.

 My three friends who accompanied me to Sauna 555 were rather disappointed when entering Sauna 555 because of the hugely obese man with his rude behavior while working at the admission door to the sauna.

The rude employee (or owner - I do not know if the rude man is the owner) seemed annoyed that four people simultaneously came to the sauna.

We were given keys and locker numbers and towels et cetera. 

I had been to the sauna previously and knew the layout fairly well.

The Brazilian friend who went with us asked the man at the entrance a question and the man gave him a rude answer.   

My Brazilian friend was annoyed at the response by the man who checked us in.  Even though I know Portuguese, I did not know the word used that offended my Brazilian friend.  I asked my friend what the word meant in English and he said it was a local slang word for someone who is very stupid.

My friends and I did a fast tour of the sauna.  There were only a few garotos and a few clients and this was around seven in the evening. 

My Brazilian friend was already angry at being called stupid by the man who checked us in.

My other two American friends did a quick assessment of the sauna and did not want to waste the night and we all agreed to leave the sauna.

We each paid R$45 entrance fee at Sauna 555 but vowed we would never return to that sauna again.

I think I now know partly why Sauna 555 has never accumulated a loyal and returning client and garoto base.

If the nasty rude man is the owner and treats customers and garotos the way he treated the four of us, I can see why the sauna has not done well acquiring customers.

The sauna is in a good neighborhood and should be a going concern by this time,

All it takes it a nasty rude greeter to cause a major loss in customers.

Tonight we four went to Lagoa.  Despite Rodolfo's high prices, Lagoa was packed with garotos and clients.  Everyone seemed to have a good time. 

Tonight the entrance was R75 which is usually typical for Friday.

I think the mystery of the empty Sauna 555 is party solved if that rude person is always the greeter to customers.

At least Lagoa is predictable. and usually fun.

[+ Axiom2001]

On 11/3/2022 at 9:41 AM, Bucky said:

A city the size and sexually charged as SP can and should be able to support at least 2 if not more saunas of this type.  555 just hasn't caught on since it's closing then reopening, but let's hope it will.  Competition is the best answer and without it, Rodolfo is getting a bit greedy.    

The times are hard in Brazil and well as some other parts of this world of ours.  INFLATION has become one hell of a bitch for many.  So I would NOT envision any new changes soon-- perhaps more price increases.