Júnior Barbosa has managed to make his gay bathhouse, Point 202 Sauna, a success. Notwithstanding the economic troubles in Brazil and the widespread use of hookup apps,
“It’s actually improved, because the safety is in the sauna, whether it’s here or in another one,” Barbosa tells us, confirming that the online dating scene hasn’t impacted his company. Sauna patrons are more cautious and avoid using hookup apps. While these apps are primarily geared toward younger men, they carry a significant danger of being mugged or injured.
Barbosa says thugs pose as gay in order to enter the victim’s home, adding, “These days, the apps are dangerous.” He claims that after they arrive, they “coerce, rob, dope, and even kill them.”
118 violent fatalities against gay men were reported in Brazil in 2023, according to a study conducted by Grupo Homosexual da Bahia, an LGBTQ+ human rights organization in that country. As a result, many people like going to saunas because of the increased protection they provide, both for the sex worker and for the establishment of a safer environment.
Rent boys are not employed at Point 202. While the go-go males are hired solely to strip, they only pay the entrance charge and receive all of the money from their sexual services. The rules are explained to everyone. Both mobile phones and drugs are prohibited.
Barbosa says when he reaches the age of fifty, he plans to slow down. His son, Luccas, who is currently 24 years old, married, with three kids, is expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and go into the sauna industry.
Read the full interview here Meet Júnior Barbosa – the king of Rio’s gay sauna scene
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