I have an 8 hour layover at GIG before an international departure on UA. Though we do not have any status this year, we are flying in Global First so have some sort of lounge access. We are thinking we will take a taxi to do something during the day but would want to shower before our departure. Are there any lounges we'd have access to with a shower?

We'd consider a day rate at a nearby hotel to freshen up, but there do not seem to be many good options and the hotel in the aiirport seems to be fully booked though I somehow doubt that the websites I am checking are necessarily accurate.

Also does anyone know what time the UA check in counter opens?

I arrived past customs all sweaty and ready for a shower and was told that the UA lounge is in the other terminal, arghhh! However, there's a nice lounge with showers on that terminal (for AA flights) which will let you in for $30 or $50.

The International airlines at GIG are being moved to Terminal 2. AA has already been relocated. UA uses the Smiles lounge in Terminal 2. They have showers and I think they are in working condition. For a while last year , they were having boiler problems. At the moment The only other lounge in Terminal 2 will be the SEA lounge in the space the TAM lounge formerly occupied if it has opened. No idea if UA pax can use that as well. When the GIG-IAH flight used to leave from Terminal 1, UA did use the SEA lounge in Terminal 1. Don't know if the SEA lounge in Terminal 2 will have showers.

The check-in counters normally open about 2 and a half to 3 hours prior to scheduled departure.

Thanks. That helps a lot!

My friend went through GIG last Saturday (GIG-IAH) and was directed to use the SEA lounge.

Hummm, I'm sitting in the SMILES lounge right now. The sign upstairs indicated United could use it. The sign by the door of the louge itself did not have United listed. I went in and asked if United still used the lounge, and since I am sitting here and on UA 860, the answer was obviously yes. Whether a different lounge agent would provide a different answer, I don't know. YMMV

Note, when I left the Smiles lounge, the United sign was posted along with the others next to the entrance door.

Haha. So it looks like there are now two lounge options at GIG for UA flyers. In my friend's case, she was told to use the SEA lounge when she checked in for the flight.

We were in Rio together, but I was on AA and we ended up using the AA lounge. We went to check out the SEA lounge before boarding our respective flights and they were going to allow her in but they wouldn't allow me as a guest (I'm assuming b/c it's not a *A lounge?), so she skipped it and went on an extensive tour of the terminal - all of 5min... 4 of which were in the duty freee shop. Was surpirsed at how minimial the services are in that terminal. Would hate to get stuck there without lounge access.

We used the VIP/Smiles lounge 5 weeks ago, when taking US Airways biz (Envoy) class to CLT. Not great water pressure or warmth, but quite serviceable. Ask to get put on the list as soon as you check in, in case there's a wait. The lounge is down the stairs you'll see a ways to your left as you enter the gate area of Terminal 2. Can't recall if the sign at the top of the stairs says VIP or Smiles (Smiles used to be the Varig ff program). There's a cafe/fast food place just outside which may have a very long line, but just wind your way through that. The lounge has a limited but decent array of snacks and drinks, including alcohol. It can get rather crowded. Since you say Global First rather than Business-First, I gather you're flying to Washington or Chicago rather than Houston.

I think UA flyers may have used two lounges when former CO flights were still using Terminal 1. If I read the signs inside and outside the airport correctly, all UA flights (including former CO flights) now use Terminal 2, where the VIP/Smiles lounge is located. BTW, I think the best place for actual dining, if you need that, is in the Luxor Hotel's restaurant in Terminal 1 (well, at least better than the food court in the same terminal). It is a long walk from Terminal 2, unless you can grab a seat on one of the carts that go back and forth. In the VIP lounge you can find small snacks, and maybe soup.

The Luxor hotel in the airport charges about $200. No day rate, we were told. There is a basic pousada in the basement of the airport. The lounge looks like your best bet.

If XLR26 is talking about Terminal 1, yes, it's a bit of a dump. There were problems, including underdized/slow/malfunctioning elevators in case you have bags you need to take between floors and taking them up an escalator isn't feasible. Extra room taken by an attendant in each one. The airport looks more updated than GRU, but that's not saying much, and I'd hate to be there when crowds descend for the World Cup and Olympics. Hopefully improvements will be completed.