This is one of the questions we often receive from first time nudists. They’ve decided to give social nudity a try, picked out a nudist resort which looks very nice and then start thinking about the most scary part of the whole experience: The point where they will have to undress.
When exactly does that happen?
From when are you supposed to be naked?
Do you undress in the car, the moment you’ve passed the gate?
Will they tell you at the reception that now is the time?
Can you take things at your own pace?
Can you wait until you feel comfortable enough?
Will you ever feel comfortable enough to get naked among strangers?
When exactly does that happen?
From when are you supposed to be naked?
Do you undress in the car, the moment you’ve passed the gate?
Will they tell you at the reception that now is the time?
Can you take things at your own pace?
Can you wait until you feel comfortable enough?
Will you ever feel comfortable enough to get naked among strangers?
What’s the perfect timing for getting naked at a nudist resort?
Well, unfortunately there isn’t such a thing like a golden rule. The right time to take off your clothes depends on several different factors: the weather conditions, the time of arrival, the etiquette at the nudist resort and so on. Every situation is different so unfortunately we can’t tell you here exactly when you will be nude.
But we can give you an indication of what to expect.
Well, unfortunately there isn’t such a thing like a golden rule. The right time to take off your clothes depends on several different factors: the weather conditions, the time of arrival, the etiquette at the nudist resort and so on. Every situation is different so unfortunately we can’t tell you here exactly when you will be nude.
But we can give you an indication of what to expect.
The nudity etiquette at the nudist resorts
The reason why people visit nudist resorts is because they can be naked over there. We think that’s pretty obvious. But being allowed to be nude doesn’t always mean that you’re expected to be nude all the time. How this is implemented starts at the nudist resorts and their local nudity etiquette.
Let’s put them in different categories.
Let’s put them in different categories.
Nude obligatory resorts
At nude obligatory resorts you are expected to be nude all the time. Or at least when the conditions allow you to be (see further). The idea behind this is that you came to the nudist resort to be nude so there is no reason for you to wear any clothes. Also, they believe that a mix of nude and clothed people would only create an imbalance, so it’s better for all if everyone is just naked.
A great example of a nude obligatory resort is Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park near Toronto in Canada. You don’t have to get naked on the driveway and you are allowed to keep your clothes on during the check-in, but afterwards nudity is the strict policy. If you ask at the reception when it’s the right time to take off your clothes, the receptionist will smile and say “about half an hour ago”. It’s kind of meant as a joke, but nevertheless it reflects the idea behind nude obligatory resorts.
Clothing optional resorts
On the whole other side of the spectrum are clothing optional resorts. These follow a philosophy of freedom and believe that everyone should have the option to decide when to be naked and when not. Clothing optional resorts are often chosen by nudists who love sunbathing or swimming in the nude but don’t feel much for being naked all the time.
Mixed nudist-textile couples (where one is a nudist and the other isn’t) also tend to prefer clothing optional resorts. For them it’s a huge advantage that the clothing policy works perfect for both. A disadvantage of clothing optional resorts, especially for beginning nudists, is that it doesn’t always feel comfortable to be naked when there are clothed people around. If most of the visitors happen to be dressed during your first time visit, you may feel very reluctant to get nude yourself.
A general rule at most clothing optional resorts is that certain places, like in or around the pool, the sauna and the spa, are nude obligatory.
Naturist villages and large nudist resorts
Even though the very large nudist resorts or naturist villages might call themselves nude obligatory, this rule is almost impossible for them to maintain. There will always be dressed visitors because they’re just arriving or leaving or because they find the temperature a little too chilly to wander around naked. For the staff it’s an impossible job to ask every single clothed person about their reasons for not baring it all.
An example of such a huge naturist resort is CHM Monta in France. This resort has been a milestone in the history of modern naturism. It’s where the INF-FNI (International Naturist Federation) was founded and it still promotes a nude obligatory policy. But with more than ten thousand visitors per day in high season, it’s not uncommon to see visitors with clothes on. CHM Monta has put up huge signs around the resort asking you to not wear any clothes, but in reality they only enforce their policy in areas like the beach, swimming pools, etc.
All other nudist resorts
Most other resorts don’t call themselves nude obligatory nor clothing optional. Their main idea is that you came here to get naked and that at a certain point you will. But that point doesn’t necessarily have to be the moment you walk in. At these resorts you can take things at your own pace. If after some time (this could be hours or days, depending on the place) it doesn’t look like you have any intention to get undressed, the staff will probably talk to you about this and tell you that in the end it is a nudist resort. A place where you’re supposed to be naked. At least sometimes.
In most cases, the fact that you are clothed while all others are nude will be enough cue for you to take off your clothes as well. While at clothing optional resorts it might feel intimidating to be naked among the clothed, it’s certainly also awkward vice versa.
Special conditions at nudist resorts
Long story short, at nudist resorts you are always allowed to be nude from the moment you walk through the gate. When or if you are supposed to be nude depends on the type of nudist resort and its etiquette. But of course there are some exceptions.
The weather
One time a friend asked us: “as a nudist, what do you do when it’s cold?”. Our answer was pretty simple: “We wear clothes”. She seemed surprised, yet we thought that this was the most logical thing in the world. Most nudists believe that clothes were invented to protect ourselves from the elements and when there’s no such protection needed, neither are clothes. But the elements are not always in our favour. The general rule is that when it’s too cold you’re allowed to wear clothes. Even at Bare Oaks, with its strict nudity policy, people wear clothes when the weather doesn’t allow them to be nude. What did you expect? The resort is open year round and it gets to – 30°C over there in winter.
Getting installed
One of the first times we went to a naturist campground, we arrived around noon on a sunny day. All of the other visitors were nude so we figured that it was common sense to get nude as well as soon as possible. But then we had to set up our tent. If you’ve ever been campground, you know that setting up a tent requires you to bend over. A lot. Thinking about the insight you’re providing your nearby neighbors is not very comfortable, we can tell you that.
With many strange moves we managed to set up our tent without mooning the whole campground, but it wasn’t easy. Only later we found out that it’s perfectly normal at the large majority of naturist campgrounds to set up your tent and get installed before taking off your clothes.
Sarongs
The biggest step for first time nudists is the moment that it’s time to take off their clothes. You have to get from completely dressed to completely nude in a matter of seconds. We believe that “the faster the better” is a great strategy but the last thing you want to happen is to trip over and end up on your belly with a bra in your hand and panties around your ankles.
A good tip is to undress into a sarong. Walking around with nothing but a sarong will already give you some of the feeling what it is to be nude and the moment you feel ready to bare it all it only takes half a second to drop the sarong as well.
A good tip is to undress into a sarong. Walking around with nothing but a sarong will already give you some of the feeling what it is to be nude and the moment you feel ready to bare it all it only takes half a second to drop the sarong as well.
Women in their period
This is a question we receive a lot from first time nudist women. What do you do when you’re in your period? Basically there are two options. You use a tampon and get completely nude anyway. Some women will put the cord a bit inside so the others won’t notice it, but there’s nothing wrong with letting it hang out either. This depends on how you feel the most comfortable.
The other option is to use panties or bikini bottoms and go topless only. Most nudist resorts allow women to use panties while they’re in their period. In any case, when it comes to a first time experience, we would recommend you to plan it to sometime when you’re not in your period, just for the sake of comfort.
The restaurant and bar
Another awkward experience when we just started with nudism, it was probably during the same trip as the tent incident, happened at the restaurant. All day we had been swimming nude, sunbathing nude and wandering around nude. Then in the evening we went nude to the restaurant and whoops… everyone else was clothed.
It’s a phenomena we’ve seen at places around the world, sometimes it’s a rule of the house and sometimes it’s the guests who decide to get dressed for dinner. We think it’s pure nonsense when nudist resorts enforce a clothing rule in their bar or restaurant. They claim that it’s for hygienic reasons (like someone could accidentally put his penis on our plate) or because the guests don’t want to see genitals during dinner (so they can look at nude people all day but when they’re eating it’s suddenly gross?). We still don’t understand this.
It makes much more sense when it’s the personal decision of the guests. It’s not because you’re a nudist that you don’t like to dress up for dinner. Some know that they are messy eaters and are afraid to drop hot mash potatoes in their nude laps. And some already know that it’s going to be a long evening and that it will be chilly by the time they have to return to their rooms.
We don’t think it matters much. In the end this is your vacation and you should be able to do what you like the most.
At nude obligatory resorts, you will probably be required to dine nude as well.
We don’t think it matters much. In the end this is your vacation and you should be able to do what you like the most.
At nude obligatory resorts, you will probably be required to dine nude as well.
The nude staff
Does the staff have to be nude or not? It’s another much discussed subject. In most nudist clubs and small resorts, the staff is likely to be nude. For the simple reason that they’re nudists as well, so why would they want to wear clothes at their own place? Many clubs work with a number of volunteers who of course also prefer to be nude as much as possible.
At the larger resorts it’s more common to find clothed staff. Again, this is pretty logical. If you’re employing a large staff it can be very hard to find so many nudists.
At the larger resorts it’s more common to find clothed staff. Again, this is pretty logical. If you’re employing a large staff it can be very hard to find so many nudists.
Even at places where the staff is often nude, they sometimes are required to be dressed. We’ve mentioned that nudists believe that clothes are only good for protection. Well, you might want some protection when you’re frying bacon or cutting a tree. Restaurant staff is often asked to wear clothes for previously mentioned hygiene reasons. In France for example it’s forbidden for kitchen staff to be naked.
Our personal opinion about nudity at nudist resorts
We basically have one golden rule: If you have no intentions to get nude and if you aren’t visiting with a nudist friend or partner, you have no reason at all to visit a nudist resort. A nudist resort is not like a zoo where you can have a look at the naked people. Period.
That being said, we mentioned before that going nude for the first time among others is a huge step and the hardest part is to actually take off your clothes. After that, it gets much easier.
There are two different theories about what’s the best way to do this. Some say that it’s better to visit a clothing optional place first, so you can take your time. You can remain dressed for an hour, then take off some clothes, then some more, etc. Others say that it’s better to visit a nude obligatory resort for the first time, where you can be sure that everyone will be nude as well.
There are two different theories about what’s the best way to do this. Some say that it’s better to visit a clothing optional place first, so you can take your time. You can remain dressed for an hour, then take off some clothes, then some more, etc. Others say that it’s better to visit a nude obligatory resort for the first time, where you can be sure that everyone will be nude as well.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxeylymBVtN/
We believe that the latter is more true. Since taking off your clothes is the hardest part, it’s better to get it over with as soon as possible. Then can you start enjoying nudism from the first moment instead of maybe struggling for hours before finally dropping your pants. A jump into cold water is easier than slowly walking in.
After your first experiences it’s up to you to decide what you like the most. Do you prefer to be surrounded only by nude people? Are you okay with others being clothed? Do you sometimes prefer to wear clothes as well or do you want to spend as much time in the nude as possible? Based on your answers to these questions we’re sure that you’ll find some amazing nudist resorts which perfectly fit your wishes and needs.
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I love being a nudist
Depends on which club or resort we visit. I usually drive to most of them naked. If the office buzzes us in the gates and then we check in, I’m already nude. If we must check in outside the gates, I still drive to the venue nude but will slip on shorts to check in then when I return to our vehicle, I take them off. My wife remains in her cover up until we’re inside the gates.
At resorts; we check in minimally dressed and are taken to our room where we get naked almost immediately. If we are only staying for the day, we will disrobe at the vehicle or at a designated day room or locker room.
We visit nudist venues to be naked and be naked with others that prefer to socialize, recreate, vacation naked. I am naked always. If I get chilled, I will wear a t shirt or lightweight robe but most times, I’m naked always. My wife will don a cover if she’s had too much sun or becomes chilled. She’s had skin cancers removed and must be careful but she is a devoted nudist and prefers that those visiting clothing optional resorts, choose the option not to wear clothing unless it’s necessary.
It appears that too many are taking the option to wearing clothes at nudist venues and that is truly a shame. Clubs and resorts must do all that is possible to continue to provide a place for like minded people to gather and socialize but continually allowing people to remain dressed at nude venues is driving nudists away. Far too many times I’ve listened and talked with people at our club that state that they won’t return because the clothed outnumber the nudes.
Thanks for sharing your story!
It’s indeed a very fragile line between a comfortable nudist place where some are clothed and a place that becomes uncomfortable because some are clothed.
Some people experience it differently than others. Some couldn’t care less if they’re the only nude people around and some already feel uncomfortable when there are two clothed people around. There’s no right or wrong here, it’s all about personal experience. But it’s a fact that (if the conditions allow it), nudist places should not be overrun by textiles. It takes away the imbalance.
I visited Cypress Cove resort in Orlando FL and made the mistake of staying clothed. I had to wait a bit to get registered, which was tough in and of itself. Once I registered, I and a few others were given “the tour”. Walking around clothed amongst all those happy nudes was unimaginable torture! I got undressed and joined them in record time.
Iwill not make that mistake again!
Awesome! We’ve never been to Cypress Cove yet, but it’s high on our bucket list. And now we’re sure that we won’t make the same mistake you did 😀
Will undress directly after arrival (as long as the weather is OK of course) and only dress again the last second before leaving the resort. But OK, being a naturist for almost 30 years now and will not worry about what others might think. B.t.w. they will not. It is in your mind only. In the beginning however, I experienced the same questions as described and I remember a situation where I wore a towel going to the reception for the one and only reason that others did as well. A number of years later I remember a situation when getting our ordered bread at a kiosk and being the only one nude in a que of around 15 persons. I did not mind, but would have liked that the others felt silly, not being nude. Unfortunately that is not the way it works. B.t.w. the latter situation happened at Monta.
The first time i visited a nudist resort i was naked in less than a minute after driving through the gate. It’s much easier if you get naked right away
My first nudist experience was just over a year ago (at age 47) and I pondered the issue of when to get nude the entire way there. As I pulled into the car park, I everyone I could see was naked. I would have felt so out of place walking up to them with my clothes on so as soon as I got out of my car, I completely stripped. Being a nudist is the best thing I’ve ever done for my physical, mental and spiritual health!
UPDATE: Since falling in love with nudism last summer, upon arriving at my camp I can’t wait to get naked as quickly as possible. To that end, on my past couple of trips, I’ve driven there nude from the waste down so as soon as I park all I have to do is pull off my shirt and I’m totally nude! I keep a pair of shorts next to me to avoid potential embarrassment should I get pulled over by police.
Do you know of a list of “Nude obligatory resorts” where nudity is strictly observed? As you note, many like CHM advertise a strict policy but cannot/do not enforce it. I used to hear that La Jenny was strict. but lately I’ve read complaints of too many textiles about.
We don’t know of the existence of such a list, but you might want to look towards the club campings and the smaller commercial campings (less than 50 spots). Otherwise it becomes impossible to maintain
Thanks. The problem with very small sites is that they typically do not have enough going on to keep teens interested. I know that’s a tall order in almost every context, but we are especially frustrated that where there are other teens hanging out clothed most of the time, ours (15M, 13F) just want to copy them. It is not a case of adolescent embarrassment (in which case we would not want to force them), as they are both perfectly comfortable being naked at home or at swims where nudity is not optional. If they are given the choice, though, and other teens stay dressed, so do they, to the point even of avoiding the pool or beach areas where swimsuits are not allowed.
That’s a bit the controversy that’s going on at many naturist places in Europe these days. They all realize that many teenagers don’t want to be naked all the time. Especially when they’re among each other. It’s quite a natural thing, as a teenager you want to create an identity, but you don’t have the necessary experience to do this by words and philosophies only.
When we were kids, there were skaters, rockers, hippies, emos,… We could tell the way another teenager sees the world just by looking at her clothes. Without saying a word, we decided whether we were going to like her or not. A lack of clothes makes this extremely difficult. We could say that they can identify as naturists, but their parents are also naturists. No teenager wants to be identified the same as their parents.
So in order to keep the resorts attractive to teenagers, the owners loosened up the clothing rules for them. Most are meeting somewhere in the middle. Often they can wear a sarong but no swimming suits. Often they have to be nude around the pool, but not in other areas, etc.
Of course, teenagers influence each other a lot. We’ve seen lots of teenagers hanging around nude at the resort as long as they’re alone, but once their friends arrive, they wrap around a sarong. They just don’t want to be the only nude kid. It’s interesting to see those dynamics. You can see groups of kids between 10 and 16 years old, all of them wearing a sarong except for the 10-year-old, who didn’t reach puberty yet and just couldn’t care less about being the nude kid.
What can we do about this? Very little. You can encourage your kids to be nude all the time, but if other parents don’t do the same, it won’t help much. It’s a group effort. On the other hand, it’s probably better that they still join you to naturist places and wear a sarong, than that they don’t want to join you at all. Because this phase does go away again.
Thanks again for your reply, but I think you’re just restating the familiar problem — that many resorts find it difficult to enforce a nudity policy, and many teenagers (and adults) choose to take advantage of this and remain clothed much of the time.
Of course no one (especially a teenager) should be forced to be naked unless and until they are comfortable with that, and there are plenty of holiday options available for families not all of whom are willing to be naked. Our situation is different: our children are not embarrassed by nudity (theirs or others’); they are embarrassed by not dressing when other teens do. They do not object to being naked when it is required of everybody.
What we are really asking is whether you or your readers have any personal knowledge of resorts/campgrounds that actually still enforce a strict nudity policy (many websites falsely claim they do) AND that are big enough to keep teenagers from getting bored.
We definitely understand where your question is coming from and we believe that many parents of teenagers feel the same. The thing is, “nude obligatory” rules scare more people than they attract. So commercial resorts will always keep searching for a middle way.
Especially the larger resorts, because they realize that not everyone wants to do everything naked. They also want to attract guests that love to swim nude and sunbathe nude but feel nothing for nude shopping, dining, or sports.
We’ve been to naturist resorts where some sports, especially yoga, need to be practiced with at least some coverage. Just to keep everyone comfortable. We’ve also been to resorts where the restaurant requires clothes. As mentioned earlier, these resorts will scare away some naturists, but apparently attract more others.
Bottom line: It will be very hard to find a large naturist resort that does have lots of facilities and activities for kids/teenagers AND that has a nude obligatory policy. If you want to be sure about obligatory nudity, the smaller club campings are your best bet. But they can be pretty boring if you don’t like to spend your days sunbathing.
Another tip we can give you is to aim for resorts that have great water facilities. Because those are the places where everyone agrees that nudity has to be obligatory. This summer, we’ve found lots of nude teenagers in places like Les Lauzons and Bélézy in France. They have great pools and that’s where everyone likes to hang out most of the time. But even at these resorts, you won’t find obligatory nudity all the time.
This business of when to get nude is humorous, and frequently illogical. Personally, I would not be offended by your tent- raising while nude. But if it makes you comfortable, that’s fine. Not too long ago I visited San Gregorio Beach, along the San Mateo County coast, south of San Francisco. This was NOT the nearby State Beach. After parking I undressed and began walking towards the water, and noticed some guy, apparently an employee of the park jumping up and down, waving his arms. I walked over asked him what was happening and he shouted at me that I couldn’t be naked. I said I thought it was a nude beach and he kept shouting that it was only on the beach, despite the parking being out of sight from the highway. Okay, I agreed and asked how anyone would know since there were no signs. He just wanted to keep shouting so I walked back to the car and put on a g-string, which seemed to pacify him. By now this spectacle had become the focus of attention from new arrivals who were heckling the attendant. The group of us walked together about 20 feet when they all dropped their clothes. I had a pleasant exchange with them about the absurdity of what had just happened and they said as regulars, they thought the shouting man was a nutcase who always harassed visitors in the parking lot for any possible reason, but nudity really set him off. Nobody knew why he was working at a nude beach! The rest of the day was lovely with nudies and textiles sharing a very large expanse of windy beach and very cold water.
Interesting! We often wondered why some nude beaches have signs explaining where exactly one can be naked (most of the time: only on the beach, not on the parking, not on the trail…). This explains 🙂