Clothes-Free Travel
Is Social Nudity on your Bucket List? Try a European Spa
8 things to know if you’re “nude curious,” but a bit nervous about getting naked with others
…the European spa experience is literal perfection for the social nudity curious…
I’ve been blogging about naturism and social nudity for well over a decade, but only recently on Medium. In doing so, I’ve found two things particularly intriguing when it comes to writing about non-sexual nudity on this particular platform.
First, there are many more people out there interested in social nudity than I had imagined. (Who knew?) But of those who have engaged with my articles, many who find intrigue in the idea of getting naked in the company of others frequently go on to say something like, “Wow, that’s interesting, though I could never bring myself to do that myself!”
Such a dichotomy.
It seems that most people, in the Medium audience at least, have little concern or trepidation about people getting naked with others in a social—communal environment. It’s no big deal. That is if it’s something they don’t have to partake in themselves.
But to people in Europe, it really is no big deal! While here in the US, given the societal stigma and incessant subversive messaging that nakedness is inherently sexual, it truly does require a leap of faith to find out if you, yourself, could grow comfortable while in the state of nakedness, adorned in your own skin.
Three Flavors of Public Nakedness
If you’ve read this far, I’m going to make the wild assumption that you may have some level of interest in embracing body acceptance and/or nakedness — alone, or in the company of others — but that the stigma and inevitable insecurities associated with nudity are simply too great. As it turns out, however, places where people engage in social nudity are vastly different from one to the next. Though wrought with broad generalizations, I thought it might be useful to delineate the three most common ideologies related to clothes-free recreation, noting an emphasis on environments where nudity is deliberately non-sexual, intentionally devoid of erotic undercurrents you might find at places that cater to such, shall we say, more prurient ideals where social nudity is practiced. (TL;DR: This is not a resource intended for swingers!)
The Nude Beach and similar venues with public access
There’s a recent article in The Atlantic that purports that the nude beach, even on the renowned French Riviera, is very much on the decline, due in large part to the perils of digital photography as a direct conduit to the world wide web. Too bad, but sadly, they’re not wrong. It seems the nude beach era that grew out of the Summer of Love is on a steady decline, especially amidst Gen X, Y, and Z. I guess if people from that demographic want to be published naked on the internet, they’d rather post those pics for themselves. So much irony there, but I’ll leave that for another day.
The Naturist/Nudist resort
There are loads of options for “organized social nudity,” ranging from those largely archaic nudist camps in Australia, America, and Great Britain, to the expansive, upscale resorts of France and Croatia that cater to confirmed naturists who may well have grown up in that tradition. For us, that’s about as good as it gets. There are even a few luxury resorts in the US and abroad, not to mention exotic cruises that cater to those seeking a full-immersion nakation. But for someone just dipping their toe into the social nudity pond for the first time, that may well be a bit over the top. I’ll admit it — running to the local market first thing in the morning to buy a fresh baguette in the altogether, not to mention the big naked dance on the lido deck, may not be everyone’s cup of tea. At least not on your first outing.
The European Therme… or Spa: The ultimate newbie's delight!
Whether nude beaches are dying out or not may well be a moot point. The seasons are turning as this piece goes to print and it’ll soon be too cold to frolic in the sea with or without a swimsuit. With their warm thermal baths and myriad saunas, the thermal resorts of Europe are, surprisingly enough, best enjoyed in the dead of winter.
What’s more, the European spa experience is literal perfection for the social nudity curious. While nudity may be required in the pools and saunas of such establishments, bodies are typically covered everywhere else, shifting the focus to self-pampering and self-indulgence, and away from the fixation on naked bodies.
With that said, it’s best to do a bit of research to see what you’re getting into. (Or more accurately, getting out of!)
Just yesterday, we visited Themen Bussloo, located about an hour’s drive outside of Amsterdam. Our 30-ish daughter caught a train up from Paris to join us for the day, as she has been well inculcated in the clothes-free culture since she was a child, visiting several of those aforementioned naturist resorts in France. Not only is she unfazed by the social nudity thing but shows little or no trepidation about hanging out at a naked place with her parents. Every naturist’s dream! That’s also a strong and compelling testament to her own sense of body confidence.
Her parting shot at the end of the day? “Why the hell can’t Americans figure out how to create a place like this?” Why, indeed!
But back to the point.
While I am certain there are plenty who can’t divorce the idea of an excursion to a naked place from a bad dream they once had in middle school, few if any Europeans hardly give it a second thought.
We have been visiting European thermal spas for the past fifteen years or so. Like those responding to my other posts on naturist travel, many of our friends wince just a bit when we tell them of our most recent visit to the German spa.
“Wow. You did that? Not sure I’d have the courage.”
“Really?” we say. “Why would you not do this?
In that light, I offer this succinct, bulleted list for those curious about social nudity, who simply wish they knew just a bit more about the whole phenomenon before taking the plunge. (Already planning your trip to the German Christmas Markets? Nothing will thaw you out at the end of the day like a visit to the sauna.)
So here goes…
Eight Things You Should Know about Spa Nudity in Europe
1. There are thermal spas all over Europe, but they are not all the same. And it’s often difficult to sort out when and where you need to bring a swimsuit, and when you do not. Even the websites can be difficult to decode, often in a foreign language where you could easily miss the detail that some days swimsuits are required while other days they are not. (That’s why we have Google Translate.)
2. Germany and The Netherlands (Holland) are the nakedest of the naked. With few exceptions, people from these counties simply can’t imagine the hygienic hell of wearing a swimsuit in the sauna. But…
3. These saunas are typically in large recreational complexes with quiet rooms for snoozing and outdoor loungers suitable for sunbathing and spontaneous cat-naps. In the colder months, lounge areas are situated around blazing fireplaces where people hang out on overstuffed chairs to read, typically wrapped in robes and blankets. Interestingly, spa-goers in Holland are more naked than their counterparts in Germany, but regardless, if you go to the spa just be prepared that you’re going to see naked humans.
4. There are also sprawling spa complexes in France, Italy, and Hungary. These are often beautiful facilities, some of which are historical landmarks, but if you show up without a swimsuit, you’ll be denied access. A minor but crucial cultural distinction you wouldn’t want to miss in your preparations.
5. Spa-goers are not nudists. They are simply everyday people (otherwise well oriented to the daily textile world) who are willing to get naked while enjoying the spa. This is a seriously important distinction, and why the European spa experience is the best place to experience taking your clothes off for the first time. Even as you watch the locals, you’ll recognize others who are also trying to figure it out for the very first time.
6. When Europeans go to the spa, they’re typically wrapped in a bathrobe or a towel most of the time. When it’s time to go into the dimly lit sauna, they’ll lose the robe and use the towel to sit on, but most are not just walking around the place naked! In fact, most spas discourage that.
7. Should you wish to try out the warm thermal waters. Simply hang your towel or robe on the hooks provided near the edge of the pool. Moments later, you’re submerged in water. You feel naked, (In all the right ways!) but it’s difficult for anyone else to see that you don’t have a swimsuit on.
8. ALERT! Spas in the Netherlands (Holland) typically don’t allow swimwear anywhere at any time. (Though some offer specific days for the modest.) Most of the German spas have a “texteil frei” (nude) zone, and another area where swimsuits are allowed/required. At Bussloo yesterday, you could always cover up in your robe, but there was nowhere to enjoy your day in a swimsuit. Germans spas often provide a “textile area” with options for those reluctant to go the full monty. The Dutch apparently has decided it’s all or none. Sound complicated? It sort of is, but if you just watch the locals and do what they do, you’ll figure it out pretty quickly.
Here’s the kicker! Should you summon up the courage to give it a try, you’ll soon realize that Europeans are not particularly concerned about your body, nor are they especially preoccupied with what you think about theirs. Certainly, much less so than one might encounter when going to any textile beach on the Outer Banks or Southern California where swimsuits become an integral part of an unannounced beauty and fashion contest. The European sauna-spa experience is one of personal self-indulgence where people go to imbibe in simply feeling alive, and they think the best way to do that is to leave their inhibitions, and their textiles at the door. So many lessons to be taken from that.
In about a week, I’ll publish the follow-up post to this piece with recommendations for our favorite European spas. While there are literally hundreds of options spread across Europe, we have seven or eight that remain at the top of our list. Bookmark this page, come back in a week, and I’ll provide the link to that post.
And by the way, in case you’re headed to Asia, you might also want to check out this excellent piece by Donny Kimball that explains the Japanese version of communal bathing practiced by entire families all over Japan. (I wrote a piece about that on my other blog as well.) The onsen experience is a bit more naked than the European counterpart, but is usually gender-separated as well, which might help put some people more at ease.
See you next week for our play-by-play on our favorite spas.
AUTHORS NOTE: Images in this piece more accurately depict hot springs and the Japanese onsen, as not surprisingly, photography is forbidden at the luxurious European facilities populated with naked people. Check out Thermen Bussloo or Therme Erding if you want to see images that capture the real ambiance.
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My original blog is called THE MEANDERING NATURIST. Click through to read our other posts about social nudity and naturism.
