"Urban non-landed" nudist events; and the future of nudism.
So my wife and I went to an "urban non-landed" nudist club event. Usually my wife will categorically refuse to be naked standing shoulder to shoulder with other nudists, in a crowded enclosed space. But she was actually easily swayed by the fact that that she was interested in the actual event; and the venue was literally 15 mins down the street.
It was a lot of fun. Those who know, know. Everyone else can figure it out for themselves (yes I'm being cheeky lol!).
It also got me thinking, as these things usually do. There are some who believe this "style" of nudism is where the future of nudism resides. And it makes sense, to some degree. Anyone living in the city could have gotten there via public transportation or Uber/Lyft; probably in less than 30 mins. People could come and go as they wished. The "entrance fee" also provided food and drink - in abundance. This all made social nudism much more accessible than the more "traditional" 90+ min. car ride to a remote nudist venue, the check-in process, having to wait to be given a tour, etc...
But, it also comes with some caveats.
The "ratio" was probably somewhere in the vicinity of 75-80% male. My wife expected it, so she wasn't put off and didn't hesitate to get naked. And the seating arrangements made it easy for her to not find herself "crowded" by naked males. But I think we know how women generally feel about being nude amongst a predominately male crowd...
I don't know if the event was "technically" clothing-optional; but it didn't matter anyway. All but one woman were naked, and she was wearing see-through garments with her boobs hanging out (a lot to unpack there, but anyway...). So if someone would have preferred and "gradual acclimatization", they would have found it difficult there; being in a very crowded room with all nude people.
The average age was about the same as my resort. Just looking around me, there were certainly more grey hairs. So as far as "urban non-landed" nudism attracting younger people...perhaps to a lesser extent than some might imagine.
All of this doesn't take away from the fact that my wife and I had fun. As a matter of fact we are already planning our next event. But is it something that will eventually replace "traditional" nudism in the future? I think it's its "own thing"; and some nudists will enjoy being able to enjoy social nudity close to home. Others will still prefer nature.
The point is you both had fun, felt safe and enjoyed it as an aspect of social nudity. As it was more gray hairs, is this the kind of event that could draw younger generations? Thinking from my sons' perspective, my answer is probably not. Young adults will meet with their friends on their terms. My reading of their generational values is that they're a lot less uptight than we perceive them to be regarding freedom from pants, but much more discerning regarding what feels appropriate and safe to them. They seem more drawn to activities with activity, freedom and anonymity, such as naked bike rides. Since my unchaperoned by a woman sons were verboten males at local nudist resorts since they were born, they're unlikely to ever be drawn to anything with a nudist label.
So my wife and I went to an "urban non-landed" nudist club event. Usually my wife will categorically refuse to be naked standing shoulder to shoulder with other nudists, in a crowded enclosed space. But she was actually easily swayed by the fact that that she was interested in the actual event; and the venue was literally 15 mins down the street.It was a lot of fun. Those who know, know. Everyone else can figure it out for themselves (yes I'm being cheeky lol!).It also got me thinking, as these things usually do. There are some who believe this "style" of nudism is where the future of nudism resides. And it makes sense, to some degree. Anyone living in the city could have gotten there via public transportation or Uber/Lyft; probably in less than 30 mins. People could come and go as they wished. The "entrance fee" also provided food and drink - in abundance. This all made social nudism much more accessible than the more "traditional" 90+ min. car ride to a remote nudist venue, the check-in process, having to wait to be given a tour, etc...But, it also comes with some caveats.The "ratio" was probably somewhere in the vicinity of 75-80% male. My wife expected it, so she wasn't put off and didn't hesitate to get naked. And the seating arrangements made it easy for her to not find herself "crowded" by naked males. But I think we know how women generally feel about being nude amongst a predominately male crowd...I don't know if the event was "technically" clothing-optional; but it didn't matter anyway. All but one woman were naked, and she was wearing see-through garments with her boobs hanging out (a lot to unpack there, but anyway...). So if someone would have preferred and "gradual acclimatization", they would have found it difficult there; being in a very crowded room with all nude people.The average age was about the same as my resort. Just looking around me, there were certainly more grey hairs. So as far as "urban non-landed" nudism attracting younger people...perhaps to a lesser extent than some might imagine.All of this doesn't take away from the fact that my wife and I had fun. As a matter of fact we are already planning our next event. But is it something that will eventually replace "traditional" nudism in the future? I think it's its "own thing"; and some nudists will enjoy being able to enjoy social nudity close to home. Others will still prefer nature.
I would be interested in these events, but my wife would be a little bit more than hesitant. She's comfortable at a club or resort when the number of males is greater than females but in an intimate setting, such as someone's home, be a hard sell for me, not impossible but still not a slam dunk. We have, however, partaken in events where there was a dozen or so couples and she had a good time. Typically, Di prefers our small circle of nudist friends to entertain for an event like this and welcomes stay overs for the night or a little longer. Her limit is 4 days/ 3 nights, for these overnighters. She's an introvert and by her own admission, not an entertainer/hostess. She definitely doesn't like being the center of attention.
We've been invited a few times to one of these Urban non-landed nude events but have not been able to attend. We have a very busy family. Like this last weekend, we spent the time between a granddaughter's and my sister's home. They both needed Papa/Brother Fix it, Build it, Install it" to come and do some things. It does take up some of our time to do these nude events and has even made us cancel some trips. Along with things like that, we also have young grandkids in HS and Middle school and their events to attend. We could just miss these events to attend a nude gathering but we've set priorities early on and family always wins out.
I could easily plan, coordinate, host/entertain an event like this here at our home. We have the room and privacy for a larger group. It wouldn't be confined to the inside of our home. Our backyard is private, has a pool and hot tub, sunning areas, artificial putting green and fire pit for late night conversations if the temps drop. Since Di and I are polar opposites, I think she's a hard pass on that type of event here.
Glad you and your wife enjoyed yourselves. Enjoy the next one!
Not sure if it's the way of the future, maybe just another potentially appealing option. I personally would have no issue with it, but people like my wife are terrified of the idea of so many people in such a close environment. That being said, if the event had activities that were appealing to her im sure she would be more open, as being in nature doesn't always offer variability in excitement. I'm going to have to mull this over with her
Just went to an event like this last weekend. Indoor nude pool party I the middle of housing development on the outskirts of a city.
I agree with your point may not be the exclusive future but rather another way that people not able to access venues can participate in social nudist activity. I think we need both because more opportunities are better than less.Not sure if it's the way of the future, maybe just another potentially appealing option. I personally would have no issue with it, but people like my wife are terrified of the idea of so many people in such a close environment. That being said, if the event had activities that were appealing to her im sure she would be more open, as being in nature doesn't always offer variability in excitement. I'm going to have to mull this over with her
I think we need both because more opportunities are better than less.
Agreed 100%.Since Di and I are polar opposites, I think she's a hard pass on that type of event here.
I don't blame her one bit. There were supposedly about 70 people (I didn't take the time to count lol!) in a room probably about the size of your garage. Luckily, my wife has enough experience being naked in close proximity to other people through our connections at nudist resorts; so it wasn't as daunting to her. But it's definitely not for everyone. Hence the relatively small amount of women there.
There were supposedly about 70 people (I didn't take the time to count lol!) in a room probably about the size of your garage.
Even if you are comfortable with the nudity, in this post-pandemic world you might not be comfortable with the crowding.
On last months nude cruise we went to the nightly deck parties. Even though they were up on the pool deck the retractable roof was partially closed, limiting the airflow. It was very packed with people dancing and we were right there with everyone. I thought there was no way we were getting off the ship without catching COVID or at least some other cold or flu. Amazingly we didnt catch anything but if we werent on a vacation and this was just a Saturday night urban get together and indoors, Im not sure we would stay.
The dances at our resort are crowded, but they are in an outdoor pavilion open on three sides to let the air in. Probably more open than the ship was when the roof was partially closed. And when we do go to house parties with our unlanded group, it is more laid back and less crowded.
It's the main reason my wife is reluctant to resume our cruising trips. I don't think it's the nudity but the crowds and concern for getting sick. At clubs and resorts, it's wide open and there's space for her to feel comfortable. Some resorts we've visited, like the old Terra Cotta Inn, in Palm Springs, CA, were smaller and we partook in various events throughout our 20 years of visits for the day, a night or two and bi-annually for a week with close friends.
On several occasions, we were visiting TCI on Super Bowl Sunday. It was a fun gathering and the owners packed us into a room about 12'x30'. There were about 40 of us in the room and it was crowded but not tight and suffocating. By 1/2 time, we lost a few couples which made it a little better. Subsequent years, we were able to bring extension cords and bring the room flat screen out onto our patio and had our own SB Party near the pool deck.
Back on topic, I'm not sure what the future brings for what many of us consider social nudism. The younger people, including our girls, aren't interested in clubs but like the clothing optional resort idea. They also prefer smaller, intimate gatherings at their home with some close friends that also dabble in nudism. The beach is also a draw, but our closest nude beach is a pain to get to. In our opinion, the younger people don't seem to be interested in anything established and prefer to wing it. They don't seem to like established places and certainly don't care for the old and out of date rules of nudism. We see less and less young people at the clubs. They are visible at the larger resorts.
They are technically the same from a AANR category standpoint. But from a natourism perspective resorts have more amenities and are usually more upscale and less rustic.What is the difference between a landed club and a resort?
minimalist wrote:What is the difference between a landed club and a resort?
It's mostly a difference of degree, I think. All of the "landed clubs" I've been to have a sizeable number of people who live there full time, and have limited accommodations for visitors. They usually don't advertise their presence, relying instead on word of mouth. If they have restaurants, gift shops, and such, they're usually staffed by volunteers and are open only on weekends and special events.
Resorts, on the other hand, have visitors as their primary focus and advertise in the same manner that other resorts do. They have (or at least try to have) fuller services like dining and maybe athletic facilities and such on a regular basis. (Bear in mind that some of them have been dealt a severe blow from the Covid pandemic, when tourism dropped significantly.) They have a paid staff for administration, pool maintenance, groundskeeping, housekeeping, and all the other responsibilities of a resort with hotel facilities.
But, as I said, there isn't any great demarcation between the two categories. Instead, it's up to the organization to label itself as one or the other.