7 Tips for the Budding Nudist

You know those infamous adult magazine letters that start out “I never thought this would happen to me, BUT….” Well, I never thought I would become a nudist. Not in a million body-conscious years. As a journalist I had covered events at my charming local nudist resort Cypress Cove (my personal favorite was the year they had a benefit in which they donated their clothes to the homeless) and while I always enjoyed myself I never thought I’d join in.

Last year, though, when I was invited by Barbara and Dean Hadley, owners of Cypress Cove, to participate in the record-setting skinny dip event I went for it. After all, what was I doing with my time that could be better than helping set a Guinness World Record…naked?

The event was fun, funny, exciting and had a great community spirit about it – I’m thrilled to have taken part. Here are some tips for the budding naturist:

1. Practice. If you’re as self-conscious as I was, start out early and give yourself some time to ease into the idea of being nude around strangers. Lose your garments one item at a time over the course of however long it takes you to feel comfortable. Once you’ve totally stripped, after about an hour, you probably won’t want to get dressed again.

2. You are not alone.  Remember, it’s not as though you’re the only nudie here. Everyone else is naked. They will not notice anything about you that you don’t notice about them.

3. Sun screen. You’re exposing parts of yourself that may never have been sun-kissed before. Be careful with them.

4. Sun glasses. You will steal glances at other people’s pieces-parts, not out of lechery; you just won’t be able to help it. Be discreet.

6. Towel. As Douglas Adams would say, always know where this is.

7. Addiction.  Swimming naked in the pools at Cypress Cove was so glorious – gliding through the cool, refreshing water, getting out of the pool and having balmy breezes covering me instead of a wet, clingy swimsuit – that it became quite a serious habit last summer. If you enjoy it as much as I did you could have a new love for life…or at least a summer fling.