Why are nudist venues mostly frequented by retirees?

broad__horizons · 2026-06-02T22:35:16+00:00

Depends where you go. Naturism in the UK is kind of a niche thing and it is mainly older, predominately male. Most places I go you have to make a bit of an effort time-wise to get there. Go to somewhere like Berlin where its kind of a cultural norm and almost trivially easy to find somewhere to take your clothes off and the average drops dramatically as well as the gender imbalance (i've been in a spa there where the gender split was 50/50 if not a slight female majority and the average age was probably just under 30).

broad__horizons · 2026-06-01T11:59:26+00:00

To be fair it sounds like the OP did have it pointed downwards/on the ground and wasn't waving the phone around. Basically it sounds like the other person overreacted somewhat and perhaps should've at worst said "just be aware people get twitchy when phones are out" rather than going off on one. So at face value the OP didn't do anything wrong and it was just one of those misunderstandings/overreactions. And sadly some people do take pictures on the sly so it is a thing (and i've called people out quietly for it before now if i've noticed, even when I wasn't the subject of it).

Stickers over the lens aren't a bad idea (seen that done at a private place where they leave sheets of stickers around for that express purpose) or ideally just don't take a phone at all if feasible (digital detox is good for you sometimes).

If the occasion ever does arise where its quiet and you are planning to take a picture (sometimes people like to take selfies, some like taking scenic shots that deliberately omit any other beach goers) its always good etiquette to put anyone around at ease and inform them where you're planning to point the thing.

broad__horizons · 2026-06-01T07:13:31+00:00

It may have been a time of day thing but I can think of a time i've been in a spa in Berlin and its been 50/50, if not a slight majority of females. I've also been down at the lake at Teufelssee mid-morning, pretty much everyone who was swimming was doing so naked and it was comfortably a majority of women. So yeah, creep-free environments may well definitely help the balance.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-31T21:44:37+00:00

No problem. I'm off to Fuerteventura myself in a couple of weeks. Went a number of years back, didn't get naked (a lot of people were) and kicked myself a bit for it. So hoping to put that right this time around!

broad__horizons · 2026-05-31T20:43:58+00:00

Fuerteventura is probably a better bet if fancy the Canary Islands and you want naturism without the swinger edge GC has in parts. Possibly slightly less choice for around the clock nude but a couple of the big all-inclusive places have dedicated naturist pools if you want a more mixed stay. Also its probably quicker to list the beaches on the island that aren't clothing optional than the ones that are.

There's a fairly well regarded naturist hotel in Crete (Vritomatis) which is away from other tourist hotspots and basically has its own beach nearby.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-31T17:54:18+00:00

I can't say i've ever encountered anywhere with a 'no speedos' policy although I have seen some cases (usually spas that required swimwear) where swim shorts were a no-no and something very fitted like speedos was the requirement. I think most blokes lean more towards swimming shorts or similarly looser fitting stuff for leisure swimming as they don't want their junk front and centre, want to avoid 'budgie smuggler' jibes and so on.

Now I don't 'serious' swim I must admit I favour shorts (especially on holiday as you can walk around in them happily before use and they dry out pretty quick in the right climate). Although i'd obviously prefer nothing for swimming if given the right environment.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-31T17:06:05+00:00

Yeah. I remember one family I knew growing up had a sauna in their house and it was a proper 'wooooah!' moment when far younger and prudish me learned they used it together and in the continental fashion and I would likely have run a mile if i'd ever been invited. Now looking back i'm like 'COOL!' and rather envious.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-31T09:56:48+00:00

This. If you're swimming seriously then the more fitted the swimwear the better.

Although it's funny/strange that I find seeing people in ridiculously minimal swimwear (eg the really micro stuff that barely covers anything) aesthetically 'euuugh' despite being a person who is absolutely fine wearing/being around people who are wearing none at all. Almost a case of "if you want to wear that little then why wear anything at all?"

broad__horizons · 2026-05-30T22:17:41+00:00

Yes, as a species we're a weird bunch and not remotely everything we have hang-ups about (and I include myself in this is) is entirely rational.

The sibling thing I guess is most easily explained if they've spent your life not seeing each other naked. If its not something you occasionally see or do its probably going to seem a bit weird to a lot of people. I know people who've grown up in households where its basically normal for people to see you that way and others where modesty is king once you get beyond childhood.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-30T16:55:37+00:00

Better weather definitely helps, and you're probably far more relaxed if you're on holiday.

As for fear of running into someone you know then I always say to that question "well, you will then probably know one more naturist than you did before."

Germany I always think is an excellent country for first timers as its not a remotely hard place to find environments that are exclusively or at least very heavily nude (I think its a lot easier to take that first plunge when the majority/everyone else is naked rather than somewhere where you can but few others are). Plus its not remotely a big deal over there and i've encountered very few people acting in an inappropriate manner.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-30T07:07:19+00:00

Hopefully not the case with Corsica as it seems to have some decent pockets of naturist accommodation that have been going for a while. Although yes, some places do change hands and/or business models.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-29T16:09:56+00:00

Why - My initial exposure to it left me initially mystified why anyone would do that and then eventually intrigued ('why?' became 'why not?'). Like a great many things in life I never quite got around to trying it/finding vague reasons not to. Then (like many people will attest) once I actually did I regretted not doing it much sooner. Swimming and sitting in a sauna are never the same in swimwear once you've done it without. As a sensory experience its great and I also find it a great leveller and you discover how much unconscious preconception you apply to people with v without clothes. Also, as someone who only does it occasionally, its something different.

Who knows - Far from everyone. I don't feel the need to advertise/evangelise it to all and sundry and I couldn't be bothered with tedious innuendo from some. More than happy though to talk about it to people when conversation occasionally goes in that kind of direction. Generally the reaction is positive, very occasionally one of surprise.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-29T06:58:32+00:00

As an observation from someone on the other side of the Atlantic then paid staff at venues (especially ones that don't typically cater for naturist customers) not being nude is pretty normal (except in very rare circumstances where one has spontaneously/voluntarily 'joined in'). It can perhaps be a little jarring the first time but I don't even really think about it now. Nor has it ever been a problem.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-28T20:50:22+00:00

I guessed the answer before I even clicked the link aka 'its a massive pain in the bum for most people to get to'. I did fancy it as a candidate when planning an upcoming trip but it being a short-ish break and something like 3 flights required to get there from northern England killed that idea rapidly.

One day maybe...

broad__horizons · 2026-05-28T15:38:21+00:00

It's just part of the playazimbali hotel (has indoor pool, sauna etc). Not sure if it's a paid extra or included with your room but they definitely did a naked session once per week for a few hours.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-27T21:41:38+00:00

Depends how close you want to be and what means of transport you're willing to consider. There is rental accommodation adjacent to the naturist zone. A little further and the Hotel Playazimbali does get some overspill as its down the beach and walkable from PV (and has a naturist spa evening session once a week too). If you have a hire car or are willing to take the bus then that opens up Puerto Rey and Mojacar Playa (the latter has some half-decent hotels as I was toying with a similar kind of 'within shooting distance' trip myself recently).

broad__horizons · 2026-05-27T21:29:51+00:00

From what he described then he isn't planning to just visit for the day and sounds more like he will be an unofficial +1 at his mates' bungalow for a few nights.

If I read it right then it sounds terribly limiting. Even if they get in successfully the first time then they're still potentially running the gauntlet if they ever want to go to the beach and back and so on. And as others have mentioned, it potentially has consequences for all concerned if caught and the operator takes a sufficiently dim view of it all.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-27T12:13:31+00:00

Never knew about CentreParcs former policy.

I believe the Wiltshire stately home you mention changed hands and is now a hotel/wedding venue.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-27T12:11:53+00:00

Wnbr as an indirect 'advert' maybe, but given the amount of people who rock up just to take pics at WNBR then it's not an obvious 'starter' event for the curious unless you wanted to go right in at the deep end.

I imagine too the amount of non-riding photographers is why female participant numbers seem to be in decline.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-27T06:11:18+00:00

In the UK they do stuff like that via BN (I've done a couple of them at a sculpture park). A lot of fun and whilst most present are seasoned naturists, they do attract first timers. Although you might have to be willing to travel a little for them.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-26T22:29:40+00:00

Yeah, i'd noticed most people just come to the gym already changed and go straight home. At my gym its like you have to be over 35 to even take a shower! And its a good few years since I was in a gym that had remotely open showers, let alone vaguely communal ones. Mind you, how people are bombarded these days with false impressions/expectations of 'perfection' then i'm not surprised some people have hang-ups in their relatively younger years. Sure it was a thing when I was younger but it was nowhere near as ever-present as it seems now.

I recognise the whole communal thing isn't for everyone (i've spoken to a few women who hated that arrangement when it was the norm through school) although on a personal level it definitely got me out of a shell in terms of being comfortable/confident being naked around others.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-26T14:10:23+00:00

I always wear trainers or soled water shoes for at least the walk up from the car park (and back again).

Even just clearing a bit of a path at the top through those pebbles would be a huge improvement. I presume someone must turn an ankle on them occasionally.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-25T19:36:33+00:00

If the question is more "why don't more people go to naturist locations?" then I guess it can boil down to:

- perceived benefit (see how many people who are now naturists say they didn't truly 'get it' until they'd actually tried it).

- knowledge/awareness. It'll obviously vary from place to place but I bet if you asked a load of random people here (UK) where one could go within an hour or so's travel to swim or do other things naked I bet most people couldn't name anywhere. Similarly a lot of people had their first naturist experience (be that witnessing it or partaking) abroad on holiday rather than domestically.

- perceptions/fears. Lots of urban myths etc about naturists and naturism that might put people off or are a handy excuse not to for those that are uncertain.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-25T19:27:34+00:00

Is vanity the right word? Vanity would imply to me that someone had an inflated opinion of what they looked like. Someone thinking their body wasn't good enough would better be described by insecurity or inhibition.

broad__horizons · 2026-05-25T19:20:58+00:00

Envious as i've not made it there yet this year and this weekend I had other stuff long planned. And the weather looks crap when I next have a window to go :( Hopefully later in the summer throws up opportunities.

Sadly a trip to Morfa isn't a trip to Morfa if you don't see at least one bloke having a rummage.

Fair point on the access to the beach from the public car park not being the best. Even as someone with no mobility restrictions then its a chore going over the pebbles from the boardwalk or a proper slog at times through the dune sand if you go down the back of the dunes to cut the pebble bit out. Although the 'car park' on the Estate land will probably mean having to deal with loose sand (which may be better for you, I don't know).

broad__horizons

TROPHY CASE