We interviewed Tom Mulhall, co-owner with his wife of the Terra Cotta Inn, the fabled clothing-optional resort in Palm Springs, California…

Nudist Day: Palm Springs has become to nudists what Las Vegas is to gamblers. Why do you think this is so?
Tom Mulhall: There are three major reasons why I think Palm Springs, California is the Mecca of nude recreation in the US. First, we have the best weather in the Northern hemisphere. Nudists want reliable sunny, warm weather. Palm Springs averages just under 3 inches of rain a year. My wife was born in Tampa, FLorida, where according to Wikipedia it averages 100 thunderstorms a year and over 60 inches of rain. Florida is too rainy. That is why we started our resort in Palm Springs. No other city compares to our beautiful sunny skies. Second, Palm Springs is a socially liberal town. I was elected president of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce 5 years ago. There aren’t too many cities that would elect the owner of a nudist resort to be the President and spokesperson for their business community. Third, Palm Springs is a beautiful, safe community. We are right next to the San Jacinto mountains which are the steepest mountains in the US and are breathtaking. Palm Springs is a very safe community which is very important to guests especially in these post 9-11 times. Our town is one of the best, safest places to live in America.

ND: Why, in your opinion, should people choose to stay at the Terra Cotta Inn rather than at the competition?
TM: In the US, every single nudist resort is unique. They all take after the personalities of their owners and managers. We have always targeted ourselves as being affordable luxury. We are the nude recreation leaders in Palm Springs. We offer free Wi-Fi, top of the line beds and linens, state of the art salt water system pool and jacuzzi (we were the first of ALL hotels to go to a salt water jacuzzi), complementary breakfast and afternoon snacks, massage, and so much more. Now where we are really unique is we cater to vacationers. That is why we have the second highest occupancy rate of all hotels in town. Whenever nudists are thinking of booking a week or longer, or coming midweek, we are always their first choice as we are the only nudist resort in the western US that is busy every day of the week. No one wants to go to some other nude place midweek where hardly anyone else is around to talk to? Being a vacation resort not only do our guests come from all over America, but also all over the world. Just this December, the Vancouver Sun newspaper in Canada picked us as one of the top places in the world to go nude sunbathing.We cater to first timers. CBSmarketwatch.com reported we are the most mainstream nudist resort in America and perfect for couples nude sunbathing for the first time. Although 99% of our guests go nude sunbathing, we never pressure first timers. Many women at first feel more comfortable with the European style sunbathing, by going topless. That is fine with us as we know they will relax after a few hours and go nude sunbathing like everyone else. Finally, we cater to couples. We are a 17 room inn. At our size we can not be all things to all people. We have been very successful catering to couples on vacation.

ND: You use the turn of phrase “Luxurious and affordable”. Usually these terms are contradictory — please explain!
TM: You can be both luxurious and affordable. Just don’t overcharge. In my opinion, many nudist resorts shoot themselves in the foot trying to squeeze every last penny out of their guests. They will charge $1.50 for a Coke, we charge $.50. They won’t let you bring your own soda, snacks, etc. poolside. You have to buy it from the resort. We let our guests bring their own food. We even have a community BBQ where many guests become friends and BBQ together. Many nudist resort tack on fees like daily membership fees, we don’t do that. Many have annual membership fees, we don’t do that. Some charge daily internet access fees, our Wi-Fi is free. We invest in top of the line amenities which our guests love. So many say they have never had a better night sleep then at our hotel. Our beds cost about $1200 each, but are a bargain when you consider how often our guests stay with us. People hate to be nickel and dimed. We never do that to our guests. We keep our rates at a reasonable price so people say “I want to take my vacation with The Terra Cotta Inn” once or twice a year.

ND: What’s your policy regarding singles? Gay couples?
TM: Being a 17 room inn we can not be all things to all people. We can not be a resort for couples and also a resort just for single men, or a resort for families and their kids. So we refer single men and families with kids to resorts that want to book them.

ND: Palm Springs is famous as a playground for Hollywood stars. Any of them patronize the inn [no need to name names]?
TM: Yes, we do get our share of people from the Hollywood, music, and sports industries here. I would LOVE to tell the name of some of the guests as I feel it would help promote nude recreations, however out of respect for the guests, we would never do so. And we have been offered money to disclose celebrities names by some tabloids and gossip magazines. But in my opinion you have to always operate ethically. Our guests expect privacy. Our reputation is too important. So we will never disclose guests’ names. And our guests pretty much recognize just how special we are, so I have never heard of any guests going to the tabloids either.

ND: Do you allow day visitors?
TM: Yes we do take day guests. Day use if from 10am-5pm. We only book 5 couples per day as we do not want to overcrowd the hotel.

ND: Are there nude activities available outside the inn, such as nude mountain hikes?
TM: You can go nude hiking at Joshua Tree national park as being a national park it is not illegal to hike nude, you just have to cover up if you are requested to do so. It is about 1 hour drive away from Palm Springs.

ND: We’ve often heard that the hotel is frequently booked solid. What advice can you give to people looking to book?
TM: It is a nice problem to have being the popular place to stay at. We have one of the highest repeat guest rates in the travel industry at just over a 75% repeat rate. I always tell guests to book in advance or to call last minute hoping for a cancellation. We also have a free Yahoo group [see link below] at where I post last minute cancellations. Any one can join this group for free. Now, although we normally average around a 85-98% occupancy rate (except for December), it means we are not 100% full every month. It is normally easier to get in on a Sunday through Thursday. Also if your vacation schedule is flexible, you will always be able to get in some time during the year.

Photos courtesy of Terra Cotta Inn. Copyright Terra Cotta Inn
ND: You also maintain a blog. How has that worked out? Has it been a good marketing tool, whether intentionally or not?
TM: Our blog [see link below] has been a great marketing tool. And yes I did start it intentionally to help market our resort. AANR has recognized that the nudist industry has to attract younger people into nudism. Blogs are a perfect way to attract younger potential nudists as well as the baby boomers. We have already had repeat guests here because they found out about us on the blog.

ND: Tell us about a funny or peculiar incident relating to the inn.
TM: A funny incident? When my wife and I told my parents that we were starting a nudist resort in Palm Springs (we lived in Chicago at that time), my father called me 2 days later and told me that he just finished talking to his parish priest and he was happy to tell me that we were not going to go to hell for starting our nudist resort. Everything was OK with God. We thought that was pretty funny. And our parents have been to our resort a number of times as have our siblings.

ND: Tell us about yourself and your wife, before you started the inn.
TM: My wife and I met at the University of Illinois our freshman year in 1972. We have been happily married for 30 years. What we are most amazed about is how our previous work experiences have helped the resort. We were restaurant critics in Chicago for 10 years, so we can make great recommendations. I had my own accounting firm for 15 years before starting the resort. Mary Clare was the director of Consumer affairs at Quaker Oats, so she had a lot of PR and media experience. We went to our first nude beach when we were 23 or 24 years old and just loved it. We have vacationed at nudist resorts ever since. We love introducing people into the nudist lifestyle. I would bet that for about for 90% of our guests, their very first experience with nude recreation was at our resort.

ND: What are your plans for the future? Expansion?
TM: Future plans? One thing I have learned in the hotel industry. Bigger does not mean better. Bigger normally just means more impersonal. We are very successful in our operations. I don’t have a driving ambition to be the biggest, just the best. And luckily, our guests agree with us that they like us just the way we are.

Related Links:

• Terra Cotta Inn web site
• Terra Cotta Inn forum
• Terra Cotta Inn blog

Many nudists, including this author, have long held the belief that Greece is heaven on earth for nudists. This could be because of ancient Greeks, who reveled in their nakedness, practicing sports nude and even marching off into battle bare-bummed as the Spartans did. Well, modern Greeks aren’t so keen to shed their clothes, if you believe Dino Sarakatsanes, founder of Nudist Club Greece (NCG), an organization which represents nudists’ interests in that country.
Sarakatsanes, based in Thessaloniki, is 34 years old and has been a naturist since he was fifteen, thanks to his nudist parents. He valiantly explained to us in his limited English (better than our atrocious Greek), that while there are many hidden little bays, especially in the islands, where people practice nudism, only a few of them have any kind of facilities. The presence of facilities is what makes a beach officially nudist, Sarakatsanes says. One such beach he frequents is Falikari on the Aegean island of Rhodes (Rodos). The latter is only good for sunbathing, as swimming there is dangerous, he points-out. Other nudist strands with services are also all located on islands: Banana beach (Skiathos), Paradise beach (Thassos), Myrtiotissa (Corfu), Tsamadou (Samos), and Super Paradise (Mykonos). Crete has two organized beaches: Palaiohora and Filaki. Sarakatsanes’ site has details and photos for all eight beaches just mentioned, as well as scores of unorganized beaches. Best nude weather in Greece is from May to September, and a bit longer in the islands, which tend to be warmer.
As for nudist clubs, Sarakatsanes told us there are none, except if you consider the couple of so-called “nudist hotels” clubs. There are also chartered nude cruises in the Aegean sea, for which he offered no details.
Sarakatsanes says that while there are thousands of Greek nudists, they lack the places in which to practice naturism. He has hopes that things are changing, as many Greek nudists are buying villas in the islands, presumably to turn them into clubs. The NCG site, praised by the Greek tourism department, is the only official source of information for nudism in Greece according to Sarakatsanes. Among the NCG’s projects are plans to create the first nudist camping in the country.

Photo courtesy of NCG. Copyright NCG

Related Links:

• Nude Club Greece web site
• Beach map of Greece

Many uninformed people out there think naturism is limited to congregating in hot tubs in clubs, but the reality of it is that we’re a very imaginative and creative community. Nudist Day goes to lengths in getting you stories of interesting, even unusual, people and places related to nudism. Recently we discovered Michael Zauels, a gentleman who offers bareback nude horse riding from his farms near Bonn, Germany. The interview was conducted in Spanish, as Zauels is much more fluent in that language than in English, and our German isn’t up to par! Here’s the entire exchange, translated for your enjoyment:

Nudist Day: When did you first start offering nude horseback riding and where did the idea come from?
Zauels: In the summer of 2001 I started offering nude horseback riding. Before that, I would go riding nude on my own, and I had no idea that other people might be interested. In 2000, I started using the internet and learned all about naturism and that’s how the idea of combining nudism and horseback riding came about.

ND: Do you manage everything alone?
Z: I do everything alone, although when I need it, I get help from a few of my female friends. The hardest work doesn’t involve the horses themselves, but rather the maintenance of the grounds, transporting hay in winter and water in summer, which I do with an old tractor.

ND: You claim that this isn’t a commercial venture. You don’t charge anything at all?
Z: It’s not commercial because if it was, it would result in having to pay special taxes as well as other inconveniences. Visitors can “donate” just ten Euros (about 13 USD) for an hour of riding, which is hardly enough to cover all my costs (food, shoeing of horses, etc.)

ND: We understand that you want to promote nude horseback riding, but what’s in it for you?
Z: There’s a few female friends that come here to ride nude. They either have their own horses or at least know how to ride one well. There’s also people I don’t know that come here, but I only accept serious people who are thinking of naturism and nothing else. Sometimes there’s people who think we engage in erotic games during outings and we make it clear that that’s not the case when they call. That way there’s no problems. I prefer the company of my female friends. They’re naturists and treat the horses well and there’s no risk they’ll fall off the horse. Most of them I got to know during photo shoots (Editor’s note: We presume he meant the nude photo shoots). As they’re amateur models, they have no problems with nudity.

ND: In general, the riding is done not just nude, but without a saddle, correct? Isn’t that a tad uncomfortable, especially galloping at speed?
Z: It’s not uncomfortable whether trotting or galloping if the rider adapts him/herself to the horse’s movements. This applies whether dressed or naked. If someone is new to bareback riding, we amble at a slow pace.

ND: Must one know how to ride, or do you teach people how to do it?
Z: Obviously, it’s best to know how to ride, but it’s not absolutely necessary. As my three horses are purebreds, it’s possible to ride slowly, without trotting or galloping. That way nothing bad happens. My girlfriend, for example, started bareback riding my horses nude and she had no previous experience riding before that. I can’t teach people to ride because I’ve never had any lessons myself — I got on a horse and started riding!

ND: Are many people coming? Couples? Families? Single men?
Z: No, not many people. Sometimes it’s couples, other times it’s mother and daughter, or father and daughter, or two women. Single men must be accompanied by a female, because we don’t ride with just men. This would be seen as exhibitionism. In German law, there’s no mention of exhibitionism involving women (only men). Thus, when a group of people includes one or two women, there’s no problem. People don’t get upset if they see men and women naked together because they understand they’re doing it to be in harmony with nature, and not to scare or bother others.

ND: Do you worry that an accident could happen? What measures do you take to reduce that risk?
Z: In theory, accidents can happen. The horses are very tame, but they’re animals and if they get scared nobody knows how they could react, but the risk is minimal. Before any outing, all participants have to sign a waiver. In any case, as I mentioned earlier, we’ll amble slowly if the riders don’t feel sure of themselves.

ND: What advice would you give to someone thinking of offering the same service?
Z: There’s not much difference between riding naked or clothed. However, it’s important to avoid areas with a lot of people. Ideally, you want it to be far away from civilization. Germany is one of the most densely populated countries of the world, but it also has a lot of forests where you’re unlikely to see other people. You have to know the territory (where you’ll ride) well. Equally important is to behave absolutely normal, as if you were dressed. If nude persons act like clothed people, then nothing untoward happens and people react amicably. Another idea before offering nude horseback riding is to talk to the people living in the area, letting them know it’s something very natural and that it’s not aimed at provoking or bothering them. That way, people will be prepared for what’s to come.

ND: Tell us about an unusual or funny incident relating to nude horseback riding.
Z: The comments people make upon encountering us during one of our outings, which are at times quite funny, such as: “Ah, they stole your clothes, did they?!”, “Now all that’s missing is the sea!”, “Now THAT’S natural!”, among other things.

ND: What are your plans for the future?
Z: Maybe I’ll buy a new horse this year, because Fanny, the brown horse, has problems with her hoof. Nothing serious, but she might not be able to be ridden as often as before.

Photos courtesy of Michael Zauels. Copyright Michael Zauels

Related Links:

• Michael Zauel’s Web Page

N, also known as “Nude and Natural”, is the venerable magazine found on countless coffee tables in naturist homes and businesses. It’s published by The Naturist Society (TNS), an association with offices in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, founded 27 years ago by the legendary Lee Baxandall. Paying members of the society, numbering about 22,000, automatically receive the magazine as a benefit of their membership. We asked Nicky Hoffman-Lee, the current editor of N a few questions about the society, the magazine, and naturism in the US.

Photo courtesy of TNS. Copyright TNS
Nudist Day: What’s the difference between the TNS and the AANR?
Hoffman-Lee: TNS is dedicated to promoting public lands nudity. AANR is more
concentrated on landed facilities.

ND: Tell us about its founder, Lee Baxandall. Is the society still guided by his principles?
HL: Lee Baxandall retired in 2002 due do health issues. Lee was a tireless worker where nude recreation is concerned and it was very hard to ‘replace’ him, we’re still trying. The mission of The Naturist Society is to promote a culture of body acceptance through clothing-optional recreation using the tools of education and community outreach. That is still our mission.

ND: Are there currently any legal battles the TNS is involved in?
HL: There are always legal battles going on in almost every state every day. There are currently legislative bills of interest in California, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas. But as long as legislation is in session “The Naturist Action Committee” is on alert. [Editor’s note: the NAC is the society’s legal and political arm]

ND: Do you think nudism has been making rapid progress in the USA in recent years, or just the opposite? Do you think the sharp turn to the right in US politics since 2001 has been harmful to our liberal-minded lifestyle?
HL: I think that nudism is status quo at this time. However, the sharp turn to the right in US politics has certainly not helped our clothing-optional lifestyle.

ND: What do you think needs to be done to attract younger people to the lifestyle?
HL: Try to include activities at resorts and beaches that attract the younger crowd. It’s very difficult to make them welcome when all they see are older people lounging around a pool. Not that that is a bad thing, but youngsters like to be active. I see young families joining in more now that I’ve seen in the past few years. That’s a really good thing. Families with small children are more involved now than in about 10 years. In fact, we have several young couples writing for N magazine.

ND: What were some of the (recent) positive changes in N?
HL: N magazine is now all color and we’re printing on recycled paper. We’re getting positive feedback from our members so that’s a good thing.

ND: What are the future plans for N and TNS?
HL: Future plans are, of course, for growth. I’d like to see our membership increase exponentially. We will continue to improve on N magazine by listening to our members. We try to print stories they want to read.

Related Links:

• TNS and N website

Rhoda and Aaron Block started “NFN Travel International” six years ago and claim it’s the personal attention they give their clients that’s been the key to their success. “Every customer is also a friend”, Rhoda confided.
Rhoda, who handles the sales side of the agency that sells vacation packages to luxury nudist resorts in the US, Mexico and Caribbean, tells us that she routinely accepts business-related calls at all hours and wherever she may be at the time. Perhaps it’s not so strange then that we conducted this interview on the phone while they were on a clothes-free holiday of their own in Cancun, Mexico.
Although NFN caters mainly to nudists, about forty percent of their customers are “lifestyles” people, which usually can be interpreted as “swingers”. Like it or not, the Blocks don’t judge their customers and have packages that fit the needs of both nudist and lifestyle folks. The agency isn’t a member of the AANR or any other nudist association for no particular reason, according to Rhoda.
The Blocks, based in California, have been married 39 years, do all of their business over the internet and phone. Rhoda claims that the most popular destination is the clothing-optional Grand Lido Braco in Jamaica (See photo below). She told us that the Grand Lido was the scene of one of her life’s most embarrassing incidents: She was dining and got up from the table to greet some people. She lost her balance and wound-up falling into a swimming pool. She doesn’t swim, thus she needed to be rescued.
NFN also does a bit of community service by offering free access to the “NFN Club”, which is a type of online forum where nudists can meet, although not for romantic purposes. The service has been an enormous success, with 1,500 couples joining in just its first three weeks.

Photo courtesy of NFN. Copyright NFN

Related Links:

• NFN web site