We nudists usually know about the benefits of massage therapy and many in the community get their bodies treated on a regular basis. One of the options available to us is the “nudist” or “naturist” massage. There unfortunately seems to be a lot of confusion as to what a nudist massage really is…

Simply put, a nudist massage is one where the patient is naked and uncovered. That is, the therapist doesn’t use a towel to drape over the patient’s intimate parts and buttocks. Often the therapist is also nude, although this only typically happens in a nudist environment such as in a resort or at a nudist beach, and only if the local laws permit it. The massage therapist’s state of undress is his/her own choice, not the patient’s, and makes no difference whatsoever in the conduct or quality of the actual massage. For the nudist customer, the naturist massage is only logical, since one can typically be nude most of the time anyway. In short, a nudist has nothing to hide!

There’s more to say about what a nudist massage isn’t than what it is: First and foremost, it’s non-sexual. The genitals being exposed doesn’t invite their stimulation any more than it does in a regular massage, and any sexual arousal will likely result in your therapist either draping that area or putting an abrupt end to the session. On the other hand, a vigorous massage of the buttocks is normally included, as they’re definitely muscles that can get sore and are too often neglected by overly prudish therapists!

Sadly, there’s an exceedingly large number of offers for nudist/naturist massages services only in name: What they’re really peddling are “happy ending” rubs in massage parlors. If you’re looking for real nudist massage therapy, look no further than your nearest naturist club or resort. Other nudists can also recommend someone reliable.

An Italian gent named Piero contributed the following story about the joy of living naked. Sounds just grand to us!

I usually spend my Summer holiday at Valalta FKK (Istra - Croatia) which is a huge naturist village where about five thousand people can live in camping and in bungalows. I’ve been practicing nudism for twenty-two years and I started spending my summer holidays in naturist villages in 1995. I live naked all day long at Valalta: I walk, I swim, I run, I keep in touch with nature, I relax outside my bungalow and I’m always naked. I like going by bicycle naked: I put a towel on the saddle and I ride the bike for some hours a day. A lot of people go naked by bicycle.

On occasion in my stay at Valalta , every year I make friends with German, Austrian and Dutch people whom I speak in German and in English to. I speak to Italian people as well, since I’m Italian! Some people invite me to drink or to eat something with them outside their bungalow: I sit down naked like them and we talk about many subjects. I’ve always met very friendly people who are open-minded.

When I have lunch, I usually eat naked, sitting down on a towel in a pizzeria. After having breakfast, I often go to the top of a hill that’s inside this big village. I walk naked on a footpath and I reach a viewpoint where it’s possible to get a wonderful view on Limskj canal. A lot of people get to the top of this hill walking naked. When it’s autumn or Winter I’m looking forward to going again to Valalta but I must wait for Summer…

I cannot but say that it’s a wonderful experience and I think it’s worth making this kind of experience which makes me feel very free: I feel freedom and I’m very happy with naturism, so I can spend unforgettable days (I hate a life led by strict rules and impositions). My friend Paul is often with me and agrees with me about naturism (which) he likes very much. I often spend some days around a lake in Austria where I stay in a FKK camping in order to live naked. Unfortunately I’m not allowed to stay naked on the Italian beaches because of Italian law, but I can do it only at Dante’s Lido near Ravenna. When I practice naturism I’m in seventh heaven!

Jerry and Annie Troeger are the owners of Bonita Nudist Resort, in central New York state. Jerry is a prolific writer and graciously lends us his words today, recounting their experiences around the time they acquired the resort…

Written by Jerry Troeger

“So you want to buy a campground?” These words resonated in my head in varying degrees of cynicism as my wife and I laboriously swung our picks into the hard, rocky soil in search of the lever elusive subterranean water leak we had been trying to locate for the better part of three days. ” Find my watch yet?”, chided one light-hearted passer by. Another nude guest inquired if the pool would be open soon. We still had to address the electrical problem in lot 21, not to mention cutting the grass, manning the snack bar, greeting new guests and of course, answering the phone. It was about 8:30 in the morning. Just three days after we bought our campground. The day was still young but already we were feeling older than our years. Yet as we stood there facing each other, covered in mud, sweat running down our naked bodies, we paused and gazed into each other’s eyes. Our spirits undaunted, our thoughts were one: ” We did it. We bought the campground!” Less than one month later I would fall from a tree and break my ankle in four places leaving the bulk of the running of the camp to my already over-burdened spouse. Our eyes again met in the hospital emergency room, our thoughts again one: “We did it. We bought the campground. Lord, HELP US!”

My wife Annie and I had been members of our campground under its old ownership for several years before becoming the new proprietors. The previous owners, with all due respect, were not much on maintenance or “people skills” for that matter. They had also made it clear that the camp was perilously near to closing forever. There was an attempt at forming a co-op by some of the seasonal members, (red flag here), but that was not to be. So, with no prior campground ownership experience, a lot of enthusiasm and a “dollar and a dream”, we took the leap of faith. At the closing, when the former owners took their check and left the table without so much as a “good luck” or even a glance in our direction, we didn’t even flinch.

Now, trial by fire isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It can be far worse. As a life-long nudist, I have always cherished our way of thinking and living. Even my wife, a beautiful Latin, newly converted to nudism, fully appreciated this as well. So it seemed only natural to make our passion our livelihood. But nothing could have prepared us for what was to come. Not even Forrest Gump and his box of chocolate.

It’s 5:00 am. The phone rings. “There’s no water. Fix it”. Click. “I just filled the tank yesterday”, I thought to myself. Get up, turn on the tank. “Must be another leak somewhere. Got to find it.”

A week or two later we were “invited” to a camp meeting by some of our seasonal members. They have “concerns” they say. (Remember the red flag?) “What’s up?” we ask upon our arrival. Their spokesman solemnly asks us to sit down, pulls out a hand written list and begins to speak. “Well, for one thing, you don’t seem to answer the phone fast enough”. Nods all around the campfire. “And, we feel your teenage children do not belong in the office”…More nods. “Also, your wife spends too much time in the garden.”, another added. We sit there dumbfounded. “Is this really happening?” “But guys”, I say defensively, “we’re new at this. There are only the two of us and we are trying our best to…”.”Not to mention that there are too many flowers on the deck and some of us have allergies”, the spokesman interrupts. “Listen”, I say ,”this camp was on the verge of closing if WE didn’t put ourselves on the line to save it. Yes, we’re new at this but we are learning as we go and are doing our best. We could use a little slack here. The meeting abruptly ends when one member gets in my wife’s face with a racial slur. Our “education” was in high gear and it wasn’t pretty.

Well, the summer progressed, the ankle eventually broke and we continued to learn. We endured phony complaints to the board of health, a vicious rumor mill, innumerable infra-structural breakdowns and our fair share of the “normal” things that plague every campground owner. In all fairness, there were several members who took pity on us and did much to help and we thank them But in some cases, there was a price tag on this too. Another lesson not to be forgotten.

Our second season, not as unpleasant as the first but not without problems, opened up with a new water system, ongoing electrical upgrades, new rental cabins and rooms, a game room, an expanded dining area in the clubhouse, better kept grounds, a re-written rental contract and two wiser nudists at the helm. We also began to track down the trouble makers to the source and eventually did some “in-house cleaning”. You see, we learned something really important here. We learned that people will be people with as much good as bad on any given day. There will be agendas, jealousy, support and happiness all active in the mix at the same time. Our true challenge is to manage this aspect of the business. No easy task. How far removed from the ideal of true nudism, socially or otherwise, we have often thought. Looks great on paper but is far more difficult in practice.

As our third season draws to a close, we look back upon it and smile. Many new faces, peace and tranquility prevailed throughout the season, and the water and electrical systems behaved admirably. We’re on the right track. We are a little older, a little wiser. We have managed to preserve the integrity and enjoyment in social nudism we have always cherished for ourselves and our guests, give or take a few interruptions. Our picks and shovels are now retired to their respective places in the barn, but not too far from the front door. After all, you never do know what you’re gonna get!

Related Sites:

• Bonita Nudist Resort’s web site

A nudist Day reader, Lawrence from New York state, submitted this moving account of how he came to be a nudist and how it completely changed his outlook on life [edited]:
“Nudism literally saved my life during an episode of depression. I felt lost, insecure, alone and for some reason. I did not like myself. A man, noticing my sadness and depression, invited me to a private family nudist club. Working for me everyday, he could see the downhill direction I was going. I decided to accept his invitation. It turned out be the most wonderful experience I ever had and the best decision I had ever made. People of all ages…all the way up to a delightful 82 year old couple that had been nudists about all their lives. Everyone was totally clothes free. Happy, smiling, playing, talking, telling stories and I could easily see that everyone was having an absolutely great time and all in the nude. About 3 minutes later I also became nude. They made me feel welcome and a pleasant addition to their nudist family. The experience of the beauty, freedom, and the happy sincere welcome changed my life forever. I’m celebrating 18 years as a nudist and my lifestyle is now happiness.”
Lawrence confirms again what drew many to the lifestyle: Not just the feeling of liberation and discovering a fundamental truth about ourselves, but also the disarming kindness of nudists towards their fellow human beings. In turn, it is we who convey this aura of warmth to others who will take their first step after us.
Share your story through Nudist Day, just as Lawrence did, by writing to us via our story submission form. We also appreciate your opinions about a few key naturist topics by taking a couple of minutes to fill out our survey here.

Nudist Day’s mission is to bring you human interest stories related to social nudity. On this occasion, we bring you one of our own.
It happened in 2004, in Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, on a stretch of rugged coastline frequented by nudists.
This author and his companion at the time, let’s call her Dee, were enjoying the sun and having a dip when far off in the rough surf appeared a poor soul clinging desperately to a drifting windsurfing board whose mast had broken. The strong current was quickly carrying him off towards the south and the open sea.
Dee, a former swimming champion and longtime aquatics instructor, didn’t hesitate and leapt into the 65 F (18 C) water and swam through the crushing waves and churning currents until she reached the exhausted young man. She then towed both the heavy windsurf board and the lad back to the beach, where a large crowd had formed to watch the rescue as it unfolded. None of the spectators were naked, the nudists having already yielded to modesty and the discomforting presence of so many textiles.
Dee emerged from the surf before them, drained of energy…and naked. The lad, a fellow from Switzerland, was so affected by his ordeal that he didn’t seem to notice that his rescuer stood before him as an Amazon. The moment he did take note, he stopped babbling thank yous and just gaped for what seemed like an eternity. He finally came back to reality and kept thanking her for saving his life.
Undoubtedly the young man went back to Europe telling all about the naked siren who pulled him out of a jam, which would of course be a better story than just “being saved by a girl”!