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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| NaturistDoc |
Posted - 08/12/2019 : 1:11:35 PM
The news just keeps getting worse. We are losing clothing-optional resorts at a disheartening rate, and there are few if any new ones to take their place.
Just in the Palm Springs area, the Terra Cotta 2.0 has closed, and will re-open under new ownership as a textile resort. Living Waters Spa is up for sale, and there is virtually no chance it will survive as a C/O resort.
Playa Sonrisa in the Yucatan is also on the market, and who knows what new ownership would mean there? And two years after Hurricane Irma, Club Orient is still in ruins, with no signs of re-building, at least as of a few months ago, and is apparently tied up in insurance and legal issues. It's hard to feel optimistic about Club O.
It appears the the Golden Age of clothing-optional resorts is coming to an end. Does anybody have some good news to offer? |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| nudesunguy |
Posted - 01/13/2020 : 11:08:21 AM
Damn, such a bummer.
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| diddyriddick |
Posted - 09/10/2019 : 07:39:16 AM
An update.....Living Waters has closed.
http://www.livingwatersspa.com/ |
| Warmskin |
Posted - 09/01/2019 : 6:04:54 PM
I was watching a video that brings up this same subject.
Millennials tend to be post-modern - a characteristic wherein younger folks avoid institutions, and that can be nudist resorts, or, say, religious institutions. Some young people think nudist resorts are full of old and weird fogies.
Maybe some nudist resorts could have a day set aside for people under 40, so that 20 somethings will feel better about going to a nudist resorts. Advertise that youth day so potential younger nudists will feel they are "safe" with knowing that everyone else will be relatively young.
See this website. It has some text, and a documentary type video about nudist resorts, and age differences.
https://documentarylovers.com/film/clothes-optional/
“I rise early almost every morning and sit in my chamber, without any clothes whatever, half an hour or an hour, according to the season, either reading or writing.”
Ben Franklin
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| sailawaybob |
Posted - 08/31/2019 : 11:59:25 PM
years ago I had been a member of a mom & pop nudist resort in north Georgia the owner and his wife you would have thought were poor the drove a ford escort lived in a mobile home and seemed to sink every penny into their little eden , I once told him after I retired I would like to do something similar to which he said be prepared to put your life savings and the majority of your life everyday in it, wow didn't think that. I think membership back than for a family was $200. a year and one day visits $10.-$15. than you have camping and cabins but even Georgia nudism is still seasonal but look at a textile campground some are run 365 days a year and most will agree way more textile campers than nude campers so I can see nudist camps fading. of course also look at the fees now days some are as high as $90. for a day pass but I still enjoy going and i'm sure nudist camps - resorts will continue on. |
| Daretobare |
Posted - 08/30/2019 : 05:42:31 AM
Good article. We could only wish our American news media would view it through different eyes. I remember a couple years ago a national news program made derogatory remarks about international nude day. Again on another nude event a while later. You read and hear articles where somebody was caught in wrongdoing while nude or partially dressed and the emphasis is on the nudity or dress part. I guess in this age if you're not into something, it's OK to say it's a wrong thing for others to do or that you're offended. So sad. |
| Admin |
Posted - 08/30/2019 : 02:48:56 AM
Nice article. I like the approach and values of the author. Notice the old "if you're naturists you're supposed to be tolerant of natural sex in public" line creeping into the comments.
Cap d’Agde trashed the French naturist message just as we try to prevent it happening in America. Some resorts remain nameless in these pages, for instance.
I believe there's still room for us to embrace and dominate social media, but it would have to be something fascinating and viral to overcome the strong distraction of swinger naturism.
I've long considered a naturist reality show, along the lines of the values at NRO, for instance. Can you imagine that?
Something clever and well-done, with a plethora of on-screen naturist talent enacting the experience of living together as naturists, with humor and an interesting twist to the show.
Something like that, heavily pixelated for the YouTube version. That would generate an audience and change the discussion. It would cost a lot, but we could do it. |
| calgarymark |
Posted - 08/29/2019 : 6:11:50 PM
Nik and Lins are the 'Naked Wanderers'. Their most recent blog post, about naturism in France, might lead to some ideas for North Americans to consider.
https://www.nakedwanderings.com/blog/2019/08/29/why-french-families-go-massively-for-naturism/
CalgaryMark
Growing old is mandatory, Growing up is optional. Laughing at yourself is therapeutic.
Update 2019 08 30:
I recommended the article by Nick&Lins; at the time I posted the first part above, there were no comments. N&L are young Belgians who have recently discovered naturism and travelled naturist venues around the world; I like their take on what they see. I do not identify with some of the more extensive comments to date! |
| rkitek |
Posted - 08/29/2019 : 1:10:48 PM
Wow. How sad. It would seem a couple that were so involved in the movement, even holding positions within AANR, have turned their backs naturism. |
| MrsAzLagoon |
Posted - 08/29/2019 : 11:18:20 AM
The hosts at the new c/o venue in Palm Springs seem to have taken a different direction in life...these are the very same managers of the now closed Hotel Terra Cotta. Just do a search for @nudist_resorts to find out about the Nudist Hottie....
Not promoting it, just sad...
Enjoy the sunshine!
MrsAZLagoon-AKA C-OHome
www.ClothingOptionalHomeNetwork.com |
| Daretobare |
Posted - 08/29/2019 : 05:50:34 AM
Many points of interest here. Probably all of them true to a point. I'd personally think smaller rustic resorts would be more apt to survive the crisis. Many of them are mostly rv or camping style resorts. The rv industry has boomed in the last five years so campgrounds have been quite stable. I've always felt that bigger isn't better. Many larger resorts keep pushing for bigger things. AANR emails numerous times a year the ups and downs of memberships. I've watched our local well known resort and the membership fluctuates. Sometimes down a member or two other times up. Some of the drop is caused by death of older members. It is generally even though. The owners decided to bring in a manager that has big resort experience to put the place on the map "internationally" as the words said. Mind you too that resort has a waiting list for rv spots.
This manager is not a nudist and has in his mind to develop the resort into a possible textile place. He has sunk loads of money into the changing , upgrading and redevelopment of it. All good I suppose but answer me this.... Isnt your loyal local members, your every year vacationers, every year returning snowbirds money as good as the international money they are seeking? Prices of course rose to accommodate the changes made. Their resteraunt businesses dropped to the point he had to go back to lower prices and better food choices. Just listen to the talk in the pool areas and the residents and you will get an idea of what people want and don't. The manager only answer to these problems is that it's a resort and you have to pay the cost if you want to be there. I think he has to find a balance. |
| Nudony |
Posted - 08/28/2019 : 11:41:03 PM
I have a question for you guys. Is it mostly the more "upscale" resorts that are dwindling, or is it across the board? Seems to me the more "rustic" resorts would have less trouble surviving due to lower overhead costs. Maybe the future of nudism resides in the rustic resorts? Thoughts?
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| Admin |
Posted - 08/28/2019 : 5:52:29 PM
This is an excellent topic, and it's remained on my mind since day one of NRO.
I perceive it as a riddle of marketing. To promote our lifestyle, the first task is to clearly delineate between our lifestyle and that 'other' lifestyle. Hence NRO and the Society for Understanding Nudism. To compound the confusion, club owners too often try to play the middle game to maximize revenue, without being sensitive to the likely failure of this approach if done without finesse.
At a certain notorious resort that we don't speak of by name, this played out loud and clear. The place went through five managers, each of which had no clue how to market and promote a five-star traditional nudist destination. My ex and I were exasperated to see what could have been the Sandals of nudism being thrown to the wolves. In our frequent and detailed discussions with that fifth manager, it became clear he despised all nudists, as they were "cheap, complained too much and never tipped."
Then came following the money. Said manager called a meeting and announced he was going after the 'low hanging fruit,' meaning lifestyle swingers within driving distance. End of story.
I see it as a marketing problem for a product that is difficult for the public to understand. Owners of resorts often couldn't care less about providing a safe, traditional nudist experience. The bills have to be paid, and swingers often drop wads lots of cash during their short stays. |
| Nude in AK |
Posted - 08/24/2019 : 2:48:56 PM
With all of the 'changes' that are going on in our Country, it does not surprise me that nudism may be loosing favor. |
| FireProf |
Posted - 08/24/2019 : 03:30:17 AM
quote:
Originally posted by NaturistDoc
It seems easy to blame the decline of C/O venues on high prices and swingers, but I'm not convinced.
Being in a relatively small niche market, C/O resorts have always charged a premium compared to the equivalent textile resorts, but it hasn't been exorbitant. And why the decline NOW? We're not in a recession, people still have money, and the economy is booming ... or so our President tells us.
As for the swinger vs. nudist conflict, I see that as a choice management has to make, one way or the other. A non-swinger C/O resort should be able to survive ... IF there is a market for it!
And therein, I suspect, lies the problem. The C/O market, for whatever reasons, is dwindling. Need proof? How about this website? I've been a member of this forum since 2005, and the rate of participation has plummeted over the past 7 or 8 years. You can hardly blame that on high prices (it's free!) or swingers (they're moderated out). Maybe it's due to the aging-out of the baby boomers. Maybe societal attitudes have changed. Maybe it's all the above.
I console myself that there are still a few out-in-the sticks resorts within a day's drive in our RV, although the more 'rustic' ones are looking pretty decrepit. And who knows? Maybe Tuscany Manor will make a go of it. We'll see.
It's not "blame" when you get the facts from someone that's owned and run a C/O resort and has managed another. The numbers don't lie. It's not about convincing anyone, it's facts and they speak for themselves, whether we want to believe them or those sharing the facts.
I don't think it has anything to do with the economy. Nudists have always typically been frugal. If you want to compare these sites to actual clubs and resorts, doesn't take much research to remember the constant whining about the cost of day fees, gate fees, membership fees, cost of food or drink. These sites run their course and I think NRO isn't any different than any other site. The topics of discussion have not only been hashed over but they repeated and hashed over again and again. People get bored with the same topics coming up for discussion so people become bored and leave.
I happened to like this site because it lacks the bells and whistles. There's more communication and discussion and little to no pictures, no chat room, nothing to draw in the fakes and pervs you get on those other sites that offer all the "come ons" to entice membership. What you have here are real nudists just talking and many of those that have left are obviously looking for more than talking/discussing. In my opinion, that's why these numbers are down and other sites like this one. You can't compare, or rather you shouldn't compare this site and it's zero cost to join or the fact that swingers are moderated out to a clothing optional resort. Not even a close comparison.
I think many of us that have enjoyed social nudism for decades are frustrated and looking for answers that make sense and maybe they'll never make sense. We're searching for a reason/reasons for these places closing down. Either way, I've got it on good authority why Terra Cotta 2.0 closed and it was not entirely because of health reasons. We visit clubs and resorts fairly frequently and we talk with people, members, first timers, guests, residents... when they all point the finger at one particular group, it doesn't take much convincing that it plays a big part in the nudists staying away and a clothing optional resort can't survive on just the weekends the players come to play. The Monday-Friday nudists either see this group's actions first hand or hear about the going's on at a particular resort that's caters to this group and they'll decide to stay and away and stop visiting.
I do agree that real nudists are aging and the younger people don't want to get involved in organized nudism or visit clubs and resorts but if you'll remember, there was discussion here about the younger crowd complaining about cost to visit clubs and resorts. There was discussion on what incentives could be offered, such as discounts to get them in the gates.
Loves being naked. Plays well with others! |
| calgarymark |
Posted - 08/24/2019 : 12:28:35 AM
quote:
Originally posted by FireProf
There is another resort that will begin operating as a clothing optional "resort" in Palm Springs. I'm still waiting for word from the previous owners/managers of the Terra Cotta Inn/Terra Cotta Resort to get back with their take and recommendation on this new place. Look over the website. The Prof and I may go and visit and get a feel for the place and management and clientele as soon as it cools down a bit out in the desert.
https://tuscanymanor350.com/
My concern is that this place won't last too long either.
Loves being naked. Plays well with others!
FP, I took a look at Tuscany Manor. It does look nice until you come to the policies which exclude the solo male traveller.   
CalgaryMark
Growing old is mandatory, Growing up is optional. Laughing at yourself is therapeutic. |
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