How to become a naturist?

When you’re searching the internet about how you can become a naturist, you’ll often find the simple recommendation “Just take off your clothes, and there you go”. Completely useless advice, if you ask us. Although the physical act of undressing may sound this simple, there is also the mental step. Being naked with other people in a non-sexual setting isn’t something most non-naturists are used to. It’s a step out of your comfort zone, which can trigger certain concerns or fears.

Naturism is also about more than just being naked. It’s about giving and receiving respect, about going back to your natural self and finding harmony with the nature around us. This doesn’t just magically come from putting your pants down.

Luckily, you have found this blog post during your research. In the next paragraphs, we’ll tell you all about how to become a naturist, and we’ll show you that it’s more than just taking off your clothes.

Why do you want to become a naturist?

There are a lot of good answers to this question, and only a few bad ones. So let’s start with the wrong reasons. If you dream of spending your days looking at naked people, if you think that it’s easier to find a lover when everyone is naked, or if you think that naturism is something sexual, you might want to find yourself another pastime.

If, on the other hand, you want to connect more with nature, get rid of stress, improve your body image, escape from the rat race, enhance your mental health, or just engage in a positive lifestyle with lots of nice people, do read further.

First things first, let’s talk about the nudity

We mentioned earlier that naturism is about much more than just being naked, but nudity is of course an important element. Let’s face it, most non-naturists have only seen a handful of real-life naked people before. During your first naturist experience, this number could easily increase with several hundred. And the select group of people who have ever seen you naked is going to equally expand as well. 

In everyday life, the word “naked” is very much linked with being vulnerable. Even in many dictionaries, you’ll find explanations like “unarmed”, “defenseless”, or “exposed to harm”. We’ve all heard about the nightmare - or even had it ourselves - when we are standing in front of an audience and suddenly notice that we’re not wearing any clothes. You may start to wonder how naturists can actually enjoy being naked among others.

It’s important to understand that nudity has a completely different meaning at a naturist venue. It’s what brings us together. Another explanation of the word “naked” that you may find in the dictionary is “devoid of concealment or disguise”, as in the expression “the naked truth”. This relates more to naturism. We have nothing to hide. What you see is what you get. It’s a high level of honesty that encourages respect and an interest in the person rather than the packing.

While this first naturist experience may feel scary or daunting to you, you should also realize that for most of the other naturists it’s not their first time. They are used to being around naked people and have probably seen thousands of naked bodies before. To them, you are just another naturist. They won’t stare or laugh at you because you won’t look any different than all the other naturists they’ve ever seen. No matter how you look.

Do try naturism this at home

There’s only one way to get comfortable among naked people and that’s by visiting a naturist venue. But becoming comfortably naked is something you can easily practice at home. Especially if you’re not used to being without clothes or if you suffer from a negative body image, this is something we can definitely recommend.

It’s pretty simple too. Just don’t get dressed immediately after you get out of the shower, but do some everyday things without clothes. Walk around, read a book, wash the dishes. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you do it naked. At first, you will be very much aware of your nudity. But after a while, you’ll start noticing the comfort and maybe even feel liberated.

Picking the right place

In this whole blog post, this is probably the most important part. We can’t stress this enough. Do some research before deciding on where to have your first naturist experience because some places are just much better than others and some will be more suitable for your own needs and expectations.

This is also the part where we are supposed to say that the very best place in the world to try naturism is, of course, Domaine de l’Eglantière. Just kidding, there are numerous great naturist campsites, but it is true that l’Eglantière is a great place to try naturism for the first time. The staff is used to receiving first-timers and will make sure that you feel comfortable. Because it’s such a large domain and full of nature, the campsite never feels crowded and there are plenty of places to get away from the others as well as great places to socialize. And the activities are perfect to get to know other naturists as and to experience naturism to the fullest.

Don’t overthink it

We hope that we have been able to give you an idea of what naturism is about and what you can more or less expect. But just like many other first-time experiences, it’s impossible to estimate how it will be before you’ve tried it. So don’t overthink it too much and just take that step out of your comfort zone.

If you do give it a try and you didn’t enjoy it, the procedure to become a non-naturist again is actually really simple: Just put on your clothes, and off you go.