Naked dining: Do or don’t?

One of the joys of visiting a naturist campsite is that you can experience what life would be like without clothes. You wake up naked, walk outside and feel the morning breeze and the warm sun on your body. You walk to the shower block without having to think about where to put your clothes, you relax, sunbathe, swim, read, socialise, have a drink and a game of petanque, all without a single piece of fabric bothering your skin. But when evening falls, some naturists do prefer to get dressed before they head towards the restaurant. Even though the summer nights in the south of France are known to be pleasantly warm.

The benefits of dining naked

Comfort is probably the main reason why some naturists enjoy dining naked so much. You don’t need to spend time getting dressed (and choosing clothes), you can just stop doing whatever was keeping you busy and head straight to the restaurant. You don’t need to worry about staining your favourite dress, and most of all, as every naturist knows, clothes have a tendency to separate people. When there are no clothes involved, everyone is equal and conversations are much easier started.

Why do naturists dine clothed

The number one reason why some naturists do like to dress up to go to the restaurant is because they consider this a part of the restaurant experience. When people go out, they like to dress up. Which is kinda difficult when there are no dresses involved. Another reason is hygiene. Having our food so close to our and other people’s bodies makes some people uncomfortable. Add to that the risk of a spoonful of burning hot soup dropping in your lap. 

There is also the chance that the temperatures will drop later in the evening. Nobody likes to walk to the other end of the campsite to pick up clothes in the middle of dinner. And then there is the proximity of others. At the campsite, you can have all the space and distance from others that you want. But in a restaurant, it can feel uncomfortable to sit close to other people when you’re not having clothes on.

The choice is yours

It’s not just certain naturists who consider naked dining a “don’t”. Also some naturist campsites apply a dress code (and not an “undress code”) in their restaurants. At L’Eglantière, we prefer to leave people the choice. Everyone is welcome at our restaurant, whether they are naked or dressed up.

During the warm summer evenings, we often have a fifty-fifty between naked and clothed guests. Regularly the naked diners are in the majority. Especially during our communal dinners, we notice that many of the guests prefer to not wear clothes.

In the end, it’s a personal choice and we believe that you should do what makes you feel the most comfortable. But if you’ve never dined naked before, we do encourage you to give it a try one day.  Even if it’s just another experience to cross off your bucket list.