https://blog.ricksteves.com/blog/naked-cartoon-characters-in-germany/
"It’s long been a frustration with me as a guide — getting Americans
into spas with naked Europeans."
It's in his blog from 2007, and a quick peak on the tour page and he's still suggesting that you'll have an optional opportunity to get naked during the Best of Germany, Austria and Switzerland tour. I'm all for trying new things, but...
Just how far are you willing to go to live like a local??
On my first visit to the south of France as a young man, I planned to spend one afternoon at one of the topless beaches to experience what the Europeans did. A local friend reminded me:
1) Most of the beaches were rocky, not glistening sand.
2) Just as many if not more grandmothers go topeless as young women.
I forgot what we did instead.
On our first trip in 2000, we wound up stopping in Baden-Baden, almost as an afterthought, after a long day by train from Italy, heading back to Kaiserslautern.
The next day we hit the Caracalla baths, and it was heaven on our sore bodies. After warm water, Steam, and Sauna; we could barely walk out of there.
Since then, we have hit 2 or 3 other baths, Nude and Topless Beaches, all without batting an eye. Yeah the other clientele tends to skew older, but I guess now so am I, but that was never the attraction. It is something we always enjoyed, I sorely miss not being able to get a good steam in the US.
When we travel, we have no issues trying new things, or pushing our comfort limit.
I do however understand peoples hesitancy when traveling with family, or in a tour group, maybe some things are best left to the imagination regarding your tour mates.
Ok, that blog post was a bit cringe.
But, to the subject at hand: I know that FKK (Freikörperkultur--in short, acceptance of nudity in public spaces) is a difficulty for many people from the Anglo-American world, but I have to say I find it curious, even though I understand that every culture has its own hang-ups (and FKK is becoming less common in Germany too, I suspect). From my perspective, is not as if standard bathing suits cover that much? Culture shock from my side, I suppose, to find this funny.
Even if it is becoming a bit less common here, is just still quite normal. In my town, nearly all the open lakes and rivers have FKK sections, and most of the spa/saunas have FKK sections or FKK hours, or allow it all of the time. I am a woman and I use the FKK beaches and the FKK sauna at my gym (when it was open before the last year, at least), and feel as comfortable there as on the clothed beaches--of course there are men who stare, but that is true in clothed beaches too!
But there more acceptance of nudity in a variety of public or semi-public settings in Germany. I was shocked the first time I went to a doctor´s appointment in the US and was handed a gown to wear: here, it is most normal to just take off your clothes, at least for simple visits!
DH and I still remember our visit to the spa in Baden Baden. It was wonderful. We both remarked afterwards that we couldn't recall ever feeling that totally relaxed in both mind and body. Finished up with a long outdoor dinner and a nice bottle of wine. And chatting with a young American couple at the next table who had enjoyed the same experience that day. Definitely a step outside our usual comfort level at first, but I'm glad we did it.
It was likely this earlier experience that made our visits to onsens in Japan easier.
When I started visiting Croatia in 1977 the beaches were topless. Every woman wore two pieces. No exceptions. It didn’t bother me, but I wore a one piece because I didn’t want to get sunburned in those unexposed areas. Sunblock was not readily available or popular back then and being of Irish/English descent I sunburn very easily. Nowadays when I go to the beach in Croatia, or any where, I wear a rash guard. One day while in the water I heard a little girl say to her mother, look mommy, that lady is wearing her jacket in the water. The rash guard was a zip up. I still laugh over it but wear my jacket at the beach and in the water every trip. As for as spas, I would go with my husband, but not family members or friends. Just a personal hang up I guess.
Going topless on a beach isn’t getting naked and is pretty common across Europe - in my experience, it doesn’t attract gawping men. In some places you are more likely to get stared at if you cover up.
There are many naturist beaches too, which seem to appeal to many Germans and Scandinavians amongst others.
I agree with Emma, the British are inbetween with regards to full public nudity. Topless sunbathing has always been popular in the UK and no-one bats an eyelid but I'm often taken aback at first when I walk into a sauna or a pool in various parts of Europe and find naked people, usually German.
Tom_Mn's observation may be backed up by a 'how to dress in India' article I was reading yesterday.
* Women in India are very modest about their breasts. They wear armour-like bras and then drape their dupattas over their chests. *
If I looked like a model ... perhaps. There are many covered beach goers here in Florida that show more than I want to see. Also, I am afraid of getting sun burned. There are parts of me that haven’t seen the sun in quite a while. I think that I would get fried in some most uncomfortable places.
I am not against others going nature’s way. I could care less.
There are many naturist beaches too
So there’s “nudist” and “naturist?” Is that kind-of like “vegetarian” and “vegan?”
Allan asks about willingness of lengths taken to go like a local. Trying various offal and other dishes has been a stretch, but the food’s often been surprisingly tasty! Speaking of eating, a fairly recent post was (another) discussion about utensil use, and maybe some Americans go with naked hands more than some Europeans, who tend to use knives and forks more often.
Gotta be careful on cruises too!
Years ago - did a Christmas family reunion cruise (30 or us) on an MSC ship out of Miami. OOPS - lots of "Europeans" mixed with US families.
Day one- all the pools were open and our teens and younger got eyefuls - lots of talk at dinner.
Day two - top deck pool - well screened - was marked as adults only. Kids were sad, parents just happy the conversation topics were now about dolphins and snorkeling.
My issue with topless sunbathing in Europe is all the men who wear speedos while displaying their ample "man-amary" glands. ;)
At the cordoned off beaches in Juan-les-Pins between Cannes and Antibes that are associated with specific hotel properties the topless situation was the opposite of what the early comments here above mention: the women were strutting and going out of their way to try and get the attention of their sugar daddys (I'm guessing, admittedly) in lounge chairs at the water's edge.
These hotels supply so much value-added, stuff, not just padded chairs and umbrellas and drinks but sidetables and convoluted menus and piped-in music and some live musical acts and so on, that the women had to compete to try and keep up.
My impression for the time I was there was that the women were on the prowl. Certainly there were some gawkers trying to take advantage of the extra show (like me) but it sure did not seem like those without tops were being imposed upon.
And regarding saunas, anyone who belongs to a large gym is used to changing and bathing around other people changing and bathing - I think it gives a broader perspective than people who see most of their naked bodies in movies and on TV that's where you get a skewed impression of what people look like naked.
Do they not have skin cancer in Europe? Whats the the UV index in the Mediterranean in summer? I go to hte beach in Australia/NZ wearing knee length shorts and a long sleeved rash vest- if I'm going snorkeling I wear a buff on my head too. I used to live in Western Australia, and I felt like reporting some European visitors for child abuse when they let small kids run around naked - the exposure to the sun before 7 is a big factor for skin cancer development.
I'll happy walk around naked in a spa - I remember clothes not being a thing in Budapest back in 1989
I'm not getting into anything with naked strangers, period. I did that once and woke up with a shotgun in my face and a barely coherent paw-paw telling me to get the hell out (and I'm being family-friendly here). But yes, I will get naked in a shower so I can swim in Iceland, but not hanging out (lol) with people.
Lis, I was in Budapest in 1997(?) on R&R during the Balkans conflict/war. There was something East Bloc-ish and charming about it.
Do they not have skin cancer in Europe? Whats the the UV index in the Mediterranean in summer?
That's what sunscreen is for.
Naturist beaches - the polite firm of address for a nudist beach in Europe.
I think it gives a broader perspective than people who see most of
their naked bodies in movies and on TV that's where you get a skewed
impression of what people look like naked.
My first experience with topless people in public was on a beach in Barcelona in 2014. A scene from Baywatch it was not.
To the original post, on our GAS tour, there was indeed an opportunity for this during the free time. About half the people on the tour did the spa, and half went shopping or just walking around Baden-Baden. No complaints or issues. The missed point is that only the final, optional pool is mixed, the rest are segregated, so its not an opposite sex ogle fest. I think there is a difference between that and nude/topless beaches. I just didn't want people to be scared off doing this great tour if they think they might have to participate.
Digesting the comments so far regarding the original question of how far I'd go to live like a local, I see my hockey teammates naked in the shower twice a week which sadly may be more than I see my wife naked. Same with the gym, where I also shower before heading to work. Lots of nakedness. I can't see myself getting naked at a spa with all my tour mates-I think that's too much awkwardness, but upon further reflection, I'm more likely to leave my comfort zone and be naked in a crowd of strangers in a spa at Baden Baden than I would be to leave my comfort zone and eat strange food.
Ok, this is springing off the mentions of the grammas sitting matter of factly on the topless beaches...
Im remembering When I saw the Fisher King in the theater (it has a long scene of a naked Robin Williams cavorting gleefully in Central Park)
While I was innocently washing my hands one 75 yr old said to her companion "I never imagined he would be that hairy. I could never make love to a man w that much body hair"
I'm more likely to leave my comfort zone and be naked in a crowd of strangers in a spa at Baden Baden than I would be to leave my comfort zone and eat strange food
Makes sense, Allan. It’s not like you’re likely to run into those folks again any time soon. Anonymity makes lots of things possible. And a nude human form is probably less alien than a food offering with unknown ingredients, or one with ingredients that sound inedible.
It seems, though, as if everything’s being filmed nowadays with a smartphone or digital device, so almost anything might wind up being broadcast, unexpectedly. Somebody’s surreptitious video might wind up being another person’s “15 minutes of fame.”
German's don't see all nudity as prurient. Yes, at times it can be. When Germans are naked in public, at a beach, park or spa, however, it's not considered anything other than not wearing clothes. In a spa, it's usually considered a sanitary measure.
I went to a spa in Freiburg and was a little surprised. Reading Rick, you would think everyone drops their clothes at the door for the duration of their visit. In fact, it was only in the saunas that you saw anyone sans swimwear.
I grew up in San Diego and surfed often (not naked) at Black's Beach. When I was a kid it wasn't legally a nude beach so you saw naked couples and hippie families dotted here and there doing nothing other than being naked at the beach. Later San Diego legalized it and everything changed, it became a zoo of body paint and licentious activity. The city tried to put the genie back in the bottle but it never returned to its former remote, peaceful, lightly-used, nude-beach self. I moved my surfing to Windansea.
I remember my first trip to Germany back in the 80s. My imagination vs reality of a nude beach were diametrically opposed.
