My partner, Lance, and I recently took a trip to Jamaica, and people kept asking us which resort we were staying at.
I pretty successfully played the deflection game with most of them, as we were going to an event, the Bloom Festival, which happened to be taking place at a clothing optional resort (Hedonism II).
I wasn't sure what people would think, and heck, I wasn't quite sure what I thought about the whole idea.
I'm pretty open to people's preferences and fetishes, even when they're not mine-hey, live and let live-but I wasn't sure what would happen when it came to stripping down. Would this cause even more stressful dreams about being naked in public at work or in high school? Could I actually do the "au naturale" thing?
And did I want to do it?
Years ago, we were at a resort in Mexico and several people told us that if you walked far enough down the beach, you'd pass by a nude resort. We went for a walk the next day, feeling a little bit silly, but curious. Sure enough, we soon saw a group of people playing volleyball naked-although all the super-fit guys obviously worked for the resort and were wearing Speedos. As Homer Simpson would say, "Doh!"
Hedonism II is an adults-only resort that is clothing optional and also all-inclusive. (There was a Hedonism III at one point, but never a Hedonism I. Someone explained the reason at one point, but it didn't make much sense to me-or maybe it was the multiple piña coladas interfering with my cerebrum-did I mention the free drinks?).
The clothing-optional areas at the resort are limited to the beach and pool areas-you won't see naked people at the breakfast buffet or on the treadmills, thankfully. And Hedo, as the locals call it, separates the clothing-optional areas into two halves.
The northern stretch of beach (and pool/hot tub/bar) is called the "nude side," while the southern half is referred to as the "prude side." You can wear as much or as little as you want (or nothing) on the prude side, while people on the nude side must be nude. There's a five-minute grace period there, so you can find your perfect spot on the beach and then disrobe like everyone else.
In fact, on subsequent days, we took advantage of the numerous (and free) cabanas on the prude side to give each other back massages-what a nice couples-bonding activity, with a gorgeous beach setting to boot. I stipulated that the one being massaged had to go bare, and we both agreed with the rule.
Friends came by and chatted with us-some dressed, some not-and it was no big deal. While we never quite got to the nude-all-the-time level ourselves, we realized that the whole vibe was one of non-judgment of bodies and body types, and that was incredibly refreshing.
On our last day at the resort, late in the afternoon, a lovely British woman named Mo came by our group as we lounged in our beach chairs. She was carrying a bottle of champagne and insisted that we join her in sharing it to toast the impending sunset. We thanked her and started a long conversation about her and her husband's travels. He came over as well, and we chatted until the sun dipped below the horizon.
It wasn't until later that evening that it dawned on me that the couple had been completely nude.
I'd been aware of it on some level, for sure, but it had simply not been as important as the conversation and the camaraderie. As Lance told me on our way home, "It felt like people there had nothing left to hide, so why not be authentic and truly yourself? It seemed easier to get to know people."
And really, what could be more natural than that?
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