Clothing-optional restaurants are booming

May 28, 11:28 AMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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Non-sexual nudity in public dining and entertainment places is booming. According to the July 21, 2008 article titled, Clothing Optional Restaurants, Yoga Studios Where? NYC, “nude dining and yoga exercise are becoming the new rage within the clothing optional community.”

There are plenty of photos of nude diners at that site. Also see the New York Post article of July 21, 2008 titled, The Naked City, by Adam Nichols. Not only are there nude city restaurants, nude eateries inside yoga clubs, but there’s also a “midtown stand-up comedy joint,” according to the NY Post article titled, “The Naked City.”

Nude dining takes place under the auspice of Ordover’s monthly meals, where, according to the article, around 50 diners - whose motto is "no hot soup" – show up at specific ‘venues’ including the Mercantile Grill on Pearl Street and Pete's Downtown in Brooklyn.

The article reports, “They're served by regular restaurant staff - forced by city laws to keep their clothes on.”  According to another article, Nude dining in NYC - natural and healthy or kinky exhibitionism? published July 26, 2008, "There are 50 members of the Optional Diners club."  This article also notes, "Their motto is 'No Hot Soup.'" None of the restaurants they've approached to rent have turned them down, nor has wait staff batted an eye - which may be a telling commentary of their usual customers.

Then there’s the Naked Comedy Showcase, whose team of nude stand-up comics, male and female, perform a naked stand-up comedy show once a month at the People's Improv Theater in Chelsea. For nude dining and comedy researchers, the NY Post article names the midtown Manhattan Yoga club where people show up to eat in the nude as well as work out the yoga exercises naked.

According to the Naked Comedy Showcase, site, it's the creation of Andy Ofiesh, a stand-up comedian from Boston, Massachusetts. "For years Andy has organized hosted naked comedy shows featuring Boston area comics doing stand-up in the nude."

Andy's first naked comedy show in a public venue was at Improv Boston. He also played in the nude at the Edinburgh Fringe. "Encouraged by the success of the shows at Improv Boston and at The Fringe in Edinburgh, Andy organized an ongoing monthly naked comedy show at Improv Boston."

Some people feel more natural without clothing. Psychologically, performing on stage in the nude in a comedy club or eating in the buff in front of clothed food servers are two ways of becoming more vulnerable to the lonely crowd when in public. Imagine how difficult it is to recruit stand-up comics to perform naked at a comedy club.

There's a long history of people performing in the nude. But the new attraction is the audience arriving in the nude in a public setting to eat and to be entertained. Are you really transformed working out in the nude?

Working out at a yoga studio stark naked is about twisting like a pretzel in the nude. Yet there are tasteful, vulnerable parts hidden by limbs in nude photos of the Yoga students working out on the site where the “Clothing Optional Restaurants” article is posted  of yoga students that show up regularly totally naked at the yoga studio and then eat in the nude there.

The yoga teacher is interviewed in the NY Post article . There’s one naked, sitting yoga student photo appearing on the site. The photo is depicted modestly from the back.

Nude Barbeques

At the SubRosa site, the article, “Nude Barbeque” does show more revealing nude photos of a bare-breasted nude woman stirring a copper pot. Hopefully, she does not get splattered by steam or heated oils. The bare-chested male cook in another photo posted with the article wears an apron that only covers his lower half while he prepares food in a supposedly sizzling frying pan.

The SubRosa site reports, “This 'tradition' started with our wait staff. It was late July - the week of the annual International Pinot Noir Celebration and it was quite hot outside. We had to chill our Pinot Noir before serving because of the heat.” But where is this restaurant? Apparently the site notes, “Even a virtual restaurant requires staffing. Sub Rosa is no different.”

Looking to eat in the nude in Sacramento? Then you might research the site of the Laguna del Sol, which on its site, reports that it “is one of the premier clothing-optional resorts in the United States. Located on 250 acres near Sacramento, it’s close to the city and yet a world away.”

Laguna del Sol aims to provide “a full range of active and leisure activities to be enjoyed with the luxury of not having to dress.” The site reports, “Deluxe, modern facilities blend smoothly into the lush, green lawns that cover much of the grounds.

Nudity feels incredibly natural in this beautiful environment.” The site also reads, “Laguna del Sol welcomes singles, couples and families of all ages to visit for the day or to choose from a variety of overnight options.” Do your research and decide for yourself. Read the reviews of the nude recreation resort at the Sacramento City Search site.

An article published September 5, 2008 in the British newspaper, The Sun, titled, “Quarter of Us Eat Brekky in the Nude” noted that, “According to a survey of 2,500 adults, more than a quarter of us eat breakfast naked.”  View the photos of the nude brunchers on the site.

The nude brunchers ate breakfast at outdoor tables on the banks of the River Thames to celebrate the start of organic food fortnight—two weeks of organic eating in the nude. The autumn storm didn’t put a damper on their chilly al fresco breakfast.

Europe is familiar with diners eating in the nude. The nude restaurant trend is new in America. However, the nude dancers at strip clubs have performed since the days of burlesque. What’s new is the restaurant diners arriving in the nude or disrobing in the eateries.

Where will the next startup nude restaurant or yoga studio plus eatery open, and will it be for everybody-- non judgmental, seniors welcome, and totally non-sexual featuring only organic food, fresh air, and clothed servers? Will it be like carnival in Venice? Or will the concept turn to snickering, alcohol, smoke, and age-bashing comments? Where’s that cat mask and apron? Will nude dining and yoga go the way of hedonism or the way of organic health-consciousness?

The word 'naked' gets a lot of attention in the media--as in the multi-authored novel, (each author writing one chapter) titled, Naked Came the Stranger.  Remember the TV program, "Naked City?" There's even a popular ancient history and travel documentary series on Dish Satellite Network TV called "The Naked Archaeologist." But the show is about laying ancient history bare, not exposing the archaeologist.

Want to Work as a Cook or Maintenance Technician at Nudist Resorts? An Event Planner?

If you're looking for a job as a cook or maintenance technician at a nudist resort, you'll be the person wearing a uniform. Read an article at the Citizen, Auburn, NY site where those uniformed workers at nudist's facilities are interviewed as to what they wear and what work they perform. The uniform separates the workers from the guests.

How you find a job at these places is to apply through advertisements in nudist-related magazines and newsletters or simply call the resort and ask for an application for work around the grounds or in the restaurants serving the communities. You might even work your way across European and the Carribean where many of these resorts are located, or contact the resorts in the USA from listings online or in their publications. Jobs for cooks and maintenance persons usually outnumber jobs for event planners anywhere.

Finding Jobs or Vacationing on Cruise Ships and Private Yachts

Ask the managers from what resources do they recruit. Of course, an alternate route is to work as a cook, event planner, or part of the maintenance crew on cruise ships  and private yachts that travel around the world and contain year-round residence condominiums on board. See the cruise jobs site, the Work4Travel Frontier Club site.  

NFN Travel International, is a Southern California based travel agency, founded in 1999 by Aaron and Rhoda Block. NFN Travel specializes in the best clothing optional, nudist, and lifestyles vacations for couples and singles looking to enjoy an exotic, tropical getaway.

Also see the American Association for Nude Recreation site. You can search under  Bare Necessities Tour & Travel and nudist yachts and cruises, private yachts, and cruise ships. No Pockets Yacht Charters "specializes in arranging clothing optional, and adult nude vacations, for all lifestyles, on the world's finest private yachts," according to the charter company's site.

Check out the various special interest as well as the employment sites. You might choose to apply for work at a naturist resort listed under 'mild' or 'wild.' It might be a unique experience to work on a cruise ship of any type for someone who spends decades working as a restaurant cook in a hot, windowless kitchen. 

Maybe you'll find a chef's or caterer's career or an event planner's niche by setting up events or banquets at various resorts as an independent contractor and then ask to be added to the staff. You can choose employment or entrepreneurism. Scroll down to the end of the page and view the short documentary (interviews) video at the bottom of this article.

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 View the Lake Como, FL Clothing Optional Community: documentary (interviews) video 4 minutes, 36 seconds.