This was originally posted to Reddit on July 9, 2023.
I thought it would be cathartic to get my thoughts out there, so it is less about Solair itself, and more about how I finally kicked myself into trying nudism for the first time. It is about what has held me back in the past, how I finally decided to try nudism, and how my experience was. Maybe others will relate to it and find it comforting to know they’re not alone, and finally feel ready to try nudism for themselves. Or maybe everyone will think, “Man, this guy is nuts.” Well, it’s worth a try. I take no offense if you don’t find this interesting! If you want more info on the actual event, u/rojo617 did an excellent review in this post.
Background
For a long time, I (29m) wanted to try a nudist resort, but I always found excuses not to go.
I’ve always struggled with new situations, since I always worry about doing or saying the wrong thing. I don’t have the same instincts others do for understanding social situations without being explicitly told, so I always worry about upsetting someone, making someone uncomfortable, saying something inappropriate, or something else. To mitigate this, I often like to go to new places with someone I know, so they can stop me if I start doing something too weird. But, I don’t know too many people, and in a catch-22, while I feel more comfortable going to new places with people I know, you can’t meet new people without going new places. Three years ago, I was getting a lot better at talking to strangers and getting out of my shell, but then covid hit. I feel like everyone lost their social skills to some extent, but it’s tough for me when they don’t come as naturally.
With nudism, this is especially difficult, since this is something that is already considered “weird” by mainstream society. I worry about being considered even more of a weirdo if I were to try nudism, either by non-nudists who found out I went, or by nudists if I accidentally do something I’m not supposed to.
I’ve done research, and I’ve seen posts on the internet (like Reddit and True Nudists) from nudists, but too many posts seemed to have sexual implications. There were posts from gay men looking only for other men to be nude with, and there’s definitely nothing wrong with that, and I’m fine spending time with gay, nude men, but when you start your post saying you’re gay, and that you’re only looking for other men, there’s a certain implication there. There were also men who at first seem like they genuinely wanted to try nudism, but their profiles seem to be mainly dick-pics, and it it appears that they’re more into exhibitionism than nudism. I have to remind myself that these are a minority that are just being louder than everyone else, but this all made me more hesitant.
But then, I saw this post from r/rojo617 about Young Naturist Weekend at Solair, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity. Two of my other hesitations were that I would be the only person there under 55 (I’ve heard the stereotypes, and I’ve also read news reports about how nudist resorts are struggling to attract younger people), and that the cost to get in was so high, and this perfectly addressed both of those concerns. Plus, I’ve gotten a lot better about going places alone and talking to people I meet there, and I was ready to take the next step. The Solair website has a great list of rules, so believe I could arrive on my own and not make things awkward.
Young Naturist Weekend
I arrived at about 10a, where they did a a quick background check (another reason Solair seemed like a good first nudism experience was their care and emphasis on safety). One of their “yellow hats” guided me to the parking lot, and before the tour, asked me to undress. He did his job excellently, since I didn’t feel shamed about wearing clothes up until that point, his verbiage was perfect and casual, and I knew exactly when the appropriate time to get undressed was. Afterall, I struggle to know the best time to do certain things, and he helped guide me. And so, for the first time, I was nude in public outside.
He me a quick tour on a golf cart (about 5-10 minutes) where he showed me where everything was. I left everything in my car, including my phone, since I didn’t want it to look like I was taking pictures or anything, and I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making anyone uncomfortable.
I decided to start at the beach, which was less busy than the pool. There are some great rafts and small kayaks that anyone can use, but that’s not really my thing, so I put my towel on a chair, and I read on my Kindle for some time. At one point later in the day, someone pointed out that it could look like I was taking pictures. While my Kindle doesn’t even have a camera, I definitely understood where he was coming from, and I stuck with a physical book for the rest of the day.
I participated in two events. The first was “Minute to Win It”, where you’re given one minute to complete a series of tasks. We had to find partners, and it was a great opportunity to find and talk to someone else who came alone for Young Naturist Weekend. We did absolutely terribly at the events, but we had fun. The next event was the Donut Challenge, where you have to eat on donut on a string without using your hands while blindfolded, which I also did terribly at.
It was really awesome to have activities that were pretty cheesy but quite normal, just done without clothes. When I’ve researched nudist events in the past, activities are often based on the nudity, like spiritual nudity and body painting. The events planned for that day had nothing to do with nudity, just normal activities that happened to be done nude, which really made me feel more comfortable. (There was a body painting event later at an EDM party, but they have that at clothed EDM parties, so it also seemed quite normal.)
I tried some of the amenities. The pond is a bit slimy, but it is fine for what it is. The pool is heated, so it is quite comfortable, but also crowded, so you can’t do much other than just stand there. The hot tub and sauna are both excellent. These are all activities that are so much better without a bathing suit!
I also went hiking on the Bear/Bare Trail (get it?), and nude hiking is wonderful. The trail leads up to a large rock that overlooks Solair, and it is a gorgeous view. I highly recommend it.
A good number of young people showed up. I was worried that I would be one of the only young people there, so it’s great that my fears were unfounded. I don’t know how many showed up, but it definitely didn’t seem to be dominated by older people.
Overall, despite my hesitancies, I’m so glad I went. I wasn’t a fan of bathing suits before (why are they made of such an uncomfortable material?), so I guess a downside is now that I’ve gotten the chance to swim nude, it’s going to be tough swimming with a bathing suit again!
Final thoughts
The only thing that is holding me back from returning is the price. A day pass at Solair is $65, which is more than a trip to an escape room or an amusement park. I know they have bills to pay and everything, but $65 seems excessive. But I can’t get too mad, since I don’t know their financial situation. I wonder if they’re barely breaking even as it is? I would really like to come back, but $65 is a lot of money for just one day. Maybe they purposefully keep the price high so not as many people come so it doesn’t get as crowded. It’s not like it was crazy crowded when I went, but maybe they’re trying to avoid too many people being there at once, which may ruin the relaxed vibe. But I’m just speculating.
I also hope Solair does a better job at marketing in the future. I found out about the event from r/rojo617‘s post, and when I looked at the Solair website, that picture was there, but at the bottom of the page, and it was small and hard to see. I didn’t see it anywhere else either. It was almost as if they were trying to hide it. Plus, the picture looks like it was made in the early 2000’s, which also makes nudism look like an “old person thing”; we haven’t seen images like that in almost 20 years.
I hope to try more nudist activities in the future!
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