Thanks for this article you did a great job explaining it. I'm not a paid subscriber but I wouldn't mind subscribing at all if I could get information like this on the nudist community continuously. I'm very interested in the nudist community and seeing it grow and not to continue to get smaller. I'm the president of a small TNS club in Topeka, KS.. Lake Edun. We've had good success this year by really hitting the events and promoting them on FB, IG and some on X and Meetup. I also belong to Oaklake in Oklahoma, and they have a strong marketing program and a strong membership. AANR and TNS are great organizations, but I never see any marketing/growth ideas in the articles in their publications? IMHO why doesn't either organization but more emphasis on attracting leaders that have skills in marketing? We have a very marketable product! Women especially are weary of trying to live up to the appearance norms and are anxious to embrace body acceptance in a safe environment.
A nudist resort is a business. It is not an ideological or religious commune. This is inevitable. Property costs rise. Demand for clothed recreation increases while the number of active nudists declines. It is a story we see over and over. A business has no choice but to follow the route that is most profitable.
I don;t know if there is anything the national or regional organizations can do about this. It is probably beyond the ability of individual clubs to deal with. If you have to sell, the odds of finding a nudist to buy at market value is spectacularly low.
The ONLY solution for losing clubs is to increase the number of nudists. That's all marketing and advertising to textiles, not fighting over slices of a fixed pie.
Or, have people with the right skills open a new one. Just because someone wasn't able to capture and grow the market doesn't mean someone else can't succeed. Think of it like any local business, such as a cafe. In my New England city, there are many cafes. Some fail within their first year, while others can capture something unique – be it the roast, the blend, the atmosphere, or something special – that others can't, and they become successful.
The same applies to nudist resorts. I will say this: you can be a coffee connoisseur but know nothing about running a business. The reason why Bare Oaks is as successful as it is, is because Stéphane has a background in marketing. I know not every owner will have a degree or a former job in marketing, but they should at least take some business/marketing/hospitality classes or hire people who have those skills.
Step one. Someone has to want to do it. Volunteers?
Step two. Someone has to be (or become) an astute businessperson while at the same time be willing to accept the risk of entering an extremely niche market.
Step three.. Find financing. Even with good financing and a good business plan, count on three years operation before breaking even. Real estate is staggeringly expensive. I don't know what it sold for but DeAnza would cost millions as a new startup.
Yes, this is very sad. But it was quite foreseeable. Even at the time that ownership changed, it wasn't clear that any naturism at all would remain at De Anza. But we live in a society that favors the wealthiest, and if the owners aren't making as much money off their business as they want, then they will do whatever they think will work best to increase their profits.
Most of the naturist parks and resorts that still remain are in the hands of people who really believe in naturist principles. But they're always getting older, as are the majority of their customers. Neither they nor their customers bear the main responsibility for that. The sad fact is that there aren't ENOUGH customers. The law of supply and demand is a basic fact of economics. As demand declines, so also will supply. But increase the demand, and the supply will soon follow.
So exactly who is it that should work harder to promote demand for naturist venues? Is that not the main responsibility of naturist organizations, at all levels? It's also a prime responsibility of owners/managers of naturist properties. But as De Anza shows, some think that abandoning naturism will increase the profits much faster.
Individual naturists themselves need to play a significant role by promoting naturism within their own social networks. That's a very important type of "organization". But it doesn't seem to be happening either. Yes, there are a small number, people like Evan, who are doing their part. But clearly there aren't nearly enough promoters of naturism at any level.
Naturists should get a clue from writers and actors in the movie industry. They're on strike now against the studios due to a reasonable fear of being given short shrift by the studio owners. That tactic may well work for them. Naturists will have to use very different tactics if naturism is to survive and grow. But one factor remains the same: everyone who has a stake in the success of naturism must come together to organize and work for that objective.
I am saddened to hear this news, fortunately, just a few months back I was able to enjoy the grounds and surrounding areas of DeAnza. If you are into nude hiking it was an excellent option.
Ooopsie... For the few who still receive the TNSF magazine, there's now an extensive article by Mark Storey on So Cal naturism. Mark writes about the trip he and his wife made to the area last December. Although they spent 3 weeks in the area, there was enough to do that they didn't quite make it as far south as De Anza. But Mark concludes, hopefully, that "we heard good things about what the new owners are doing there, and hope to visit the site in 2023." So much for that idea, I guess.
Mark also writes in that article about Joshua Tree National Park, saying "it's delightfully easy to hike miles free of clothes" there. And, guess what, right now there's a 82,437-acre wildfire in the general area, and it's only 30% contained. Although Mark may not have hiked naked in that exact area, there are now more than 80,000 acres perfect for nude hiking that won't be the same for hundreds of years. Joshua Trees don't grow outside that part of the country, and those in the affected location may never return. It's unclear at this point whether the cause was climate change or human carelessness (or both). However, such fires affect wide-open spaces that are among the last places naturists can enjoy nudity outdoors without hassles. Canadian naturists have probably lost much more from this years recent fires (in a climate that affords much less time for going naked in nature).
Bottom line: naturists seem to be steadily losing opportunities for nudity in the great outdoors as well as in private clubs.
I never heard of this resort before. However, after reading in this article that it only opened in 1997, I have to be honest, it had a nice 25 year run. That is good for any small business, regardless of it being nudist. If it had been around for longer, since the 50s or 60s, I can see the lost. Of course, it is sad for the local nudist community in the area, however. The fact that it has only been around since 1997 gives me hope that new places will open up in it's place, like how a indi book stores are.
It's 500 acres of beautiful rock formations in the mountains of eastern San Diego County, there's no other nudist club like it in the US, possibly the world. It's a huge loss to the community, and just really unfortunate how it's all gone down. DSR member here.
It sold for $4.5 mil in 2021, seller-financed, to a San Diego realtor and his business partner, who is the guy doing the festivals there and bringing the drugs (either directly or indirectly). In hindsight, all indications have been for a while that their business model would be to move away from CO - but were not transparent with the members and residents. They had the gall to host an AANR meeting there last weekend without promoting it, emailed the textile notification out on Monday, saying this week to press that bc no one came to the meeting they decided to change. We are ALL calling bullshit.
Hi, I used-to go to Elysium in Los Angeles. It closed because the owner died and left the property to his heirs who sold it.
Elysium had a New-Age aspect to it which was very appealing. I think if we went more in that direction it would attract more women and younger folks. They are involved in clothing-optional activities/groups but currently: not necessarily drawn to official 'nudist' groups/resorts.
Thanks for the comment! Elysium definitely benefitted from having a visionary leader in Ed Lange, who was deeply involved in the nudism movement for decades before opening Elysium. Unfortunately, it suffered the same fate that often befalls organizations that are owned by a single individual—it dies with them.
De Anza is dead after They are business decision. It's a ghost town. De Anza had plenty of support From the naturalist community. That report is inaccurate.
Whispering Oaks in Michigan is still clothes free. WO was listed in the audio but not the text.
Thank you, yes someone already sent in a correction so I updated it. Audio will be updated soon.
This is the best report I’ve read so of this terrible news.
*so far
Thanks for this article you did a great job explaining it. I'm not a paid subscriber but I wouldn't mind subscribing at all if I could get information like this on the nudist community continuously. I'm very interested in the nudist community and seeing it grow and not to continue to get smaller. I'm the president of a small TNS club in Topeka, KS.. Lake Edun. We've had good success this year by really hitting the events and promoting them on FB, IG and some on X and Meetup. I also belong to Oaklake in Oklahoma, and they have a strong marketing program and a strong membership. AANR and TNS are great organizations, but I never see any marketing/growth ideas in the articles in their publications? IMHO why doesn't either organization but more emphasis on attracting leaders that have skills in marketing? We have a very marketable product! Women especially are weary of trying to live up to the appearance norms and are anxious to embrace body acceptance in a safe environment.
A nudist resort is a business. It is not an ideological or religious commune. This is inevitable. Property costs rise. Demand for clothed recreation increases while the number of active nudists declines. It is a story we see over and over. A business has no choice but to follow the route that is most profitable.
I don;t know if there is anything the national or regional organizations can do about this. It is probably beyond the ability of individual clubs to deal with. If you have to sell, the odds of finding a nudist to buy at market value is spectacularly low.
The ONLY solution for losing clubs is to increase the number of nudists. That's all marketing and advertising to textiles, not fighting over slices of a fixed pie.
Or, have people with the right skills open a new one. Just because someone wasn't able to capture and grow the market doesn't mean someone else can't succeed. Think of it like any local business, such as a cafe. In my New England city, there are many cafes. Some fail within their first year, while others can capture something unique – be it the roast, the blend, the atmosphere, or something special – that others can't, and they become successful.
The same applies to nudist resorts. I will say this: you can be a coffee connoisseur but know nothing about running a business. The reason why Bare Oaks is as successful as it is, is because Stéphane has a background in marketing. I know not every owner will have a degree or a former job in marketing, but they should at least take some business/marketing/hospitality classes or hire people who have those skills.
Aye! There's the rub.
Step one. Someone has to want to do it. Volunteers?
Step two. Someone has to be (or become) an astute businessperson while at the same time be willing to accept the risk of entering an extremely niche market.
Step three.. Find financing. Even with good financing and a good business plan, count on three years operation before breaking even. Real estate is staggeringly expensive. I don't know what it sold for but DeAnza would cost millions as a new startup.
https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5-small-business-start-up-costs-options.html
Apparently the sale was $4.5 mil
After taxes, that's a still decent retirement.
Yes, this is very sad. But it was quite foreseeable. Even at the time that ownership changed, it wasn't clear that any naturism at all would remain at De Anza. But we live in a society that favors the wealthiest, and if the owners aren't making as much money off their business as they want, then they will do whatever they think will work best to increase their profits.
Most of the naturist parks and resorts that still remain are in the hands of people who really believe in naturist principles. But they're always getting older, as are the majority of their customers. Neither they nor their customers bear the main responsibility for that. The sad fact is that there aren't ENOUGH customers. The law of supply and demand is a basic fact of economics. As demand declines, so also will supply. But increase the demand, and the supply will soon follow.
So exactly who is it that should work harder to promote demand for naturist venues? Is that not the main responsibility of naturist organizations, at all levels? It's also a prime responsibility of owners/managers of naturist properties. But as De Anza shows, some think that abandoning naturism will increase the profits much faster.
Individual naturists themselves need to play a significant role by promoting naturism within their own social networks. That's a very important type of "organization". But it doesn't seem to be happening either. Yes, there are a small number, people like Evan, who are doing their part. But clearly there aren't nearly enough promoters of naturism at any level.
Naturists should get a clue from writers and actors in the movie industry. They're on strike now against the studios due to a reasonable fear of being given short shrift by the studio owners. That tactic may well work for them. Naturists will have to use very different tactics if naturism is to survive and grow. But one factor remains the same: everyone who has a stake in the success of naturism must come together to organize and work for that objective.
Paradise Valley in Georgia is still clothing optional.
Thank you for the correction!
I am saddened to hear this news, fortunately, just a few months back I was able to enjoy the grounds and surrounding areas of DeAnza. If you are into nude hiking it was an excellent option.
You can still hike nude as soon as you are off property
Ooopsie... For the few who still receive the TNSF magazine, there's now an extensive article by Mark Storey on So Cal naturism. Mark writes about the trip he and his wife made to the area last December. Although they spent 3 weeks in the area, there was enough to do that they didn't quite make it as far south as De Anza. But Mark concludes, hopefully, that "we heard good things about what the new owners are doing there, and hope to visit the site in 2023." So much for that idea, I guess.
Mark also writes in that article about Joshua Tree National Park, saying "it's delightfully easy to hike miles free of clothes" there. And, guess what, right now there's a 82,437-acre wildfire in the general area, and it's only 30% contained. Although Mark may not have hiked naked in that exact area, there are now more than 80,000 acres perfect for nude hiking that won't be the same for hundreds of years. Joshua Trees don't grow outside that part of the country, and those in the affected location may never return. It's unclear at this point whether the cause was climate change or human carelessness (or both). However, such fires affect wide-open spaces that are among the last places naturists can enjoy nudity outdoors without hassles. Canadian naturists have probably lost much more from this years recent fires (in a climate that affords much less time for going naked in nature).
Bottom line: naturists seem to be steadily losing opportunities for nudity in the great outdoors as well as in private clubs.
Talking Of Things That Are Increasing In Number Does The Naturist Magazine Still Exist Or Has It Gone The Way Of The Dodo?
I never heard of this resort before. However, after reading in this article that it only opened in 1997, I have to be honest, it had a nice 25 year run. That is good for any small business, regardless of it being nudist. If it had been around for longer, since the 50s or 60s, I can see the lost. Of course, it is sad for the local nudist community in the area, however. The fact that it has only been around since 1997 gives me hope that new places will open up in it's place, like how a indi book stores are.
It's 500 acres of beautiful rock formations in the mountains of eastern San Diego County, there's no other nudist club like it in the US, possibly the world. It's a huge loss to the community, and just really unfortunate how it's all gone down. DSR member here.
It sold for $4.5 mil in 2021, seller-financed, to a San Diego realtor and his business partner, who is the guy doing the festivals there and bringing the drugs (either directly or indirectly). In hindsight, all indications have been for a while that their business model would be to move away from CO - but were not transparent with the members and residents. They had the gall to host an AANR meeting there last weekend without promoting it, emailed the textile notification out on Monday, saying this week to press that bc no one came to the meeting they decided to change. We are ALL calling bullshit.
Hi, I used-to go to Elysium in Los Angeles. It closed because the owner died and left the property to his heirs who sold it.
Elysium had a New-Age aspect to it which was very appealing. I think if we went more in that direction it would attract more women and younger folks. They are involved in clothing-optional activities/groups but currently: not necessarily drawn to official 'nudist' groups/resorts.
Thanks for the comment! Elysium definitely benefitted from having a visionary leader in Ed Lange, who was deeply involved in the nudism movement for decades before opening Elysium. Unfortunately, it suffered the same fate that often befalls organizations that are owned by a single individual—it dies with them.
De Anza is dead after They are business decision. It's a ghost town. De Anza had plenty of support From the naturalist community. That report is inaccurate.