Lupin Lodge is off the market — for now
One of America's oldest nudist resorts gets another chance
Lupin Lodge, the historic naturist resort nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains above Los Gatos, is no longer for sale. After more than two years on the market—listed first at $32.8 million and later reduced to $29.2 million—and several failed attempts, the property has ultimately failed to attract a buyer, and owner Lori Kay Stout has pulled the listing to reassess the resort’s future.
Reporting from the Mercury News this week describes a range of serious but ultimately unsuccessful suitors: a Japanese developer with hotel plans, two schools looking to convert the property into a campus, and other buyers who fell through due to financing issues, retrofit concerns, or the ripple effects of tariffs. “Nothing stuck,” Stout told the paper.
For those who love Lupin, that’s genuinely welcome news. When the sale was first announced in late 2023, the outcome looked bleak—the real estate listing itself emphasized the property’s development potential, and most observers expected it would eventually go textile. I was quoted in The Guardian last year about what the possible loss of Lupin would mean for the movement. This feels like a reprieve.
Stout is clear-eyed about the broader context. She told the Mercury News that the nudist and naturist industry is on the wane both in the United States and worldwide. The summer ahead, she says, will be a time for reflection. “We will reassess after summer ends and when the weather starts to turn cold,” she told the paper. “We will have to see what’s going on with the naturist and nudist industry.”
Lupin has been the subject of significant coverage here on Planet Nude, including our special edition on the resort’s early history written by the late Glyn Stout. Founded in 1934 on the grounds of a Prohibition-era winery, it’s now the oldest continuously operated American nudist resort west of the Mississippi.
As it gears up for the summer, the resort is scheduling regular Spring and Summer events, including for Independence Day, International Skinny Dip Day on July 11, and its 92nd anniversary on August 1. The Naturist Society’s Western Gathering is also scheduled at Lupin this August, and that’s one I’m hoping to attend.
Lupin has survived economic collapse, a world war, recessions, wildfires, and a pandemic. It deserves a good summer. If you’ve been thinking about making a trip to the Santa Cruz Mountains, there’s no better time. 🪐
