Greetings from the Sauna!

[madahab]

Originally Posted by polki1

You Americans are kind of strange. I cant really figure out what is so exciting about saunas and nakedness in general. I work in a well reputated university hospital and I have seen most of my colleagues, men and women, naked; some of them every week when we are playing badminton and go to the sauna afterwards. At most lakes nearby, it is just normal to take a bath naked. On the other hand, I am quite astonished when I see for example pictures of prom dresses. Nobody would ever leave his home with such open-hearted clothing... Strange world.

Shut up, you lucky bastard

Speaking as a true blue 110% American, I don't understand it either. I could go on and on, but I really shouldn't because I will rant.

[madahab]

Originally Posted by drewhadley

I lived overseas for a few years. I believe that Europeans are just as obsessed with nudity as anyone else. They are more open about nudity, but no less obsessed. I saw so many salacious advertising campaigns that were based around toplessness/nudity...it was not portrayed as a "natural" thing. Let's face it, the female form is going to hold interest to just about anyone. It's a classic. The fact that it's more "in the open" (on TV, ads, beaches, etc.) in Europe does not immunize people to it. There was so much usage of female nudity in advertising over there, and none of it was particularly innocent. And I agree with Sandy, what are you doing here Polki? "Research" into what we Yanks are looking at?

I don't see your point. Americans have prudish ideas about nudity, and Europeans accept lots of nudity, and so it's the same thing? I don't think so.

[Klondike]

Originally Posted by drewhadley

I lived overseas for a few years. I believe that Europeans are just as obsessed with nudity as anyone else. They are more open about nudity, but no less obsessed. I saw so many salacious advertising campaigns that were based around toplessness/nudity...it was not portrayed as a "natural" thing. Let's face it, the female form is going to hold interest to just about anyone. It's a classic. The fact that it's more "in the open" (on TV, ads, beaches, etc.) in Europe does not immunize people to it. There was so much usage of female nudity in advertising over there, and none of it was particularly innocent. And I agree with Sandy, what are you doing here Polki? "Research" into what we Yanks are looking at?

In areas like advertizing, film, TV, etc - everyone will go as far as the law in that country allows. Sex sells, so why hold back? I mean it is a sign of openess about nudity that the laws are more relaxed in Europe, not necessarily a sign of obsessiveness. And just because there is all this nudity in the media doesn't mean the public is paying any attention. The public may in fact be so jaded that the media feels it needs to hit them over the head with all that stuff.

Klondike

[Klondike]

Originally Posted by SandyM

these might be staged, but, I still like them. Found on Photofile

Staged? WHO CARES! AWESOME pics! I have to reply to this since hitting the thanks button ten times might not be proper etiquette...

THANKS!

Klondike

[Klondike]

lets review this pic one more time:

OK, we have: one...two....three....four....five....six....seven ....eight....ten.....thirteen.....oops.....aghh... ..help!....I'm going blind!........

Which is what that guy must be otherwise he'd be harder than a.....

Klondike

[dixler]

Originally Posted by polki1

You Americans are kind of strange. I cant really figure out what is so exciting about saunas and nakedness in general.

The thing I like is that the women are comfortable enough with themselves to be nude in front of others. Very, very few American women are like that. Hell, I knew a woman who freaked out once when we saw her tanning in her bikini in her backyard! She covered up real quick. Think she'd ever go naked at a beach or a sauna? Shame she was so self conscious because she was a pretty girl with a terrific body.

It isn't necessarily the body I like to look at so much as it is the spirit contained within it.

[stevin6]

Also some strange thing is the fact in the Netherlands that even when less young girls/woman are going to a nude-beach, you can still see a lot of nice girls/students/woman laying all nude in the garden(s), which most Sauna/wellness centers have here. In the safe guarded garden of a sauna/wellness center they feel comfortable enough to go all nude. That means that there still a lot of potential female nudists but for several reasons rather choose to go topless on the beach.

[lepre]

don't think all the euorpeans countries are all the same. there can be great differences even inside a country, just like america i guess.

greetings from a conservative part of sweden

[soundwave106]

Originally Posted by FKKFan

I too must echo the last few posts. Toplessness in Germany is way down since the early 00's...wonder if it has to do w/the advent of the camera cell. And as for FKK, membership too is down (Google it auf Deutsch for various news stories); I've noticed various lakes I used to visit have gotten a little "geriatric" in regards to demographics. Last summer I visited both the Englischer Garten and the banks of the Isar and saw very few attractive young women showing full schwaa in public.

I haven't been to Europe in a while, but last time I went (early 2000s) some people were importing a bit of the American attitude of nudity=exploitation... which I'm sure the Internet doesn't help, sad to say. Europe was overall way more laissez faire in regards to nudity. Certainly a bit less prude than American metropolitan areas. If attitudes have converged towards American metropolitan levels, well, that is way less prude than heartland areas. On the other hand, I've never seen seas of naked people in Europe; anyone who expects that will be disappointed. It just means that you will go on a beach, and there may be topless bathers or naked bathers, and people won't care. Aside from designated nudist colonies, there are only a few places in America that are like that (more "European" places like South Beach). Europe also has some nudity on TV, though it does seem like less than there used to be.

Ironically, I actually consider interest in nudism in America to be going up right now, including interest from a slightly younger age group than has typically been interested in the past. (Instead of retired, you get some interest from the yuppie crowd and the hippie crowd). If Europe is less inclined to nudism than the past, maybe of all things America will pick up the slack.

[Klondike]

Originally Posted by FKKFan

I too must echo the last few posts. Toplessness in Germany is way down since the early 00's...wonder if it has to do w/the advent of the camera cell. And as for FKK, membership too is down (Google it auf Deutsch for various news stories); I've noticed various lakes I used to visit have gotten a little "geriatric" in regards to demographics. Last summer I visited both the Englischer Garten and the banks of the Isar and saw very few attractive young women showing full schwaa in public.

As for saunabads, I think people here are getting the wrong impression. A lot, A LOT, of women cover up when they exit the sauna cabin and don't walk around nude. In fact, I would say the majority of nudity you will see are in dark sauna cabins, the light-therpy cabins, the open showers and maybe the whirlpool. Of course, the outdoor sunning patio and swimming pool of the better saunabads will have nudity; but much of it is elderly...and again...even those women cover up more often than not. Now don't get me wrong, I've seen copious amounts of first Klasse tits & pussy in German saunabads (mostly in Freiburg, a university town)...and it is there; but it's not like it's this fantasy of wall-to-wall nude women all the time. In fact, more than once I've left feeling disappointed in the fact that so many women stayed covered up so much of the time (versus the "old" days).

Another distressing thing: It seems the FKK nights at schwimmbads are also going away or are less frequent. Having been to them w/my wife, I can tell you it can be a bit of a sausagefest...and as a result, intimidating for a woman. Again though, I think the advent of the camera cell has had a bit to do with that too; there have been a few public scandals where photos were posted to the internet (notably, on Voyeurweb) and the news picked up on it. In addition to that, some of these FKK nights have gotten a reputation for swinging...like the Miramar in Weinheim (again, just Google and translate).

Anyway, hope I didn't turn this into a rant or downer; just wanted to share another perspective.

FKKFan (aka Seahawk)

I was surprised to learn when I went to Europe that the West Germans were less enthusiastic nudists than the East Germans. In fact West Germans have tried to close down many of East Germany's beaches. Anyway, so I wonder if your observations would extend to East Germany as well. Also Czechoslovakia. Possibly not, but I don't know.

Also, consider that camera phones are more likely to be found among affluent West Germans.

The story a few years back was that affluence could be affecting babe turnouts at Englischer Gardens for other reasons too. I guess they interviewed some young women and they said nowadays they prefer to go shopping for chlothes rather than sunning without them.

I think though that a lot of women may just want to regain some control over a situation that has deteriorated in recent years. By that I mean that increasingly they are just sitting ducks if they go to established beaches. I think if I were a woman, I'd rather be moving - on a bike, walking, running, etc if i were nude. And doing it with a group of people so that I wouldn't feel so alone and vulnerable. Thats the advantage of the bike ride - you're mobile and in a pack so the lions can't prey on you so easily. Thats one way to regain some control.

And then there is the image problem affecting the nudist movement today, where "nudist" is synonomous with "old and fat" to young people. Blame the internet there -


Klondike