What to sit on ?

[Xen]

We're always told to sit on a towel - not unreasonable - but it does mean having to carry a towel around everywhere and while some people hold it or put it ovwer their shoulder, others wear it and if many do it can detract from the naturist atmosphere.

Much better then when saunas provide little paper mats to sit on - rather like strengthened and enlarged kitchen towels, one can take one sit on it and when done dispose of it and really get the benefit of being clothes free.

I have only ever seen this in one sauna - has any one else come across them ? I've no idea why they're not more popular but it may be that most people just don't know about them ?

[EricNY]

Well it's not paper, but how about one of these (http://barebunstowels.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=3090)

Here is the website (http://www.barebunstowels.com/index.html)

[Rick_42]

Well it's not paper, but how about one of these (http://barebunstowels.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=3090)

Here is the website (http://www.barebunstowels.com/index.html)

Great idea although you'd still have to carry it around with you. With minimal sewing skills, you could easily make something similar from a standard-size bath towel.

On the other hand, I really don't mind carrying a beach towel and folding it over a couple of times for some cushioning. I'd never consider wearing it around my waist at a nudist venue.

[wiz]

We're always told to sit on a towel - not unreasonable - but it does mean having to carry a towel around everywhere and while some people hold it or put it ovwer their shoulder, others wear it and if many do it can detract from the naturist atmosphere.

I'm not sure how wearing a towel form sitting place to sitting place can detract from the naturist environment. It is no different than wearing a hat or sunglasses. The idea with the hat is self protection the towel self and fellow naturist protection.


Much better then when saunas provide little paper mats to sit on - rather like strengthened and enlarged kitchen towels, one can take one sit on it and when done dispose of it and really get the benefit of being clothes free.

I've never fully agreed with the idea that a towel is always the best thing to sit on. On the other hand I'm not to taken with the idea of sitting on paper, especially if one is sticky.


I have only ever seen this in one sauna - has any one else come across them ? I've no idea why they're not more popular but it may be that most people just don't know about them ?

I suspect that the issue is that a personal towel is very useful to a person where a paper mat might not be. Some of us have read the Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy and make it a habit to have a towel with us during all of our travels nude or not. ;)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As a side note I'm not sure how wearing a towel detracts from the naturist atmosphere. I thought the whole idea was to take concentration off the so called private areas. Of course being from up north the practice of nudity is always a compromise. I've never been bothered by the site of partially dressed people, and really don't see how it would even be practical to be a nudist 100% of the time in this area.

Given that there is also the issue of too much sun. This often requires people covering up, I can hardly call that detracting from a naturist atmosphere. I see it as being better to practice a little bit of naturism then none at all. Just fit into your personal physical needs.

There is likely to be a mental aspect with respect to the constant need for a towel. For example if you are out in nature, a desert hike or nude beach and rest you buns against a rock do you really need a towel? My answer to that is no. The whole idea, with respect to the towel, is the protection of public or common facilities.

Dave

[nacktman]

Sitting on one's backside is the preferred method of sitting but I imagine should one wish to sit on one's head, hands, feet or some such other method it would be alright, a mite uncomfortable and awkward maybe, but otherwise alright.:laugh:

[usmc1]

Screw the towel issue.:) If you want to feel completely naked and unencumbered leave your stupid cell phones i-pods and radios in the trunk of the car and learn to enjoy the sounds of nature, and of children and people laughing and having a good time.

[DenitaLC]

Screw the towel issue.:) If you want to feel completely naked and unencumbered leave your stupid cell phones i-pods and radios in the trunk of the car and learn to enjoy the sounds of nature, and of children and people laughing and having a good time.


Very well said! :D

[Pete Knight]

Very well said! :D

I'll second that emulsion!

Something to sit on is the right thing to do, but I leave my towel on the grass or seat when I want to go for a walk, in the evenings I take a Moroccan robe to the club house which I sit on, then if its cold when I wish to retire to my boudoir I don said robe, it doesn't have to be a towel just as long as you keep your bare bum off the seat that someone else may want to sit on.

I believe in the freedom that nudity brings, I also believe in respecting other peoples wish to sit on a clean seat!!

Pete Knight

[Centauri4]

I always thought sitting leg folded under on one's own foot seemed very practical and easy! The most recent news stories have me wondering because of this MRSA and the fact that it could be passed from person to person by contact with contaminated fabrics or exercise equipment; the Wikipedia article has good information on this bacteria.

I was surprised to read a central Virginia student died on October 15th, 2007 from complications due to this bacterial infection. Wow! Talk about up to date Wiki-article revisions.

It seems that alcohol is a good pre-use surface cleanser, so it should be considered by nudists even if they are using a towel (e.g. an uncleaned surface could transfer the bacteria to your towel and then later to you when the towel is inadvertantly reversed and contacts the skin).

[MrNaturist]

Screw the towel issue.:) If you want to feel completely naked and unencumbered leave your stupid cell phones i-pods and radios in the trunk of the car and learn to enjoy the sounds of nature, and of children and people laughing and having a good time.

I have seen people carring and using cellphones in such strange places, example floating down river on a tube!

[Nudony]

Given that there is also the issue of too much sun. This often requires people covering up, I can hardly call that detracting from a naturist atmosphere. I see it as being better to practice a little bit of naturism then none at all. Just fit into your personal physical needs.Dave

Yup. Of course, it greatly enhances the nudist experience when everyone is completely nude. But I can understand wearing a tank top or T-shirt if cold or sunburnt, or a towel or sarong around the hips. I don't see it as "breaking the nudist vibe". Wearing a full sarong or a thigh-length T-shirt, on the other hand, indicates that the person wishes to "hide." A bit annoying, I must admit.

[nudenwv]

i have always had a towel handy when visiting a resort. i just know that from reading up on the etequette of being a nudist. if i happen to visit a nudist friend and not sure if they are being nude but find they are, and invite me to get comfortable, then i sit on my folded jeans. i do like centurians post.

[nakedjohn]

For me it will always be a towel. Taking a towel wherever you go, is no big deal.

[wiz]

I always thought sitting leg folded under on one's own foot seemed very practical and easy!

A young guy maybe. Us old farts have a problem with the "practicl" aspect.

The most recent news stories have me wondering because of this MRSA and the fact that it could be passed from person to person by contact with contaminated fabrics or exercise equipment; the Wikipedia article has good information on this bacteria.

My father died form this years ago, acquired in a hospital. The point is MRSA has been around for a while now but is the latest darling that the media uses to scare people with. Yes it is deadly but so are a lot of other things in life. I'm not trying to dismiss the danger just questioning the medias involvement.


I was surprised to read a central Virginia student died on October 15th, 2007 from complications due to this bacterial infection. Wow! Talk about up to date Wiki-article revisions.

It seems that alcohol is a good pre-use surface cleanser, so it should be considered by nudists even if they are using a towel (e.g. an uncleaned surface could transfer the bacteria to your towel and then later to you when the towel is inadvertantly reversed and contacts the skin).
Oh great now you want us to carry a bottle of alcohol around with us along with the towel! Do realize that the UV from the sun will eventually kill the bacteria. As to the bacterial transfer issues, that is a reality and does make one wonder if the common practice of using a towel is all that helpful.

When it comes right down to it the problem is the concentration of people in one location. Practice your nudity out in the middle of the desert and you will likely be free of exposure to these sorts of things.

Dave

[RichNH]

Yeah my mother died from this a few years ago too. She was in the hospital and this took her. I think the point of the news stories is that this (from what I know) has been confined to just hospitals until recently. Now it appears to have broken out and is starting to appear in the general public. :(

[1smooth1]

I always carry a towel to sit on whenever I am going to sit on a lounger or chair that will be used by other people. Not a real big deal to bring a clean towel with you.

[walter05]

When working out, I usually have a towel to wipe the sweat and back of the machines. I consider this considerate since someone else's sweat is generally thought of as unpleasant.

I have only been on a nude beach and did sit on a towel. However, I thought that was to keep sand out of places where it would be uncomfortable.

[OZJames]

I would think that there would be no need for a towel on a beach (apart from one's own personal preferences) because I believe that after only a few minutes of sunlight on the sand all bacteria would be killed.

Does anyone know if that is true ?

[Fuzzy Nuts]

I usually sit on my butt! - couldn't resist it!

[OZJames]

MRSA and the fact that it could be passed from person to person by contact with contaminated fabrics
Dave

A few years ago I read that a scientific test of scrapings from train seats discovered levels of Faeces, vomit, urine and other revolting matter. There would be NO NUDISTS on the trains so no blame can be laid on whether towels were used or not used. I think MRSA is probably everywhere and it is especially bad in hospitals because of some failure to disinfect properly and that peoples immunity is weak when they are in hospital. It is important to eat properly and keep fit.

Now I am not going to become an OCD sufferer from this sort of knowledge. We are not going to stay in bed all day because of some danger in the world.

[Agde]

My fantasy version of an EverywhereChair (http://www.everywherechair.com/logo-seat.html) "stadium chair" for nudists, with snap-in washable terry cloth liner and over the shoulder strap! :)

[nakedjohn]

Agde, good idea, but I rather take a towel.

[EuropeMan]

I have always been surprized by this "rule" to sit on a towel when nude.

Nudists are well-known as being very careful to be clean. So it's not clear if the purpose of the towel is to protect the seat from anything dirty from the sitting body, or to protect one's openings from substances who would be on the seat.

If you are my guests and I offer you towels to sit on, does it not imply that I consider you to be dirty? If you come with your own towel, isn't it that you don't trust my seats.


Isn't there a lack in nudism maturity, in body acceptance?


As I see how bodyshame generally shows up for a child, it's not linked with the genital apparel, but with the excremental function. One trains the children to be "clean", they learn that excrements and urine are "not clean" and link that to the parts of their body which produces them. They will first expect privacy in the toilet that in the bath tub.

When their sexual activity grows, there comes some confusion, since the genital apparel is so close and partially confused with the excremental one.

Nudists learn to separate nudity from sex, but may very well remain bodyshamed for the remainder!

[RichNH]

Oh this topic keeps going and going like the Energizer Bunny...
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
At *some* point, if nudism is accepted by everyone, nudism is going to run into the boundary between those who have flatulence on occasion and those who don't. I would argue that that line has already been run into many times over the last 1000 years. Besides the occasional "accident" (?) there are people who *simply don't care* where they cut loose.

Now I know that a lot of people are going to howl at this. "Oh we're more cultured that THAT!" Nonsense... It takes all types to make the world go around and the more people who get involved in nudism the greater the chance that you're going to run into the type that simply don't care about their flatulence.

Towels give the accident cases some insurance and offer others some protection normally given by clothing and ALSO offer some protection to the host's furniture from those who don't care about where they cut loose.

I don't understand why the rest of this community doesn't understand that.

There, you all have managed to make me come out and say it! :rolleyes: Flame away at me if you wish but that's MHO.

Rich

[wiz]

I have always been surprized by this "rule" to sit on a towel when nude.

Nudists are well-known as being very careful to be clean. So it's not clear if the purpose of the towel is to protect the seat from anything dirty from the sitting body, or to protect one's openings from substances who would be on the seat.

First Nudist aren't any cleaner than the next person. Second; the use of towels can certianly protect ones behind from a sliver or two if you are at a more rustic spot.


If you are my guests and I offer you towels to sit on, does it not imply that I consider you to be dirty? If you come with your own towel, isn't it that you don't trust my seats.

It only implies that you don't want people sitting directly on your seats. It is no different than visiting somebody that isn't a nudist and sitting on a chair with a slip cover. There can be reasons beyond dirt.



Isn't there a lack in nudism maturity, in body acceptance?

Well no not exactly. I think people use towels to protect themselves. Now you can ask if that need is legitimate but that is sort of like asking if somebody has a need to carry a gun. You really have to be in their shoes to know the answer to that, even then understanding somebody else's perceptions is not always easy to do.


As I see how bodyshame generally shows up for a child, it's not linked with the genital apparel, but with the excremental function. One trains the children to be "clean", they learn that excrements and urine are "not clean" and link that to the parts of their body which produces them. They will first expect privacy in the toilet that in the bath tub.

Seems like a rational link to me.


When their sexual activity grows, there comes some confusion, since the genital apparel is so close and partially confused with the excremental one.

Nudists learn to separate nudity from sex, but may very well remain bodyshamed for the remainder!
Well if you have a body that functions perfectly 100% of the time I might see your point. It is more issue of body reality than body shame in my estimation. lets face it many people don't have those body parts in 100% working order like they did as a child.

Dave

[Pete Knight]

It doesn't matter what age you are, your body involuntarily secretes fluids at any time, so seconds after showering you may already be secreting a fluid that I certainly don't want on my furniture, thank you!

Its a widely accepted practice to sit on a towel, live with it.

Pete Knight

[wiz]

Yup. Of course, it greatly enhances the nudist experience when everyone is completely nude. But I can understand wearing a tank top or T-shirt if cold or sunburnt, or a towel or sarong around the hips. I don't see it as "breaking the nudist vibe". Wearing a full sarong or a thigh-length T-shirt, on the other hand, indicates that the person wishes to "hide." A bit annoying, I must admit.

I guess it must be a northern thing as up here it is often impossible to stay outside nude 24 / 7. I just don't really see how it can be a problem to see somebody wearing clothes for part of the day after they have been nude during the good part of the same day. I suspect that that is why many "resorts" up north are clothing optional as opposed to nude mandatory, your season would be extremely short if the weather wasn't taken into account.

In many ways I see Nudity mandatory resorts as the opposite of modern society and just as intolerant. If the goal is to accept the body and the person then you should be able to accept that they sometimes need to cover up a bit. This in the context of a person that is otherwise comfortable with the idea of nudity, it no more hiding than shutting the door to a bedroom after going to bed for the night.

Dave


Dave

[The_Dro]

TOWELS!!!
(lots of towels!)

[Naturist Mark]

Nudist aren't any cleaner than the next person.

I dispute that. Nudists are far cleaner than the average citizen.

But here's the scoop on towels ... in actual fact their main purpose is to provide a clean surface for the the nudist to sit upon. The secondary purpose is to reassure others that they are leaving sitting surfaces clean.

-Mark

[GrayWolf]

Towels on a chair also 'save your place' when wandering around at a potluck or party, provide a clean spot to sit/lay down on when on a beach or outdoors (textiles do it too!), and are a bit softer than a hard chair or bench.

[Nude and Tanned]

Towels are your friend. They can as Greywolf said, save your place, they also aborb sweat in the warm seasons, keep you from getting water all over the place when you sit after a swim or a dip in the hot tub, but, the best thing this day and time is they can cut down on the spread of the MRSA virus and other skin born infections.

[usuallylurk]

You can tell, by the nature of some of the questions that come up in here, that many have never been in a social nudist environment.

"Why towels?" - a reasonable question, but obvious that someone's never been on the scene. ANY nudist environment - I have ever been in - in 30 years -- it's a requirement, necessity, and courtesy.

Kinda like the weird one that comes up every year or so = "Why do nudists dress for meals?" (based on an old comedy show gag that has been recycled too many times).

[newton]

Towels are your friend. They can as Greywolf said, save your place, they also aborb sweat in the warm seasons, keep you from getting water all over the place when you sit after a swim or a dip in the hot tub, but, the best thing this day and time is they can cut down on the spread of the MRSA virus and other skin born infections.
Just one quick correction. MRSA is caused by a bacterium, not by a virus.

[Nude and Tanned]

Ok Newton you maybe right but every time they report of an outbreak, the TV news casters call it MRSA virus. Also when my elderly next door neighbor had it her doctor called it MRSA virus as well.

[lightmetal]

I don't know about the rest of ya, but the thought of placing my posterior on a piece of plastic furniture that has been sitting in the HOT sun all day, without some sort of cover, makes me cringe.
I don't want a "butt brand"!

[MJ_KC]

I like to use what is called a sheet towel. It is bigger than a normal towel and allows me to cover a lounge chair's arms so I won't get burned if a surface is too hot. It also just feels better to have the webbing covered with a towel.

[Pete Knight]

Ok Newton you maybe right but every time they report of an outbreak, the TV news casters call it MRSA virus. Also when my elderly next door neighbor had it her doctor called it MRSA virus as well.Well you'll be able to put her Dr right the next time you see him, and a VERY quick search of the web will give you all the answers you need.

MRSA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus) Check it out.

Pete Knight

[justnude]

I don't know about all of you...I generally sit on my butt! "Naturally" my butt is in contact with the towel left on the lounge chair by the pool :)