Strasbourg

I've just got back from the leisure centre where I am both a member and also chairman of the "Members Consultative Committee". The Superintendent of the centre collared me and introduced me to a couple, him mid-forties and her late thirties by my estimate, who are newly signed-up 'gold' members and who have recently moved into our town. They come from France, though the man is originally of English descent; they were both very impressed with the facilities the centre provides and the friendliness of the staff. They did have a couple of queries, though, one of which was the Spa.

Apparently they come from the city of Strasbourg where, so they tell me, there is a similar centre to ours. When they found out that most of the time our spa was single-sex (i.e. male times and female times) and that the one afternoon and evening a week when it's mixed swimwear is mandatory, they were utterly amazed. They told me that the spa in the Strasbourg centre is permanently mixed and all forms of clothing are banned. The lady said "allowing people to wear swimming costumes in a sauna is amazing for us, but forcing them to do so is outrageous". The man agreed saying that wearing anything in a spa is 'heresy'. Needless to say I urged them not to use the spa facility if they felt like that because, and I said this diplomaticaly, we have no intention of changing our rules just for them.

I know that in Germany it is not unusual to find clothing-optional saunas etc, but I have never heard of clothing actually being banned! And, I had always thought that France was a rather conservative country with strict Roman Catholic attitudes. Has anybody else heard about this occurring in France? Or are this couple just naturists trying to con us? I suspect the latter, but I may be wrong.

Stu

I've just got back from the leisure centre where I am both a member and also chairman of the "Members Consultative Committee". The Superintendent of the centre collared me and introduced me to a couple, him mid-forties and her late thirties by my estimate, who are newly signed-up 'gold' members and who have recently moved into our town. They come from France, though the man is originally of English descent; they were both very impressed with the facilities the centre provides and the friendliness of the staff. They did have a couple of queries, though, one of which was the Spa.

Apparently they come from the city of Strasbourg where, so they tell me, there is a similar centre to ours. When they found out that most of the time our spa was single-sex (i.e. male times and female times) and that the one afternoon and evening a week when it's mixed swimwear is mandatory, they were utterly amazed. They told me that the spa in the Strasbourg centre is permanently mixed and all forms of clothing are banned. The lady said "allowing people to wear swimming costumes in a sauna is amazing for us, but forcing them to do so is outrageous". The man agreed saying that wearing anything in a spa is 'heresy'. Needless to say I urged them not to use the spa facility if they felt like that because, and I said this diplomaticaly, we have no intention of changing our rules just for them.

I know that in Germany it is not unusual to find clothing-optional saunas etc, but I have never heard of clothing actually being banned! And, I had always thought that France was a rather conservative country with strict Roman Catholic attitudes. Has anybody else heard about this occurring in France? Or are this couple just naturists trying to con us? I suspect the latter, but I may be wrong.

Stu

[tarsus]

well as i have said;never been to france.
but understand france to be liberal,but not that liberal. my question is:
why do you think they are naturists? and not just a couple jokers trying to con you?
i will side with you here:
club rules should be obeyed,when you join a private or public club they should know what the rules are,and abide by said rules.

[namedun]

Actually Napoleon changed France considerably during his reign. The catholic church was severly damaged by him when he decided to attack the Inquisitions (similar to the infamous Spanish Inquistion) that were going on in France at the time. Many church structures were damaged and Napoleon basically controlled the priests. This is in my opinion is one of the greatest reasons for France's liberalism. In fact, to this day, Parisian middle-class find it quite normal, if not expected, to strike and/or protest on a regular basis.

(who said the US was the only land of the free?)
Namedun

[NudeAl]

Welcome to reality Stu!

I suspect there may be more reasons to this than meets the eye. Swim wear retains laundry detergent no matter how many times you rinse it. This in turn gets into the filtration system and nesesitates a more frequent changing of the water. I'm not saying this is the reason only that it is one possibility. I believe them personaly. You could verify this yourself by calling or writing the club they used to belong to.

My question to you is what are they going to do? If they opt to leave the club perhaps you could suggest they join a near by naturist club or perhaps your club could accomidate them one night a month or something like that? What do you think Stu?

[asianaturist]

France is definitely not the "conservative" country you make it out to be. Barring Germany, it is the most nudist-minded country in Europe, and it has nudist resorts just about everywhere: on the lovely Med of course, but also on the Atlantic coast and inland along its rivers.

As to the "clothes banned" ruled in saunas, I don't really now. I guess they might be talking about a sauna at a nudist resort. Though of course, in Finland, where the sauna was invented, nobody would ever dream of wearing clothes in a sauna. On the other hand, I believe saunas there are not mixed.

[Naturist Mark]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by stu2630:
I know that in Germany it is not unusual to find clothing-optional saunas etc, but I have never heard of clothing actually being banned! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Oddly enough...

Even in the US bible belt, it was quite common in the middle of the last century for nudity to be required for swimming. Many YMCAs enforced no-swimsuit rules. Even some High Schools required nude swimming in Physical Education classes. In all cases the swimming was strictly sex-segregated.

I remember my (non-nudist) father telling us about nude swimming at school to our utter amazement. He said the facilities manager was very vigilent about never allowing clothes in his pool because they made the water filthy and ruined the filters. The US used to be much more 'liberal' about sex-segregated nudity than it is today.

I imagine many continental spa managers feel the same as that facilities manager. Clothes in spas and pools greatly increase the need for chemicals and mechanical filtration. Extra cost for no benefit.

-Mark

[David77]

Originally posted by naturistmark1:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Even in the US bible belt, it was quite common in the middle of the last century for nudity to be required for swimming. Many YMCAs enforced no-swimsuit rules. Even some High Schools required nude swimming in Physical Education classes. In all cases the swimming was strictly sex-segregated.

I remember my (non-nudist) father telling us about nude swimming at school to our utter amazement. He said the facilities manager was very vigilent about never allowing clothes in his pool because they made the water filthy and ruined the filters. The US used to be much more 'liberal' about sex-segregated nudity than it is today.

I imagine many continental spa managers feel the same as that facilities manager. Clothes in spas and pools greatly increase the need for chemicals and mechanical filtration. Extra cost for no benefit.-Mark <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I am not able to accept the <u>"filter problem"</u> reason, as the true reason for the nude swimming at the Ys, schools and men's fraternal and athletic clubs in America in the past.

I think that the practice of this nude swimming was simply an ingrained <u>custom</u> handed down thru the generations.

Incidentally, I swam nude at the Y for years, and was a lifeguard, nude, at the Y. I did not hear the "filter problems" "alibi"until I read about it a couple years ago on this forum. I am not saying that filter problems can not exist, but with such a large body of water in the Y pools, and the sturdiness of swim suits, I find it hard to believe that the swim suit fibers make a big difference to the filters at a large pool.

[David77]

In London two months ago, we passed through an area with a number of large buildings which they call "bachelor's row". Prince Charles lived there until recently.

It has only been very recently that they loosened up their rules a litle, and allow some women.

I bet a dollar (or British pound) that the swimming pools there have, or had, some nude swimming sessions. True, or not true? Anyone know?

[Kari P]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by asianaturist:
of course, in Finland, where the sauna was invented, nobody would ever dream of wearing clothes in a sauna. On the other hand, I believe saunas there are not mixed. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>You are quite right. Only one thing is that honestly the Finns cannot claim the invention of sauna to themselves, the true origin of it is unknown. Hot baths have centuries ago been common in many areas of Europe, but mainly the Finns have kept the tradition alive up to the modern times and it is now spreading back from Finland. See http://www.sauna.fi/

Finnish sauna habits and clothing rules have been handled in this forum before in my earlier posts. The public saunas in Finland are sex-segregated (very few exceptions) and usually in connection with a swimming-pool or spa. The use of swimwear (or other clothing) is not allowed in the steam room. In the pool only proper bathing suits are allowed, not shorts. All these rules, except sex-segregation, are based on hygienic reasons. We haven't yet come to a time when it were realized that the best reasonably possible level of hygiene can be achieved by full nakedness in the pool.

Kari P

[Gary Naturist]

France is very friendly to nudists, with numerous naturist beaches and private resorts throughout the country.

In the south of France, not far from Montpellier, there is a nude town at Cap d'Agde. This is not a private nudist resort - it's open to the public.

It's every bit a town, with accommodations, shops, a bus system, restaurants, entertainment, as well as the beach of course. You can go anywhere, do anything, nude in this town.

Gary