Even with global warming, winters are still extremely harsh and long in most of Canada except the Pacific coast. The country’s nudists generally have to travel to warmer climes during this period to be able to shed their clothes. The prolific naturist federation in the province of Québec (FQN), however, is constantly finding new ways for its members to enjoy winter in the nude without leaving the country, be it through nude swim nights at recreation centers or nude bowling nights.

Recently, the FQN announced that as of October 5th, 2008, another option will be available on the south shore of Montreal: The “Spa Nordique”, part of the “Chalet du Boisé” resort in Varennes, will be open to the naturist public every second Sunday. According to the association, from 1pm to 5pm, patrons will be able to enjoy, in the nude, three themed gardens: One Asian, one Mediterranean, and another Nordic. Among the amenities are a sauna, massage service, Turkish bath, four different hot tubs and a pool with a waterfall. There’s also a restaurant and hotel rooms for those who wish to stay overnight. Everyone is welcome, FQN members paying 18 Canadian dollars per single or couple, while non-members will pay 30 dollars plus taxes. Note that in the resort’s photos, the themed areas appear to be outdoors, thus Nudist Day can only surmise that they’ll be covered-up and heated (we hope) during winter!

Now that Poland is part of the European Union, there are no border crossings between it and neighboring Germany. As a result, Poles are flocking to Baltic sea beaches on the German side. The problem is that many German beach goers are nudists, while the vast majority of Poles are devout Catholics and would never dare to slip out of their bathing suits. Poles will stare, point and even laugh at the nude people they encounter. Some will even go as far as approaching nude sunbathers and suggesting that they get dressed. All of this is leading to heated arguments between the nudes and textiles, and many Germans accusing Poles of being voyeurs. FKK is firmly entrenched in German culture, but will nudists hold their ground or give up and seek other places to sunbathe in the nude without the annoyances?

Stephen Gough, a.k.a The Naked Rambler, the UK man claiming his right to be naked where and when he wishes in his native land, made headlines for years, both for his treks across Great Britain and for his frequent troubles with the law. However, the “Nude Messiah” has been but a footnote since his last incarceration in Scotland in January, 2008, where we can only presume he’s still serving a sentence.

Gough has spent lots of time in Edinburgh jail cells, mainly for contempt by refusing to wear clothes in court. The controversial Englishman even got himself arrested for taking his clothes off aboard a commercial airliner, on what was definitely not a nudist flight. Obtaining recent information on Gough is no small feat: To wit, even the site dedicated to him, nakedwalk.org is severely outdated. If we hear anything, we’ll let you know, and if you know anything, please let US know!

Brattleboro, a pretty little town in Vermont, was also the source of intense media brouhaha throughout the world up until a few months ago, yet has stopped being of interest to anyone since then. If you recall, in 2006 a bunch of teenagers decided, on a lark, to hang-out naked in town, and as there was no legislation to make it a crime, continued with their bold little experiment. Things came to a boil when a few persons not from Brattleboro decided to casually walk naked in the burg, including a man who did so during a local street festival, and another who decided to go to Dunkin Donuts au naturel.

Many citizens clamored for action to stop the rash of naked sightings on their streets. If anyone was to repeat the feat nowadays, they would be accosted by local police and fined up to 100 dollars if they didn’t immediately get dressed. Fact is, public nudity is illegal now in Brattleboro, residents thumbing their noses at the media circus, which had tried to paint it as a “Naked City”.

We nudists usually know about the benefits of massage therapy and many in the community get their bodies treated on a regular basis. One of the options available to us is the “nudist” or “naturist” massage. There unfortunately seems to be a lot of confusion as to what a nudist massage really is…

Simply put, a nudist massage is one where the patient is naked and uncovered. That is, the therapist doesn’t use a towel to drape over the patient’s intimate parts and buttocks. Often the therapist is also nude, although this only typically happens in a nudist environment such as in a resort or at a nudist beach, and only if the local laws permit it. The massage therapist’s state of undress is his/her own choice, not the patient’s, and makes no difference whatsoever in the conduct or quality of the actual massage. For the nudist customer, the naturist massage is only logical, since one can typically be nude most of the time anyway. In short, a nudist has nothing to hide!

There’s more to say about what a nudist massage isn’t than what it is: First and foremost, it’s non-sexual. The genitals being exposed doesn’t invite their stimulation any more than it does in a regular massage, and any sexual arousal will likely result in your therapist either draping that area or putting an abrupt end to the session. On the other hand, a vigorous massage of the buttocks is normally included, as they’re definitely muscles that can get sore and are too often neglected by overly prudish therapists!

Sadly, there’s an exceedingly large number of offers for nudist/naturist massages services only in name: What they’re really peddling are “happy ending” rubs in massage parlors. If you’re looking for real nudist massage therapy, look no further than your nearest naturist club or resort. Other nudists can also recommend someone reliable.

Nudity is a crime in the Muslim world, even in Dubai, the fabled resort city in the United Arab Emirates so popular with Westerners looking to unwind. Recently, city authorities started cracking down on immoral behavior on its beaches. Prohibited acts include topless sunbathing and nudity, both unthinkable in a Muslim nation but normal for European tourists. In their efforts to stop such practices police are going undercover as well as observing beach patrons from watchtowers.

Offenders are given a warning to cover-up, and if they refuse or are ever caught again, they’ll be prosecuted. Around 80 people have been arrested since the campaign began more than 2 weeks ago. Police were compelled to act after receiving numerous complaints from Muslim beach goers, who consider it indecent for women to show any bare flesh and nudism an act of moral depravity. Matters were made worse by hordes of local voyeurs looking to catch a peek of foreign women as they’ve never seen them.

Nudists be warned: Dubai may cater to Western visitors, but it’s still Muslim, so keep the togs on!!!