Inside UK’s naked resort that has 10 strict rules everyone has to follow
If you head down to sunny St Albans (I assume it's sunny, I've never actually been), and feel like you really want to unburden yourself, then there's a club you might want to visit.
Spielplatz, which is German for 'playground', is the name of this place, and it was established in 1929.
As for why this place is so famous, it's the UK's oldest naturist resort, which means that if you go there you can walk around and just kind of let it all hang out.
They're going for a family friendly vibe and have all sorts of facilities including a swimming pool, sauna, courts and facilities for games and places to set up your tent for camping.
Advert
Spielplatz also has a clubhouse where they host events, and as you can guess, clothing is not a requirement.
Ten acres of nude bliss in St Albans could be yours, so long as you remember to bring your towel and follow the rules, which are there for everyone's enjoyment.
Speaking of the rules, there are ten important ones to follow while there.
No photography
This one really ought to explain itself, so much so that Spielplatz has it in bold and all caps on their site.
It might be a place where you walk around without clothes and just get on with things, but that doesn't mean the guests there are going to be fine with you snapping pictures of them wearing nothing.
So, put the camera down, and just enjoy yourself.
No phones around the pool
Another obvious one, not least because you could lose your phone in there and you'd only have yourself to blame.
Nudity is expected (unless the weather is bad)
This is one rule where there seems to be some contradictory information, as while their list of rules says 'nudity is expected at all times except during inclement weather', their frequently asked questions says it's only compulsory in a few places.
Naturist Andrew Welch wrote in the Mail that 'nudity isn't mandatory' and apart from a select few spots in Spielplatz, you can wear clothes if you like.
So, it seems that while the place is a naturist club, and plenty of people will be walking around naked, you can still wear clothes if you really want to, and they'll understand if the weather makes the prospect of going without clothes a little less appealing for a while.
This is England, after all.
Be naked in the pool, hot tub, and sauna
While nudity is expected but seemingly not required in most spots, three parts of the club do require you to go without clothes.
If you're going for a dip in the swimming pool, relaxing in the hot tub, or working up a sweat in the sauna, then you will need to be naked.
It is a naturist club, so you ought to have expected you'd be getting naked at some point, and this means there's no need to pack swimming stuff.
Take a shower before you hop in
These three places where you absolutely have to be nude to enter will require you to have a shower before you go in.
Whether you find a pool, sauna, or hot tub in a naturist resort or anywhere else, then you'll be expected to shower anyway, as it's not your own personal bath to wash yourself in while everyone else is trying to have fun or relax.
Bring a towel to sit on
One thing you absolutely will need to bring with you is a towel.
Spielplatz may be a place where you can walk around proudly while wearing nothing, but hygiene suggests that it's best to cover the surfaces you sit on, lest your exposed buttocks contaminate something.
You'll be expected to carry your towel around with you at all times.
No dogs
This one seems like another particularly important rule, since they've stuck it in bold on their site.
There are lots of places that don't want you to bring your dog along and Spielplatz is no exception, though guide dogs and assistance dogs are still permitted.
Be responsible for your children
Spielplatz wants to be a family-friendly place, and according to them, 'children take to nudity like ducks to water'.
Nevertheless, if you wanted to bring your kids there, then your adorable urchins are still going to be your responsibility, not the club's.
Nothing overtly sexual
According to the club, naturism is 'the practice of non-sexual social nudity', so this isn't some swingers club or sex festival where everyone is naked because they were going to end up that way anyway.
Once again, they're going for a family-friendly experience that's suitable for all ages ,so treating Spielplatz and their preference for nudity like foreplay is really going against the spirit of the place.
No littering
I mean really, if you're dropping litter all over the place, then you're just a prick.
Joe Harker