Too Hot for Nudists?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Barely surviving the heat wave
For nudists, the key is lots of sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats.
APRIL KEMICK, London Free Press
July 16, 2005

It's so hot, even the nudists are running for cover.

While baring all is cooler, nudists say the London area's record-breaking heat wave has also left them sweating -- even without their clothing.

"You definitely still sweat," nudist Clara Wortner said yesterday. "With this type of weather, you can't help it."

The scorching heat continued yesterday, with a daytime high around 30 C, which, with humidity, felt like 38 C.

Wortner, who operates the Sunny Glades Park nudist camp near Bothwell, said lots of sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats are key accessories for the naked during heat waves.

"Sun safety is very important for nudists, for obvious reasons," she said.

Big-time sunburns aside, there are clear advantages to being a nudist in the sweltering heat, said Wortner, who does everything from gardening to media interviews in the buff.

For one, you don't have to face sticky, sweat-stained clothing.

"Textiles (that's nudist-speak for people who wear clothes) have to deal with shorts riding up and shirts and bras sticking to them," she said.

"When you don't have clothes on, you don't have those kinds of problems," Wortner said. "You're much more comfortable."

It's also easier to cool off.

"You can just grab the garden hose and spray yourself down," she said. "You can't do that with clothes on."

Everyday activities, such as house and yard work and even volleyball, are more comfortable in skin alone, she said.

"It's nicer being a nudist in hot, sticky weather."

The 20-year employee at Sunny Glades said she suspects many people peel off layers to cope with the heat, even if they don't talk about it.

"I'm sure lots of people strip down as soon as they get home from work," she said.

Membership and inquiries to nudist and naturist clubs rise with the temperature, she said.

"There's definitely more people exploring it at this time of the year," she said. "Summer is a great time to be a nudist."
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/News/2005/07/16/1133943-sun.html