The best places to get naked with the locals

By Danielle Pergament

updated 10:57 a.m. ET Dec. 5, 2008

Remember that guy in college who told you to get naked because everyone was doing it? Well, he may have been ahead of his time. Whether it's for art, health, relaxation, or spiritual awakening, a whole world of travel is opening up to the idea of an NC-17 holiday. But remove your mind from the gutter—this isn't about sex. This nudity is about art! About freedom of expression! About refocusing your third eye! And when that all fails, it's also about checking out the hotties in the thermal baths in Iceland. In other words, those in the know are also those in the buff. Read on to find the best places to take it all off, from Nevada's desert of hot bodies to Japan's nude theme park.

For a complete slideshow of the Best Places to Get Naked, click here.

(Warning: Some of these pictures are, ahem, somewhat risqué. Click at your own discretion.)

1. Spaworld, Japan

Naked truth: Volcanically active Japan has thousands of natural hot springs traditionally enjoyed au naturel. One Osaka onsen has taken that concept to the extreme, creating an over-the-top, around-the-naked-world-in-eight-floors theme park. The complex is divided into themes by country—Finland, Greece, Spain, France, Ancient Rome, and so on. You'll soak amid a replica of the Trevi Fountain, in a hammam-meets-Disney stone bath, and over an Atlantis-themed tank full of tropical fish. Naturally, all baths and body soaks are done in the nude, but—bummer alert—men and women are confined to separate floors. On the bright side, you're given pj's to wear when you walk around the common areas—pink for girls, blue for boys.

Bodies of evidence: Despite its name, SpaWorld is favored by locals—and it's popular. Expect to be hanging with lots and lots of naked Japanese people.

Best reason to bring a towel: The ones they supply are meant for locals. Hearty Americans may find the in-house towels only cover one cheek.

Don't forget your: Japanese-English dictionary. This will be especially useful for translating the following: "Pardon me. I'm straight, but may I join your all-male naked pool party?"

2. Turkish Baths, Budapest

Courtesy of Tourism Office of Budapest Some of the most famous historical sites in Budapest are most appropriately visited in the buff. After all, this is the land of the bathhouse. From classic, historical buildings like the Rudas Baths (built in the 1500s) to the Art Nouveau Gellert Baths (shown) to racier options like Király Baths, which host rave-style party nights, current options run the gamut.

Naked truth: Some of the most famous historical sites in Budapest are most appropriately visited in the buff. After all, this is the land of the bathhouse. From classic, historical buildings like the Rudas Baths (built in the 1500s) to the Art Nouveau Gellert Baths to racier options like Király Baths, which host rave-style party nights, current options run the gamut. Most consist of a thermal pool, sauna, and steam bath so you can't really go wrong. Just one word of caution: Some bathhouses are unisex and others are mixed, so be sure you know which way your bathhouse swings before stepping in for a dip.

Bodies of evidence: We're not going to lie to you: The Rudas Baths won't be pretty. Think burly men toughened by an Iron Curtain past who sound like Borat—all naked as the day is long. Király, on the other hand, gets the young-and-pretty types.

Best reason to bring a towel: To cover your eyes. We're not kidding about the Borats.

Don't forget your: Dry clothes. If you're there anytime but summer, you'll be in for a chilly shock once you leave. Be sure to bundle up.

3. Loveparade, Germany

Naked truth: "First and foremost the Loveparade stands for peaceful togetherness," reads its Web site. "The most important values for us include love, mutual respect, tolerance, and community." In other words, naked, mutual naked, naked, and naked. The annual dance-music megaparty has been held in Germany every summer since 1989 and okay, not everyone is naked—some people wear body paint. But exhibitionist types are out in full force, dancing their way through the parade to all-night after-parties in clubs and warehouses. The location changes from year to year, heading to Bochum, in the Ruhr Valley, for 2009.

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Bodies of evidence: The Loveparade makes Mardi Gras look like the Republican National Convention. There's an awful lot of body paint, piercings, and tattoos on a wide array of bodies—plump, skinny, gay, straight, and everything in between.

Best reason to bring a towel: You'll need somewhere to nap between the parades and all-night raves.

Don't forget your: Brotherly love. You'll be cheek by jowl (not to mention other body parts) with your fellow lovers, and you didn't come here to stand in the corner by yourself.

4. Burning Man, Nevada

Naked truth: Some would argue that it was the Silicon Valley crowd that put Burning Man on the map—because it was a way to see their colleagues naked. (And yes, we realize that "colleagues" and "naked" never belong in the same sentence.) However, the idea took off, and the annual weeklong art festival in northern Nevada's Black Rock Desert has become a must for those who like to party in the nude. The point, though maddeningly vague, is self-expression and self-reliance with a heavy emphasis on artwork and revelry (that's your clue right there). After days of fiery displays, the event culminates in setting aflame a giant structure shaped like a man, proving the age-old adage that some bodies are just too hot to handle.

Bodies of evidence: You name it. Last year almost 50,000 people came to Burning Man—each in various stages of dress, undress, and conflagration.

Best reason to bring a towel: You're in the desert and it's hot. Take off your clothes and throw the towel over your head for mobile shade.

Don't forget your: ATM card. Once all that self-reliance has melted away, you might notice you're not that far from Vegas.

5. Bay to Breakers, San Francisco

Naked truth: A 12K race through downtown San Francisco toward the ocean, Bay to Breakers has been held every May since 1912. This being Haight-Ashbury country, Bay to Breakers is part race, part gay pride event, part naked-from-the-Nikes-up parade. Though there are a handful of serious athletes in attendance, the Boston Marathon it is not.

Bodies of evidence: Technically, clothing is required and alcohol is forbidden, and there are many law-abiding Californians who are there to beat their personal record. But then again, many other participants take this opportunity to strip down and throw inflatable sex toys around their necks.

Best reason to bring a towel: The run will take you through the swankier section of town. If you lose your nerve, you can always pull over, wrap yourself in the towel, and pretend you got locked out of your spa appointment at the W.

Don't forget your:Your race number. Seriously. We don't care if you are wearing a fuchsia afro and nothing else, rules are rules.

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