Las Vegas Naturists

This non-landed facility is our “go-to” nudist hang-out during the summer months.

Located in the Northwest part of Las Vegas, approximately 15 miles from the strip, this is the only true nudist facility in the Vegas area.  Most Las Vegas places you hear about as nude destinations are either topless pools at some casinos (and even then, they are usually very small, segregated portions of a larger pool area) or are swinger/lifestyle locations where there is more than just nudity happening.

Being a non-landed resort means that it isn’t a full-time nudist facility.  Rather, this is a private home with a very large backyard that is maintained by a wonderful couple who happen to be nudists and enjoy sharing their place with other like-minded folks.  They do not publish their address online and anyone interested in visiting will need to contact them directly.  Their website can be found here.

REVIEW:

From about April until late October, you can expect a weekend gathering of anywhere from 10-30 couples.  Everyone attending is asked to bring a potluck meal to be shared with the group and everyone is requested to provide a nominal donation that is used to offset the cost of upkeep.

This is a clothes-free facility, so it is expected that everyone be nude throughout the facility.  However, it isn’t uncommon for females to bring a wrap with them while they’re walking to/from the kitchen area.

The owner’s have really gone above and beyond in providing a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere for you to enjoy.  They’ve transformed their house and backyard into a wonderful nudist experience including a large pool (expect volleyball) adjacent “conversation pool” (which is a shallow built-in seating section of the pool), hot tub, fire pits and plenty of chaise lounges.  The pool is salt-water filtered so you needn’t worry about a lot of chemicals and the pipe in XM radio music all day.

During the extremely hot summers, they’ll setup some shaded areas to help cut-down on the direct sun and have recently brought in a 5th wheel RV that is available to rent for out of town guests.  Also, there is a large mesquite tree that can provide some shade away from the action of the pool.

They primarily offer get togethers during Saturdays, from about Noon until dark (or later), however most folks usually roll out around 5pm.

Most attendees are long-time friends of the owner’s.  The clientele range generally from the low/mid 50s on up.  As always, all shapes and sizes are welcome!

PROS:

1. Reasonable donations (day fees) compared to some landed facilities
2. Abundance of food available at no additional cost (potluck from guests)

CONS:

1. Occasional non-stop volleyball can be disruptive to relaxation
2. Nudists relaxing on lounges by the pool can be hit with “foul” balls

During the summer, when we’re not on the road, this is where you can find us on a Saturday.

Shangri-La Ranch

My wife and I visited Shangri-La Ranch (clothing optional) in New River Arizona in September.

One of our goals for this blog is to inform folks who are curious about (or already enjoying) nudism. We’ll be updating with various information about places we’ve gone and other various tidbits about nudism, so please check back often!

Shangri-La Ranch is located in New River, Arizona, which is about 15 miles North of Phoenix, on I-17. Their website is: Here.

Highlights of Ranch

The resort is actually a full-time community comprised of RVs and mobile homes. There are about 10 “hotel” rooms which are mostly subdivided mobile homes with multiple entrances.

They have a pool, jacuzzi and clubhouse. Additionally, they have a workout room and restuarant on-site (open weekends only).

Nudity is accepted (optional) anywhere inside the resort, with nudity being required in the pool area.

PROS:

Great pool area-lots of chaise loungers available as well as shade area.

Great prices-much cheaper weekend than Desert Sun Resort.

CONS:

Room-water heater hadn’t been used recently and had developed terrible sulfur smell.

Messy-the permanent residents don’t appear to follow any HOA type requirements in terms of their home’s presentation. Additionally, lots of “junk” scattered throughout the resort.

WIFI – Available, for fee.  ($10/day).  Cell coverage is sketchy.

REVIEW:

Being a full-time community, the weekday crowd is primarily senior citizen residents. The average age of the weekend crowd dropped to early 40s in our estimation. Daily resort fees are required and are $32.00 per couple. Accommodation rates vary between $70-$100 and include resort fees. National discounts (AANR) get you 20% off the daily resort fee and will save you $5.00 per night off your room rate. Overall, this is cheap for a nudist place.

The location is about 10 miles North of an area called Anthem, AZ, which has a wide variety of shopping and dining options, including a well-known outlet shopping area (Outlets at Anthem)

All the folks we met were generally friendly towards us, as is often the case in any nudist community, although there was a definite “resident versus visitor” vibe during the weeknight. We’d place this community on the lower end of the socio-economic, so expect to see some rundown facilities.

The accomodations were as good as to be expected for the price. Very no frill. We opted for the efficiency model which provides a small kitchenette, with coffeemaker (but bring your own coffee). In wall AC units cooked the room well enough but the non public water system wreaked havoc on the water heater causing a nasty sulfur smell in the hot water. We remedied this with short walks to the pool area for showers. Speaking of, the showers are unisex, and group, so don’t be surprised if someone of either gender walks in to wash up, right next to you.

This is also and family friendly resort so, while not likely, don’t be surprised to see kids running around anywhere inside the resort.

Overall, we’d give this resort a 3 out of 5 star rating.

It was a decent experience and we’d recommend it for a newer couple still getting acclimated to the nudist lifestyle as its not too expensive and very laidback. We heard that they host a Southwest Region AANR event that brings in several hundred folks in late September, so we may head back next year to check it out again but otherwise will likely save our travel budget for new and/or higher rated locations.

Desert Sun Resort – Palm Springs

My wife and I enjoyed two long weekends at Desert Sun Resort in Palm Springs in August and September.

This was actually our first visit to any type of landed nudist resorts and we have to say, we set the bar pretty high!  Arguably, this is one of the top 3 destinations for nudists in the US, according to just about every person we spoke with!  There website can be found here.

REVIEW

Desert Sun Resort is located in Palm Springs.  They are open year round but the busier season is between the holidays of Memorial Day and Labor Day.  The resort consists of a combination of owner occupied/rental condominiums, rental villas and hotel rooms.  Pricing is generally on the higher end of nudist resorts and can varying significantly based on size of room and when you visit.  The total available rooms vary as many of the condo owners add their condos to the rental list when they’re not residing on the grounds.

There are 3 pools and one Jacuzzi located on the property.  The picture shown is the active pool which accommodates water volleyball and has music piped in after 11am.  Additionally, there is a quiet pool and an owner’s pool, located near the condos (but still available to anyone staying at the resort).  Also available is a workout room, fire pit, massage rooms and on-site restaurant and bar (weekends only).

The grounds were immaculately maintained.  In fact, expect to see a small parade of groundskeepers, pool cleaners, etc. working during your visit (especially early mornings).  The owner’s pool is a non-chemical, salt-water pool and is recommended for folks with any sensitivity to chlorine.

Clientele vary significantly from the common retired senior nudists down to 20-something couples visiting on a day pass.  The facility is 18 years and older, so no children running around.  As with any type of nudist facility, you’ll see all sizes and shapes of individuals here.

The pool areas are clothes-free.  All other areas are clothing optional.  You can even head into the office nude if you choose (for coffee, shopping).

During the week, you can expect a decent amount of peace and quiet, with only the residents (who mostly stick to the owner’s pool area) a few guests and a few members.  Weekends pickup pretty well and you can expect to watch several volleyball games and enjoy drinks by the pool.  When the bar/restaurant is open, servers will walk the active and quiet pool area taking/delivering drink and meal orders poolside.  You can also sign-up for a massage any day of the week.  Any additional purchases like drinks, meals and massages can be added directly to your bill…they make it easy to not have to carry any money or wallets while you’re there.

Day Pass rates start at $50.00 per couple during the week, $75.00 on weekends and up to $125 for holiday weekend passes.  These let you on the grounds from 9am-6:30pm.  A yearly member pass runs $1,200 and gets you unlimited access from 8am-9pm.  Everyone is required to pay a one-time $10.00 registration fee upon your first visit (hotel and day users alike).  If you stay, you’ll have an extra $100.00 charged on your card upon check-in for incidentals.  Any remaining balance is returned to you after you check-out.

PROS:

1. Outstanding facilities – top-notch pools and Jacuzzi
2. Location – approximately 1 mile from downtown Palm Springs where there is excellent shopping and dining options
3. Free WIFI

CONS:

1. Price – definitely on the high-end of nudist resorts
2. Room – the cheapest hotel rooms are a bit dated
3. Coffee – not available in hotel room. can get K-cup coffee from office 24/7.

OVERALL:

We give this resort a 4.5 out of 5 star rating!!!

This is definitely a bucket-list resort that will have you dreaming about buying one of the condos that are typically for sale (check the bulletin board right by the office)!!!

TIP:  If you can swing it, try to get there on a Thursday.  During the summer, Palm Springs has a street vendor fair downtown that brings in a number of arts, craft and musicians for you to enjoy.  Free parking is readily available on Indian Canyon (adjacent street) or in one of the casinos downtown.