The person who submitted this QoD was writing in response to news of Las Vegas' recent ranking as "Third-Kinkiest City in the US" (see "Today's News" 8/3/2011). They prefaced their question with some interesting information about the city that topped that list, which might come as a surprise -- we'd never even heard of Roselawn, Indiana! So, before we get to the answer, we figured we'd share this background with you.
"I am a current Vegas resident, but a transplant from Indiana.
"Roselawn is a rural town of around 4,000 residents, located on Indiana State Rd. 10, about 3 miles east of Interstate 65 and 40 miles south of Gary, very close to the Illinois State Line.
"It was probably voted 'kinkiest' due to the fact that there are two nudist resorts located in Roselawn [Ed: correct], which are both openly 'swingers' resorts. They both have existed for years.
"Neither is a member of AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation), which is a national lobbying organization located in Kissimmee, Fl. and encourages family recreational nudism. They do not recognize any so-called 'swingers' resorts (not to sayit doesn't go on, but it would be extremely discreet). Therefore neither nudist resort in Roselawn is a member of the AANR.
"One club is called Ponderosa and the other one was called Naked City back in the '60s to'90s, when owned by Dick Drost, a wheelchair paraplegic who died in the mid 2000's. I am not sure of its name currently, now that it's under different ownership. These clubs are close to each other, both situated on Highway 10 in a very rural area.
"Naked City was famous in the '60s and '70s for its annual 'Miss Nude World Contest.' I remember Playboy always had a feature spread on it every summer. It was open to the public and cameras were allowed. Most of the female contestants were not membersof the club. All the closet club members stayed clothed and mixed with the mass of visitors on the property during the day of the festivities.
"Back in the day, Naked City had a grass landing stip just outside the gates which could accommodate small single-engine aircraft. Also, outside the gate was a restaraunt which was open to the public. All the help was completely nude -- waitresses, cook, etc. We stopped at the restaurant one weekday in the "off" season and were waited on by a great-looking female. We could see the male grill cook in the kitchen, naked as a bluejay with his Johnson swinging away while flipping the burgers. Had to be Board of Health violations, but it was happening. I believe this cafe no longer exists (nooooo!), but the nudist resort is still active."
So, now we know why Roselawn topped the list. With its plethora of topless and nude clubs, swingers clubs, sex shops, and all manner of more underground "adult" options, it's not surprising that Las Vegas scored high on the kinky scale, but while there's no shortage of naked flesh here, the only accommodation you'll find where nudity is both permitted and encouraged is the clothing-optional Blue Moon, a resort for gay men located about half a mile off the Strip at 2651 Westwood Dr. It has 45 rooms and suites, and features amenities including a lagoon-style pool with private cabanas, a 10-man jacuzzi grotto, a 400-sq.-ft. steam room, coffee house, movie room, and high-speed and wireless Internet access throughout.
We actually tackled this subject in this column once before, in November 2005, and back then Las Vegas had just lost its only heterosexual nudist accommodations. One was a popular B&B called Our House, which had changed hands awhile back and had new owners who chose not to continue the clothing-optional policy.
The second was called Common Ground, located near Tropicana Avenue and Boulder Highway, which called itself a "clothing-optional commune" and welcomed day and overnight guests for sunbathing, regular parties, and use of their facilities, which included an enclosed 10-person spa, heated pool, clubhouse with big-screen TV, pool table and games, putting green, community kitchen, and laundry facilities. It was owned by and located next door to the Red Rooster, Vegas’ oldest swingers club, but had also recently closed.
For now, we know of no clothin-optional accommodation, but there is an established nudist group in town called the Las Vegas Bares, which sponsors nude and clothing-optional day and overnight trips to hot springs or nudist resorts. They also have scheduled clothing-optional BYOB parties in Las Vegas, hosted at one of their member’s homes. These generally consist of activities like nude foosball, water volleyball, and Twister, plus opportunities for getting an all-over tan or relaxing in a hot tub. You’re required to visit a few times before joining up for membership, which costs $25 a year for singles or $40 for couples.
There was also another small club we found called North West Naturists, whick described itself as a group "for couples and cool people," which got together every couple of weeks or so to play water volleyball and other games and activities. We couldn't find any recent information about this one, but you could try emailing at [email protected] to see if it's still operational.
When there is evidently a market for clothing-optional activities here, we're not sure why there is no nudist resort. If anyone knows a reason for this that we're unaware of, or of other options for nudists that we don't know about, please drop us a line.
