5 Things I Learned at Naughty Beach

This blog is dedicated to Nicki who told me I wouldn’t need HALF of the crap I packed to Naughty Beach—she was right…

Mexico was a new frontier for me. Not only was this my first time out of the country (ever), but this was also my first lifestyle event of its kind; smaller in attendance, at a nude beach, and in a foreign country. I was awakening from a deep winter hibernation of family get-togethers and friendly boozy gatherings, the dizzying buzz of the holidays, and last-minute Q4 demands. I was on auto-pilot and I didn’t even know it—until I got to Mexico.

As soon as my skin hit that hot, Oaxacan air, I realized I was somewhere I belong. Winter weather tends to really get me down—I love the sun. It was late January but it had to be in the upper 80s, with sunshine and not a cloud in the sky, and it stayed like that the entire time. We arrived in Zipolite, Mexico’s only legal nude beach, very LGBTQ+ friendly, and so beautiful it brought me to tears. Dirt roads, massive palm trees, cafes with their painted signs on the sides of the building, and sandwich boards in the front, the smell of grilled food, grocerias and clothing stores with their doors wide open ready to welcome you in, the sound of music somewhere in the distance and the brightest, juiciest colors just bursting from every inch of this place. And then I met the people, who have the kindest smiles, the deepest souls, and the most patience. The staff at Hotel Nude, where the Naughty Beach group stayed, were some of the most hard-working, kind-hearted, and fun individuals ever. They took care of us like we were family, and made the whole trip so smooth and enjoyable.

As the Naughty Beach week unfolded, I immersed myself in the culture, went on daily field trips with the group to different places in the area, took classes that truly taught me things I never knew, became a Mezcal snob, got brave and went fully nude on a public beach, ate the most delicious food, made friends I’ll never forget, and if there’s ever such a thing as “finding yourself,” I certainly did, at least a version of myself that I truly want to keep. It was the most open-minded, natural place where you can be freely nude, as free as you want to be. It was in fact an Eden of its own.

I learned so much about myself, about traveling, and mostly about life at Naughty Beach. I came back so in touch with my body, my sexuality, and with a new vision of what I want in life. Here’s what I learned at Naughty Beach and hope to share with you:

1: Pack Light - Physically and Emotionally

Let’s just get this out of the way—I PACKED WAY TOO MUCH! When I met up with Nicki the night before we left for Mexico, she laughed as I struggled to bring in my lumpy, oversized, one-squeaky wheel suitcase with the zippers almost busting open, my duffle bag and backpack. She laughed and said there was “No way you’re going to use half that stuff, you’ll be in a bathing suit and sarong the entire time.” “Okay Nicki….,” I thought as I mentally rolled my eyes. What about my skincare, my makeup, I brought my hair dryer, oh and what if I need a steamer? And I better have like 6 shoe options because, well, you never know. Let’s not forget 3 purse options and the list goes on. Guess what? I ended up wearing my (various) bathing suits and sarongs that I bought IN MEXICO almost the entire time. Moral of the story: Listen to Nicki.

On a deeper note, I realized that I was holding on to my at-home routines and “what if” situations way too much. I packed for what could have happened, and yes some of it happened and I’m glad I packed that little black dress and pair of wedge heels. But I found myself not caring about my makeup by day 3 (it was just too hot to wear anything but lipstick), I wore my hair in beachy waves the entire time and laughed at the idea of even trying to use my hair dryer. Shorts, a bikini underneath, comfy sandals, a bag with money, my phone, my hotel key, and a sarong for the beach later, some SPF on my face, and I was out the door every morning for the entire week. So simple, with no worries, and I was completely content with it. It was a weird transition to come back home and recall me having all this stuff! What the heck am I doing with all this $**t? It taught me to minimize, find out what my essentials are, and don’t live for the what-ifs. Just do me, right here, right now.

2: Wear Pieces That Make You Happy

It’s a thing to buy a sarong in Mexico. It’s like picking your flag or your Hogwarts house. It kind of finds you and helps you define yourself. The colors, the pattern, and the way you wear it, wrap around you like a fabric aura. I found two that I loved! One went great with the neon green bikini that I never wear back home but I low-key loved the color and wanted to play with it in Mexico. It was one of my favorite days there wearing this outfit. I got so many compliments, I felt sexy, fun, and striking. My tan was starting to form, my hair was full beach mode, and dare I say, I felt beautiful. It was the colors, the breezy feeling of the sarong, and how it complimented my soul. My sarong from Zipolite is now one of my favorite pieces in my wardrobe that I’ll always cherish. When you find something that just looks great on you, and makes you feel like the sexiest, best version of yourself, wear it. Wear it when you can, even if it doesn’t fit your usual style profile. Wear it once in a while and let it transport you back.

If you know Bob, you’ve probably seen him with a beautiful and very functional leather harness with two bags on each side on. It’s badass and holds all his essentials: keys, phone, money, etc. One night he had the local leather smith who made his harness come visit Hotel Nude. People were lined up at his table to get their own one-of-a-kind leather harnesses and pouches. By the end of the night, most of the guys were sporting these leather masterpieces with pride and I can only hope they are using these pieces in their everyday lives.

3: Celebrate the Simple Things

I think one memory that is engraved into my mind forever is watching the sunset in Punta Cometa. Bob took a small group of us up this huge hill that overlooked the ocean to see one of the most beautiful and grandest shows in the world—the sunset. People of all ages casually hike up this rocky cliff every night, while waves crash at the foot, the sky simmering into light pinks and oranges, and observe this beautiful spectacle. Tons of people fearlessly lined up or seated at the edge of the big cliff—no tickets or seating arrangments, no admission, no one really calling the shots, just an innate respect for each other and our desire to catch this nightly phenomenon. And then the sun began to sink into the horizon turning into a blazing red half-circle that slipped into the sea. And the moment it was gone, and there was still just a dusting of light left in the sky, the crowd roared with applause and cheers. It felt like a festival or something I should have bought tickets to, but it was the sunset that we see every night. And while I’ve always appreciated a pretty sunset, it made me realize that I don’t stop enough and just enjoy simple things. Sit down, watch with your friends and loved ones, or alone, and cheer for that moment in your life. It’s ok to be appreciative of the simple details in our everyday life like the sunset, sunrise, the weather, or just simple moments that mean something to you. They’re there for us every day, through thick and thin, they see our troubles, they start the day and end it, and should be respected for being there to structure our lives.

4: Truly LOVE Your Body

It’s one thing to be naked with a lover, or if you’re experienced, naked around people you know. But outside, on a beach, with hundreds of other naked people you don’t know around, sand and sun, I was a little hesitant at first. I have no idea why, I had no good reason to be nervous. For the most part, I was ok with my body. But that was SO not the point. The truth is….no one cares. People of all ages, colors, sizes, and creeds walked this beach in the nude like it was nothing. No one was creepy, and no one said anything out of turn or made me feel uncomfortable. In fact, no one said anything at all. It was the most accepting feeling. Scary at first to be that vulnerable and release yourself to the open air like that. But once I removed those bikini bottoms and settled into the moment, I was liberated.

One Naughty Beach activity was the nude body painting with rich mud that helps detox and purify the skin. This was hugely popular with our group. I saw so many people just relaxed and at complete peace while getting gently painted with this nourishing, purifying mud. We decorated each other with these mud paints, wrote words of encouragement on each other’s backs, and illustrated each other in loving, positive ways. Also one of my favorite moments of the trip.

Your body is with you always. It is the vehicle that drives you through your life, so you should be thankful for it. It’s beautiful and honestly, no one is judging your body harder than you. Be thankful for what it can do for you every day and compliment it with sunlight, nourishing actions, and praise from within. Every time I’ve been naked after Naughty Beach lately, I look at myself real quick and think—damn you were JUST in Mexico. I went there, I did that. And I couldn’t have done it if my body didn’t allow me to.

5: Learn the Language & Culture

Whoever came up with the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” was probably an excellent traveler. To quickly answer your question, no I did not learn fluent Spanish for this trip. But I downloaded Google Translator and used it every moment I could to accommodate the people that helped us out every day; from hotel staff to restaurant workers and store clerks, I quickly learned how to ask for the check, order a simple dish and ask who, what, when and where? It helped me expand my knowledge of Spanish, and allowed me to communicate with the people as they helped guide me through sentences. By the time I left, I was able to say goodbye and thank my new Zipolite friends in full Spanish. I found it important to just lean into their ways while there, to not be rigid and do things like I’m used to doing at home. To make an effort to learn a little bit of the language and be humble enough to be wrong when I was wrong about my pronunciation, and to be corrected and given direction on how to say things. We are never too old, too important, or too busy to learn something new, even if it’s little by little. Be brave enough to be a beginner.