Okay, here’s the last word—-I suspect—-on nudist roommates, a subject that I blogged about a few times in the last week. This piece is composed of  information from those items, as well as some new material. It appears in this week’s print edition. 

The life of a D.C. nudist must be tough.

Think of the challenges: the buttoned-up, professional culture. The dearth of nudist beaches and clubs. The weather.

So what’s a nudist to do when looking for a nudist roommate? In the past few weeks, two people have placed such advertisements in City Paper. One Leesburg-based man placed a simple, one-paragraph classified seeking a “MALE NUDIST ROOMMATE.” Rent: $650.

The other was more verbose, offering 426 words about his home, hobbies, physique, and love of nudism .

“Many of us are already nudist (e.g., when alone sometimes) but don’t know it,” he suggests in the ad. “I’m willing to explore a roommate situation with someone who has limited to no experience in social nudity (e.g., nude beach, nude camping, etc.) but nevertheless is interested in exploring and enjoying true nudism with others.”

These people would seem willing to discuss their lifestyle: Their whole philosophy is about stripping away barriers and insecurities! But when Housing Complex called to inquire how the specialized search was going, the two men, in classic stuffy Washington fashion, didn’t want to talk.

Our de facto nudist housing expert became Carolyn Hawkins, spokesperson for the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR).

Hawkins herself lives in an all-nude environment, Cypress Cove Nudist Resort & Spa, in Kissimmee, Fla., a full resort community with tennis courts, massage and spa offerings, and restaurants. She moved there in 1978—soon after becoming a nudist—and, like many residents, feels wedded to the place. “There’s not a lot of turnaround,” says Hawkins, 66.

Florida has over 30 nudist clubs according to the AANR’s website; they include full resort communities like Cypress Cove as well as traveling clubs that, ahem, hang out at specified spots, like campgrounds or private backyard pools.

The District has no AANR-registered nudist clubs. There are a handful in the suburbs. If none of those yield a suitable roommate, Hawkins recommends placing an ad in her organization’s monthly publication, The Bulletin.

“We have rooms for rent, or singles that look for single roommates and stuff like that,” she says. There are also websites dedicated to helping nudists interact: NudistClubhouse.com and SingleNudist.com.

To the men who wouldn’t answer Housing Complex’s calls: If you’re not having any luck, try those.

Image by Deovolenti, Flickr Creative Commons