In countries like the United States, he said, there is a “highly sexualized and puritanical culture, where sex is tightly controlled. Attitudes are generally much more conservative about what women do and the female body. In Europe this tends to happen less.”
In a series of studies, Dr. West and his team found that being naked with others can increase self-confidence and life satisfaction. “If you go to a nudist event, you see a lot of normal people, people who aren’t atmospheric and who aren’t Beyoncé, and you realize that you don’t look bad compared to the average person,” said Dr. West. “And you spend time naked in their company and nothing bad happens. No one says anything bad to you, no one laughs at you.”
Some Americans have found that the discomfort of being naked in a sauna is fleeting and has a worthwhile reward.
After moving to Graz, Austria, Amy Feineman, 38, a saddle originally from Colorado, made the hour-long drive to Rogner Bad Blumau, a colorful, three-bed therme and hotel designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an Austrian architect who he believed that “the straight line is the bane of our civilization.” At the therme (day visit, €57), this philosophy translates into undulating floors, circular buildings with uneven ceilings and bright orange, blue and green mosaics. On their first visit, Ms Feineman and her husband skipped the sauna area naked, instead exploring the pools and outdoor gardens partially clothed. But on their second visit, they felt brave enough to bare all in the sauna area.
“It took us most of our first day there to work up the courage to check it out, and then we spent most of our time there,” Ms Feineman said. “I’m a plus size person and in the US I would never wear a bikini in public. Here, I’m walking happily in the nude area.”
