Paris' first naked restaurant to close
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Paris' first nudist restaurant is set to close after just over year of serving classic French dishes to diners in the buff. O'Naturel, in the French capital's 12th district, will close on February 16, according to a Facebook post from the owners.
Twins Mike and Stéphane Saada told the AFP news agency that they were having to close for financial reasons. In another Facebook post , they called on customers to take advantage of the remaining time. "Don't hesitate to book now to enjoy a last naked dinner in Paris," it read. "It's now or never."
After opening in November 2017 to great fanfare, the restaurant received rave reviews from customers on Facebook, with an average score of 4.8 out of 5. Many customers praised both the food and the unique experience after enjoying a naked meal, shielded from passersby by a thick white curtain. "Great restaurant, futuristic in the audacity of its naturism," wrote Florian Dupuis last August, "promoting the beautiful values of naturism, tolerance and non judgment, living together, all together, as we are, and in osmosis with nature, all natural."
Diners at O'Naturel remove their clothes in a cloakroom, where they also leave their mobile phones for privacy reasons, according to AFP. And while those eating may be naked, the owners are fully clothed as they serve the food. "Our role is to put people at ease," said Stéphane in an interview with AFP when the restaurant opened. "As soon as customers enter the dining room, we accompany them to their table and we reassure them that it's not like the whole room is looking at them."
While local custom wasn't enough to keep O'Naturel afloat, there appears to be growing interest in naturism in France. A designated nudist zone was launched in the Bois de Vincennes park in August 2017, running for three months before reopening in spring 2018, with the aim of attracting some of the estimated 2.6 million nudists in France.
On May 5 last year, contemporary art gallery Palais de Tokyo opened its doors to naturists for an afternoon of art, uncovered. Then in June, the city's Nudists Association hosted a giant picnic for naturists . The event marked the inaugural Parisian Day of Naturism, which the association said it hopes will become an annual event celebrated on the last Sunday in June.
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Too bad, it was a neat experiment and I wish them better luck on future endeavours.
Having eaten at more than a few clothing optional restaurants I will say there is a market out there (at least in the US)
Clothing optional restaurants? In the US?
I wouldn't order the soup....I have a tendency to spill on myself
Lol yes that would be an ouchie
Or a fondue restaurant
Lmao owwww! I remember dripping some really melty cheese from a sandwich once, it fell directly on my chest. That pain (and resulting burn) took awhile to go away
Maybe people found it too difficult dressing for the occasion...
It's all well and good, until us older people or even older wrinkly people start showing up.
Actually nudists (or naturalists if you prefer) tend not to be that concerned about physical appearance
I would not want to sit in a chair that a naked person sat in. Do they bring their own seat cushions?
Maybe seat covers?
Bingo!
Oh you!
I don't want to think about that
I hear some folks don't shower much. ))))))shudder(((((((
That was my very first thought from the headline alone. Also, I cannot help to wonder about the mixture of food aroma with body 'aroma'. Nude beach makes sense - not so sure about nude restaurant.
Can't comment on the restaurant in the article but all that I've been to are in warm places so have lots of open doors and windows. Except for the occasional someone with bad breath I've never noticed an aroma issue
In the ones I've been to people bring their own towels
Towels are helpful and the fluffier the better!
Since you have some experience with this 'scene,' can you say if towels are required?
The kindest way I can say this is, "I ain't down with sitting in just anybody's 'sweat'! Overall, is it a cleaner scene, then I am imagining?
Because I am seeing 'beast of the field' with modest rules.
Lastly, do you feel like its draw is its novelty (here I speak of other nudist restaurants as well)? What is the 'draw' and 'staying' forces for these experiments in nature?
"Fluffers" and "Twinks," this week? What are you getting yourself in to my fishy friend? Happy 2019!
CB I'll try to answer your questions but note that I am not a nudist myself so my experience is limited to what I see or pick up on during visits to my dad who is.
In the 3 I've been to in Florida yes they are. In the one I've been to in Georgia and another in Texas I don't know (I'd guess probably) however I've noticed that nudists normally carry towels to use wherever they sit (deck chairs, bar stools, hammocks, etc) I guess it's something of socially accepted norm.
Judging from some of the comments I'd have to say it's cleaner. From what I know nudists are not pigs, they are for the most part successful retired or semi retired people who just like being au natural, also swimming is a big thing at their resorts and there are showers everywhere. So yeah I'd say cleaner.
Like I said I have limited experience, but for a minority (who are probably not nudists) I'd say novelty is a factor, but for the rest (who are nudists) it's just normal
Most that I have spoken too speak of the freedom and normalcy of not wearing clothes
I actually don't consider this lifestyle to be an experiment. Lol after all we've spent far more of our evolutionary history naked than clothed
Thank you for your straightforward remarks. Very informative, helpful, and concise. (Smile.)
I hear the fromunda cheese plate is fabulous.