Gym in Spain's Basque region offers naked workouts

[bunnyrabbit]

A gym in Spain's Basque region has come up with an eye-catching way of battling the recession.

It has begun offering naked workouts, for nudists.

Easy Gym in Arrigorriaga is the first of its kind in Spain, pioneering the peculiar practice of stripping while keeping fit.

"With the crisis we noticed there were fewer people using the gym," owner Merche Laseca explained to the BBC.

"I'm not a nudist myself, though I have no problem with it. But this initiative is about the money."

Naked enthusiasm
The gym did its research before opting to chase the nudist euro.

It discovered that two local swimming pools already offered popular monthly sessions for bathing in your birthday suit.

Every year, in nearby Sopelana, there is a mass naked run along the sands.

There are at least 12 naturist beaches in the Basque region, and many more all over the Spanish coast.

"We're always interested in new activities," explains Maite Vicuna, president of the Basque Naturist Association, who attended a trial run of the naked gym last week.

A poll of the group's members showed 90% support for a facility offering the full range of nude workouts.

"Doing sport without clothes is natural - and much more comfy," Ms Vicuna argues.

Sceptics suggest that running full tilt in the buff might not be entirely enjoyable, though. Sports underwear, they point out, was invented for a reason.

But the gym owner denies her concept is impractical.

"Being a naturist doesn't mean being daft. If a woman needs to, she can put a top on!" says Merche Laseca. "But there's cycling, weightlifting and the Stairmaster: there's lots you can easily do naked."

Easy Gym stresses it does provide towels for comfort and "to prevent slippage" on the equipment.

But some sporting types are clearly unconvinced by the concept.

Exercising question
"Each to his own," the owner of another - traditional - gym in Bilbao told the BBC. "But I think it's the most unhygienic thing in the world."

"It's your clothes that catch the sweat when you work out," said Idoya Echevarria. "So where does all the sweat go, if you're naked? Onto the machines? The floor? Or onto the person next to you?"

And after all that research, Ms Laseca was disappointed by the low show at her inaugural session. Only four naturist fitness fanatics turned up.

"But the people who came really enjoyed themselves," she says, apparently undeterred. From May, the gym will operate every Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday - exclusively for the uninhibited.

A teacher has already been in touch to offer naked yoga classes.

Article : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13162118

  

[Jann]

So long as the gyms require and enforce naturist norms of behaviour and strict adherence to the all-important towel rule, why not?  Mind you, it would be an absolute hell for those of our members who are already complaining about people showing off by being naked in the locker rooms.  Imagine the hissy fits they might throw if they saw some naked sixtyish guy bench pressing 200 kilos.

Imagine the aerobics classes . . .         

[Stuart]

There'd be some scary sights...



Those are impressive thighs 

[Jann]

There'd be some scary sights...



Those are impressive thighs 

I wondered how long it would take you to come up with a related photo or vid . . . not long it seems.

The squats are fine but if it were me I think I would discard the top and the heels.  Nice touch with the oil don't you think?

[Stuart]

There'd be some scary sights...



Those are impressive thighs 

I wondered how long it would take you to come up with a related photo or vid . . . not long it seems.

The squats are fine but if it were me I think I would discard the top and the heels.  Nice touch with the oil don't you think?

Mmmmmmmmmm....shiny

[Five9]

As a naturist and daily gym user, I don't think I would want to join/visit this gym.

[NaturalInNY]

Agreed. I'd rather exercise at home. I always feel like gyms are geared towards people that want to be checked out and check others out. I'm sure that place will draw a lot of people that just go to gawk. I think this says it all:

"But this initiative is about the money."

[Five9]

I always feel like gyms are geared towards people that want to be checked out and check others out. I'm sure that place will draw a lot of people that just go to gawk.

I understand the second part but I don't understand why people think that way about the first statement, especially when it comes to locker room nudity. Is it my location? Are people really that bad in other parts of the world? Someone explain, please.

[Danee]

I always feel like gyms are geared towards people that want to be checked out and check others out. I'm sure that place will draw a lot of people that just go to gawk.

I understand the second part but I don't understand why people think that way about the first statement, especially when it comes to locker room nudity. Is it my location? Are people really that bad in other parts of the world? Someone explain, please.

That was my first thought as well, Andy. I think he is referring to the muscle clad folks and body builders but perhaps not...

There is that element of course, but I suppose it depends on the make-up of the clientele as well.   

[NaturalInNY]

I understand the second part but I don't understand why people think that way about the first statement, especially when it comes to locker room nudity. Is it my location? Are people really that bad in other parts of the world? Someone explain, please.

Actually, the first part has nothing to do with locker room nudity or even nudity at all and more about "showing off" in the public parts of the gym. We all know the type. I don't have a problem with locker room nudity at all. It's practical a lot of the time and is not part of what I was talking about.  

That was my first thought as well, Andy. I think he is referring to the muscle clad folks and body builders but perhaps not...

There is that element of course, but I suppose it depends on the make-up of the clientele as well.  

That's exactly what I meant. I didn't mean to generalize, but there's always a segment of gym goers that, in the public parts of the gym, do have vanity in mind when flexing or pumping iron, and there's those that stare a little too long at others. I'd just be concerned about the type of membership said nude gym would attract and their reasons for being there. I like the concept of a true naturist gym, but there's always the matter of what motivations people have to join.

[Jann]

That's exactly what I meant. I didn't mean to generalize, but there's always a segment of gym goers that, in the public parts of the gym, do have vanity in mind when flexing or pumping iron, and there's those that stare a little too long at others. I'd just be concerned about the type of membership said nude gym would attract and their reasons for being there. I like the concept of a true naturist gym, but there's always the matter of what motivations people have to join.

How are you going to determine their true motivations, have Homeland Security waterboard them for a few days until they cough up the truth?  And how will you know what the truth is anyway?  Do you know what your own motivations are for doing anything at all.

It seems to me that most people go to the gym either to lose weight, exchange fat for muscle, or just for the social aspects.  I am sure that there are some who have vanity in mind when flexing or pumping iron.  So what?  How does that affect any other person unless they are jealous.  Should this be the case I submit that the feelings of jealousy or inadequacy are the real problem, not the vanity.  All three are internal and are not the fault of someone else.

Naturism is supposed to be about freedom, fitness and body acceptance.  No doubt if a couple of blanc manges wanted to join a naturist club there would be those who would chivvy them about fitness and those who would scold the scolds about body acceptance.  It seems that body acceptance only goes so far around here though, because when talk turns to someone who is super fit I see them decried as exhibitionists, vain and behaving like peacocks and their motives for being there become suspect.   So much for the much vaunted naturist ideal of body acceptance.

I think that some honest introspection might be called for here.