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A Tripadvisor nude beach survey of 12,000 people finds that 49% of Americans would like to take a nudist vacation themselves. In a similar survey by CNBC two years ago, 40% of respondents said they'd like to try a nude vacation. Now 53% want to do it. In a nation with about 300 million citizens, that would be quite a lot of nudists.

This is not to say that nude recreation is new. As the American Association for Nude Recreation points out, “For centuries skinny-dipping has been widely accepted as a wholesome activity. In fact, it’s an activity long espoused by the Young Men’s Christian Association, where before the YMCA admitted females in the early 1960s, swimming trunks were not even allowed in their pools.”

Well, yes. But this is bigger: It's not just young men, or even men, and it's not just about one-hour swimming sessions. Seeking the bare truth about this trend, we got in touch with Tom Mulhall, spokesperson for the AANR and himself the owner of the Terra Cotta Inn, a clothing-optional getaway in Palm Springs, California.

Are there any designated nude beaches on public lands in the United States?

TM: There are three right now, and there may soon be more. One is administered by a county (Hallover Beach Park, in Miami-Dade County), one by a state (Rooster Park, near Portland), and one by the Federal government (Gunnison Beach on Sandy Hook). There are also unofficial nude beaches in California, Maryland, and other states.

How can these clothing-optional public beaches survive in a socially conservative country?

TM: Just because many Americans are socially conservative doesn't mean they don't enjoy nude beaches. If, for example, 1.25 million people visit Hallover Beach Park in one year, then (using Miami-Dade County's figures for expenditures per visitor), that brings $175 million a year to the local economy. Public nude beaches are good for business.

Is this equally true for private nudist facilities?

TM: Sure. My own hotel, the Terra Cotta Inn, has the second highest occupancy rate in Palm Springs. The inn only has 17 rooms, but with that occupancy rate, it's good for the local economy.

At the risk of sounding dim, allow me to ask: What is the appeal of a nudist vacation?

TM: The people you find at a clothing-optional resort are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. They're down to earth, happy, friendly, and never pretentious -- they have nothing to hide.

A nakation is stress-relieving, too. Simply taking clothes off is more relaxing than wearing a bathing suit. A survey in Great Britain showed that women find bathing suits – the way they look, the way they emphasize some features and not others – traumatic. A nakation takes away that stress of how you look.

Speaking of “look,” how do people at a nude beach or resort manage not to stare?

TM: Well, you are going to look around, especially at first. Humans are visual by nature. But after awhile you realize that men are built one way, women are built another way, and that's that. The adage that beauty is only skin deep really proves to be true. You find yourself gravitating toward nice people whose personalities you like.

At a hideaway like yours, do people walk all over the grounds wearing nothing?

TM: Some men do, but women tend to wear a wrap or a robe when they're away from the pool. And if it's a cool day in winter, you'll see people wearing sweatshirts, because even at nudity-mandatory places, nudists do have common sense.

What does the guy at the front desk wear?

TM: That would be me. Sandals and a smile.

Photographs courtesy of the American Association of Nude Recreation