Gym to introduce 'Naked Sunday'

February 3, 2007 - 10:54AM

Self-conscious about what you wear while working out? A Dutch gym plans to introduce "Naked Sunday" for people who like to huff and puff in the buff.

Patrick de Man, owner of Fitworld gym in the town of Heteren, said he got the idea in part from two of his customers who are "avid nudists."

"I heard that some other gyms are offering courses on 'pole-dancing' as a sport, so I thought: why not bring something new to the market?" de Man said.

He said the response had been overwhelming, "both positive and negative."

The Dutch Federation of Naturists, with 70,000 members, was curious to see if Fitworld's plan would work, spokesman Bernd Huiser said.

"We recently conducted a large survey among our members, and most prefer to exercise with their clothes on," he said. "The most popular activities (for nudists) are things you do outdoors, like walking on the beach, or swimming in a lake, or maybe gardening."

De Man said the first question Fitworld customers were asking was whether it would be sanitary.

Nude exercisers would be required to put towels down on weight machines and to use disposable seat covers while riding bikes, he said. All machines would be cleaned and disinfected afterward. "We clean them every day anyway," he said.

He said there was no need to advertise, as Fitworld has been deluged by interview requests from Dutch newspapers and TV stations.

One person calling himself Kees who visited the club's Web site wrote: "What a ridiculous idea, what kind of nutjob comes up with a plan like naked exercise?"

Another, calling himself Ron the Nudist, said: "Hi people who can't appreciate naked exercising ... Just because you are ashamed of your naked bodies doesn't mean naked isn't nice."

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