Our History

 

1931 Sarin Foothai registers sunbathing club

Thai publisher Mr. Sarin Foothai registered the first naturist club in Thailand as “Nikom Arb Daad” meaning Sunbathing Club. He published several books and pamphlets about the benefits of being naked in the sunlight - in particular dawn and dusk - and emphasized physical activity in the nude. The first year, the club had 98 members both men and women and of all ages. In 1932, the absolute monarchy in Thailand was overthrown by a military coup and eventually Sarin Foothai was forced to close the Sunbathing Club due to his links to the Thai royalty and suspicion that the resistance to the military regime were holding secret meetings on his premises.

 

2007 Naturist Association Thailand Co., Ltd. is founded

Founding members Ms. Disraporn Yatprom and Mr. Gregers Moller - incidentally both also publishers like Mr. Sarin Foothai - created the current day organisation as a limited company together with a few more members who are still active today. The members met for monthly nude dinners or clothing optional dinners, went on trips upcountry up to Kun Dan Dam in Nakornayok and explored hidden coves on Koh Larn where nudity could be practiced without bothering anyone. The association emphasized naturism / nudism strictly as a non-sexual life style - the conservative form of naturism which also Sarin Foothai followed in 1931. Swingers and other forms of nudity for sexual purposes are turned away.

2009 Bruce Kendall moves the association forward

Bruce Kendall takes over as main organizer. He creates a new website for the association and moves member management to Meetup.com from the local forum on the previous hosting. Bruce serves the members with a steady flow of events, assisted by his wife Jai Kendal and Thai member Marc Pongsabutra.

 

2011 Chan Resort becomes first Naturist Friendly resort in Thailand

Chan Resort was built as a naturist resort following the owner, Chan Konin’s positive experience with members of Naturist Association Thailand in his previous resort. Then he sold his old resort to built the new Chan Resort which the Naturist Association Thailand helped inaugurate on 15 September 2011. The old resort was renamed Chan Twin resort by the new owner. - http://www.chanresort.com

 

2012 The Oriental Village Chiang Mai comes on board

In Chiang Mai, French resort owner Paulo Richel followed the example of Chan Resort and declared The Oriental Village Chiang Mai clothing optional. The Naturist Association Thailand arranged its first member weekend at the resort on 16 November 2012 to celebrate the new member of the exclusive club. - http://www.orientalvillage-chiangmai.com This resort is today returned to the owner and no longer a naturist resort.

 

2015 Barefeet Naturist Resort, Bangkok's first nudist resort

Barefeet Naturist Resort opened in Bangkok on 1 January as the first hotel catering for naturists and nudist in Bangkok. The resort has only five rooms, so there is no room for clothing optional - all guests are expected to be nude or in the company of a naturist / nudist. Owners Disraporn Yatprom and Gregers Moller resume a more active role in the leadership of Naturist Association Thailand. - http://www.barefeetnaturistresort.com

 

2016 Lemon Tree Resort, first naturist resort on Phuket

On Saturday 21 May 2016, Lemon Tree Resort Naiharn Beach Phuket joined as a resort member of Naturist Association of Thailand (NAT). Lemon Tree Resort is the first naturist resort in Phuket welcoming all naturists to enjoy and explore nudist experience on the island. The resort was leased by Ms. Pattama Sangkhaow in 2015 and together with her partner "Golf" Phakapong Maneechay they joined Naturist Association Thailand as a resort member. When in 2018, the management moved out to create their own resort, the new managers became Khun "Joy" Krongsuk Phasaprapa and Khun "Woody" Supakrit Kaewsikit. One year later, as of 1 December 2019, the managers stopped the operation and two British naturists stepped in and was prepared to continue the operation - only to be cut down in early 2020 by the Covid crisis.

 

2017 Phuan Naturist Village, Pattaya's second nudist resort

Phuan Naturist Village was opened in November 2017 by a group of Thai sisters, the first naturist resort in the world owned, managed and mostly staffed by women. The village has five bungalows and five 2 bedroom villas in a park like setting of 4,403 sq. meters (47,398 sq. ft.). The villas are offered for monthly rental, but the resorts which has become instantly well-known world wide also takes day visitors. Shorter stays by appointment. Like all the naturist resorts in Thailand, also Phuan is strictly a members-only resort. This resort was taken over an managed by Naturist Association Thailand with Jai Kendall as Resident Manager for two year before in 2020 the contract was cancelled and the resort was returned to the owner of the land and buildings to be rented out monthly.

 

2018 Peace Blue Naturist Resort Phuket opens

19 October 2018, Peace Blue Naturist Resort Phuket opened as a brand new, purpose built naturist resort on Phuket. The owners are Ms. Pattama Sangkhaow and her husband "Golf" Phakapong Maneechay who at the same time terminated their rent for the past three years of Lemon Tree Resort (see above) and moved their guests and activities over to the new, larger and more convenient naturist resort. The resort remains a major naturist asset in Thailand although it has suffered bad losses due to the Covid crisis.

 

2019 Oriental Beach Village Phuket opens

Oriental Beach Village Phuket is actually located north of Phuket in the PhangNga province on the island Ko Kho Kao. The name indicates that the owner is the same as Oriental Village in Chiangmai, which was not long after the opening closed down as a naturist resort. Oriental Beach Village is the only resort so far (2021) that is located directly on the beach where guests can go naked from the resort and into the clear waters of the Andaman sea. The resorts never closed but suffered badly during the Covid-crisis but is now opening on 1 October 2021.

 

2019 Harmony Resort Rawai in Phuket opens

Harmony Resort Rawai opened 9 November 2019. Harmony Resort Rawai is owned by Neil and Tracy, a British couple who have a lifelong working experience in hospitality. Before this, the resort was named Fairy Meadows under the previous owner.

 

2019 Barefeet Heaven Hill Naturist Resort in Trang opens - and closes in 2021

Barefeet Heaven Hill Naturist Resort in Trang opened for naturists on 1 December 2019. This extremely beautiful boutique hotel became a naturist haven for the next three years on the auspicious day of 11. November 2019 when Disraporn Yatprom signed a leasing contract with the current owners, whose son - currently the manager - is going away to get a masters degree from Germany. Shortly after, in the spring 2020 the Covid crisis hit and to survive, the resort returned to be a textile resort in order simply to survive. In 2020, negotiations to renew the rent at a lower amount failed and in May 2021 the owners took over the resort again.

 

2021 Oasis Naturist Villa in Karon joins

Oasis Naturist Villa was for ten years managed as Oasis Villa by the same owner, Roger Steinmann, but in the summer of 2021 he decided to become affiliated with Naturist Association Thailand since he was himself using the resort as a naturist and many of the guests over the years had also the resort nude. It was officially added as a resort 1 July 2021.

 

Covid-19 

By the end of the year 2020, a new resort was announced to be opened, Dragonfly Naturist Village outside Pattaya. The opening took place in February 2021, but shortly into March and April, the new resorts marketing campaign forced the Naturist Association Thailand's management to terminate the resort's membership as it was incompatible with the policies of Naturist Association Thailand.

In July 2021, the opening of Phuket as a "sandbox" is supposed to be the beginning of the end of the crisis for Naturist Association Thailand and the rest of the tourism sector in Thailand.

The five surviving resorts to benefit from the gradual opening are in the following order: Peace Blue Naturist Resort Phuket, Harmony Naturist Resort Phuket, Oasis Naturist Villa, Oriental Beach Village PhangNga, Chan Resort Pattaya and Barefeet Naturist Resort Bangkok.

 

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