At a beach, you are still performing—sucking in your stomach, adjusting your towel, worrying about the tide. In a castle ruin, there is no one to perform for except the ghosts. And ghosts, as it turns out, do not judge cellulite.

This approach appeals to those who want the freedom of naturism without sacrificing the feeling of safety and total privacy. 4. Why This Movement is Growing

This liberal period was cut short in the 1930s when Stalinist repression cracked down on social freedoms. Naturism was outlawed, and for decades, it was pushed into hiding. It only began to re-emerge openly in the late 1980s, during the Gorbachev era of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). The first official naturist clubs, like Moscow's "Telord" (registered in 1995), were finally able to operate, though not without significant social and legal hurdles.

: Maintain eye contact during conversation; gawking is considered highly disrespectful.