Editorial Disclosure: Independent editorial — Ali has visited multiple nude spas in Amsterdam over several trips. Fort Beemster and Zuiver are personal recommendations, not sponsored.

Let me set the scene.

I am standing in a locker room in Amsterdam, about to walk into a spa with approximately one hundred naked strangers. With my boyfriend. And one of his friends. Whose birthday it happens to be.

Happy birthday. Here is my bare ass.

That was my introduction to nude spa culture in the Netherlands, and I want to tell you everything about it — because what happened next genuinely surprised me, and I think it will surprise you too.

Why the Dutch Do This

In the Netherlands, nudity is simply required at the spas. Not optional. Not encouraged. Required.

This isn't about sex. This is about the Dutch relationship with the human body — which is significantly healthier than the relationship most of us were raised with.

In Dutch culture, nudity is not automatically sexual. A naked body is a body. It belongs to a human. It looks like a human body. The end. The idea that seeing a naked person is inherently provocative or something to be ashamed of — that's a cultural construct. The Dutch mostly didn't adopt it.

I grew up in a culture — North American, English-speaking — where nudity and sexuality are deeply entangled. We're taught from early childhood that our bodies are private, that showing them is inappropriate. The Dutch, largely, were not taught this. And the nude spa is where that difference becomes most visible.

What to Actually Expect

You arrive. You are given a robe. You can wear the robe during transitions between spaces if you want — plenty of people do, especially the first time.

Then you find your way to the pools, the steam rooms, the cold plunge, the saunas. You take the robe off. You get in.

And here is what happens next, which I want to tell you specifically because nobody told me: within about ten minutes, you forget that everyone is naked.

Not because you stop seeing bodies. But because the context normalizes so quickly. You're hot. Then you're cold. The water feels incredible. Someone near you is talking about their mortgage. You're looking at the architecture of this beautiful old building. The nakedness recedes into the background and you're just... at the spa.

What I Actually Saw

Real bodies. That's the summary.

Every age, every shape, every scar and mark and variation that social media has spent years convincing us are abnormal. Grey hair and stretch marks and soft stomachs and asymmetry and bodies that have clearly lived full lives. All of it present, all of it unremarkable, all of it just... human.

I left that first spa feeling something I didn't expect to feel: better about my own body. Not because I'd compared favorably to anyone else, but because I'd seen the reality of what bodies actually look like — and realized that the version I'd been measuring myself against was a fiction.

Gab's perspective: he admitted he initially noticed the women more than the men. But then he got desensitized. Then he started having a completely normal conversation about interest rates with a stranger while they both sat in a hot pool entirely naked. And somehow that was funnier and more human than anything he'd expected.

The Eight Things Worth Knowing

One: It's not a sex spa. People are not going to nude spas in Amsterdam to have sex or find partners. They are going to sweat, use the hydrotherapy, relax.

Two: You can keep your robe on. Nobody will make you undress if you're not ready.

Three: Phones are not allowed. Obviously. Everyone is present, nobody is documenting.

Four: Tuesdays are often swimsuit days. Some spas designate certain days as clothing-optional or swimsuit-required. Check before you go.

Five: Pick your people wisely. Even the Dutch sometimes choose spas far from their neighborhood to avoid running into colleagues.

Six: You will not get an erection. The context simply doesn't work that way. It's a spa, not a provocation.

Seven: You will feel good afterward. The combination of heat, cold, hydrotherapy, and the mild psychological novelty produces a genuine dopamine effect.

Eight: Don't be weird. Don't stare. Don't make comments about people's bodies. These spaces work because people respect them.

Why This Matters Beyond Amsterdam

Most of us live in near-constant visual contact with idealized, filtered, curated versions of human bodies. We see models, influencers, athletes, actors. We rarely see regular people naked. And without that reference point, we develop completely distorted expectations of what a normal body looks like.

The nude spa corrects this in about ten minutes. You see the reality. You realize the fiction. Something settles.

This isn't about nudism as a lifestyle or a political position. It's about one afternoon in a hot pool in Amsterdam doing more for your body image than years of affirmations and therapy might manage. That seems worth knowing about.

Where to Go in Amsterdam

Fort Beemster — a stunning spa set inside a historic 19th century fort about 30 minutes from Amsterdam. The architecture alone is worth the trip.
🌐 fortbeemster.nl

Zuiver Amsterdam — a large, beautifully designed urban spa closer to the city center. Multiple pools, saunas, steam rooms, and a full thermal circuit.
🌐 zuiver.nl

Both are nude-required on most days — check their websites for swimsuit day schedules before you go.

💬 Is It Just Me?

Have you ever been to a nude spa? Did it feel liberating, terrifying, or somewhere in between? Or are you curious but haven't gone yet?

Submit anonymously → /is-it-just-me

The Details

📍 Fort Beemster → fortbeemster.nl
📍 Zuiver Amsterdam → zuiver.nl

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About the Author

Ali Imperiale is a sex education student with the Sexual Health Alliance, a writer, and a traveler. She has visited 40+ countries and writes about sex, intimacy, and culture from wherever she currently is. The Nookie Nook is her shame-free, algorithm-free intimacy library.