Adults at Play at Hedonism

"People come to give up their adult responsibilities for a few days and act like kids again," says Chris Santilli, a Chicago-based writer who penned a guidebook called "The Naked Truth about Hedonism II" and has made 32 trips there, spending the equivalent of nearly a year at the resort. "It's like a cult. Not a sicko cult, just a little perverse."

Certainly, walking into Hedonism is like entering some forbidden compound where the normal rules of society have been suspended: It's an enclave of luxury amid the surrounding poverty of Jamaica, a place where the cash economy doesn't apply (unlimited food and booze are included in the daily rate) and where the most fundamental law of public appearance -- wearing clothes -- has been repealed. Taken together, it's no wonder that many visitors to Hedonism report letting themselves go in ways they would consider appalling anywhere else.

It's not the heat -- it's the nudidity.

"They've abolished the usual boundaries," says a psychologist from Atlanta who goes by the name Lady Jane while at Hedonism with her husband, the Captain. She's thought a lot about why otherwise "straight" people find it so easy here to replace their inhibitions with nothing but lots of extra sunscreen. "They've created conditions that let you express parts of yourself that you normally keep hidden."

And how. The day before, Lady Jane and the Captain gave an S&M demo at the nude pool. And now the hotel's own entertainment staff is leading a set of poolside resort games you would never find on a Carnival cruise.

First, they solicit volunteers for a round of Find Your Mate, in which blindfolded women try to identify their partners by groping a lineup of naked men. That will be followed by some bellybutton beer tasting. And in the meantime, they remind the crowd about the fake orgasm contest to be held after lunch in the dining room. And these are just the official activities.

I look around for my long-deserted shorts, deciding to spend some time where clothing isn't optional.

Hedonism is divided into the Nude Side and the Prude Side, which features less-expensive rooms and its own pool, hot tub and beach. The two sides are joined by a common open-air dining room (clothing required) and a disco (with "clothing" required but loosely defined; topless dancing is common as the night progresses). Hedo also offers the usual set of resort amenities: boat dock, scuba diving, tennis courts, logo shop, etc. Both nude and prude guests are free to cross over whenever they like, and the two sides mingle at meals and various resort-wide gatherings, most notably at weekly toga and pajama parties (where the nudes delight in shocking the prudes with togas that cover nothing but their shoulders).

Surprisingly, it is the prude side that is known as a singles hot spot, with twenty- and thirty-something men earnestly pursuing the available single females. Nude-side guests, on the other hand, tend to be about 20 years older (average age: 48), are more likely to be traveling with a spouse or partner, and are typically less fit than the harder-bodied youngsters on the prude side.

"I find it interesting that the people with the best bodies are over on that side," says Valerie, an exception to the general rule that younger people stay dressed.

By late afternoon, activity around the nude pool and beach has built. A dive boat from the nearby Sandals resort slows to a near idle as it passes Hedonism (the nude beach is itself a local tourist attraction). For the most part, it's still largely a scene of naked folks clustered in small groups, wading about the pool, noshing on jerked chicken from the grill. But Steve from Washington state reports that an hour earlier, one couple was frolicking on a raft just offshore as people on the beach cheered them on. And then he nods toward to a couple locked in a close clench in the whirlpool; only their heads and shoulders are visible above the churning water. "They've been going at it for about 20 minutes now," he says proudly, shading his eyes from the westerly sun. "I'd say it's turning out to be a moderately active day."

Well. Ha ha. Ahem. Now I understand why everyone is wearing sunglasses. I decide this would not be the time to request an interview. Instead, I take a keen interest in the clouds drifting overhead.