NEWSLETTER

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If you told me three years ago that I would have the most fun job in the world, that I would have a job where I could not wait to get to work and where I would hate to leave work, I would have laughed in your face. Yet, that is my life today as manager of the Terra Cotta Inn. Being 8 years old and growing up in the desert, I would not wear many clothes because it was always warm. When I was in high school I went skinny-dipping with friends at a local lake, and enjoyed it immensely. But I was not involved in nudism until I found out that my aunt worked at a clothing-optional resort in Palm Springs, California, called the Terra Cotta Inn. I applied for a job there, and the rest is history. Photographer: Danielle Levitt Stylist: Eric Kosse Makeup: Kristi Matamoris Hair: Jennifer Cunningham Printing: Pochron Studios Shot on location at The Terra Cotta Inn and The Morningside Inn, Palm Springs, CA Above: Necklace and bracelet by Hutton Wilkinson for Home Shopping Network. Hutton Wilkinson is available at HSN.com

This is me. I'm Candy Meija and I manage the Terra Cotta Inn. I lead a very interesting life. Yet the hardest thing is convincing some people how much fun they are missing out on by not trying a nude vacation. Some people are too concerned about their body image. For example, are they too tall, too short, too heavy, or too thin? Read on... Blue shoes by Le Coq Sportif

The downturn in the economy has affected nude recreation only to a slight degree. Some people are still afraid of flying after 9/11. Unfortunately, they won't be able to vacation at a beautiful clothing-optional resort like mine until they resume flying again! Stealth Bomber necklace by Mended Veil; tote bag by Jeremy Scott Jeremy Scott is available at Peoples Revolution NYC: 310-497-4999 / Mended Veil: Julie Ohara at The News Inc. 212-925-9700 x114

The Terra Cotta Inn started on December 19, 1994. In its short lifetime, it has gone from being a start-up business to probably the most popular resort in all of Palm Springs. Because I concentrate so much on hospitality and pampering guests, we have one of the highest repeat-guest rates in the travel industry. My guests fly from around the world to come and see me! They tell me that once they arrive at the Terra Cotta Inn, they don't feel like they are staying at a small resort. They feel like I am one of their relatives and that they are staying at my house! Necklace by Nneuhs Nneuhs is available at Opening Ceremony, NYC, 212-219-2688

I really enjoy nudism and I believe everyone should try it. It develops your self-confidence and it carries out in your everyday life. The body is a beautiful thing. Michelangelo correctly understood the beauty of the naked body, and I believe everyone else should also. If I can go nude, then so can you! Brown bag by Nneuhs; watch by Casio; glasses by Uvex

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