want to get into a hot tub filled
with warm water,” Satoshi
Furukawa, Japanese surgeon
and astronaut, said in an inter-
view right after his return from the Inter-
national Space Station in 2011.
I can agree with him now. I moved to
Oregon from Japan about five years ago,
and one of the things I miss from Japan,
besides people I love and delicious food,
is hot springs. I love every moment of it —
the initial shock of the heat to the gradual
relaxation in the warm water — it can’t
be expressed in words, but so so good.
Most homes in Japan have a hot tub
by the shower, so you can take a hot bath
daily if you like. But the special ones are
when you go on a trip. Hotels usually have
public baths with large hot tubs for the
guests to rest up from the day of traveling
or start the morning with a nice hot bath.
Yes, it is public, and no, people do not
wear clothes. You go to a changing room
and take your clothes off.
I’ve never questioned this because
this is what I grew up with until coming
to the U.S., and my friends told me
about their experience at hot springs
as “unique,” or sometimes “weird.”
Is it weird to go into hot springs unclothed?
I’ve talked with Yuki Kameoka, the
managing director of the All Japan Ryokan
and Onsen Association. He says foreign
tourists tend to face two main barriers to
getting into public hot springs or baths.
First is “feeling shy or resistant” to being
unclothed with strangers because they have
“I
THE NAKED ISSUE
Hot Springs Through
a Cultural Lens
The way to relax fully
with your clothes fully
off, or not
BY SEIRA KITAGAWA
TERWILLIGER HOT SPRINGS.
Photo by Breanne Schnell, U.S. Forest Service
never experienced that before. However,
Kameoka says that once a foreigner expe-
riences hot springs, the resistance often
goes away. “You just gotta experience
it,” he says.
The second barrier is having tattoos.
Traditionally, tattoos are prohibited in hot
springs and even many swimming pools
in Japan. Kameoka says tattoos are tradi-
tionally not well-accepted by the public in
Japan. You are asked to hide the tattoos,
or you can not enter, which means, in hot
springs, you are most likely unable to get in.
Kameoka says, although older gener-
ations are still strongly against tattoos in
public places, there are some hot springs
where people can wear yuami, a towel-like
Where You
Can Bare
How to get away
with being
nude (legally)
BY CORIN ANTONIO AND EVE WESTON
Photo by Eve Weston
A
re you someone that walks around their home
naked? Ever wondered: Can I legally walk around
outside naked? If you haven’t, that’s OK, not
everyone ponders that question.
But here in Oregon, there’s surprisingly a lot of places
where you can do just that. From mountain passes to
even some beaches, there are spots where you can get
your nude on.
Before getting into where you can go, you have to look
at what being nude actually means.
Oregon Revised Statute 167.060 defines being nude as
the following body parts being uncovered or “less than
opaquely” covered: post-pubertal human genitals, pubic
areas, post-pubertal human female breast below a point
immediately above the top of the areola, covered human
genitals in a discernibly turgid state (or as the rest of us
call it, an erection).
support.eugeneweekly.com
cloth to wear in hot springs to cover the
body. He says the culture of hot springs
is getting more inclusive.
Recently, I visited the Terwilliger Hot
Springs near Cougar Reservoir. We got
there around 11 am on Saturday, parked
at a spot, and walked over to the U.S.
Forest Rangers stand to pay $12 for enter-
ing the hot springs. The ranger warned
us about the “clothing optional” policy,
and his warning weirdly made me a little
uncomfortable.
We walked on a trail for about 10 or 15
minutes until we heard people’s voices. I
nervously looked around, and felt glad that
everyone there at the time had a swimsuit
on. After the visit, a ranger informed me
Oregon law does not prohibit nudity if the exposed
genitals and body parts are not being used in a sexual
manner. However, municipalities can and have imple-
mented stricter laws banning the exposure of genitalia.
While state law does mention breasts as included in
nudity, Oregon has strict freedom of expression laws that
have historically protected the right of its citizens to be
topless in public. In Eugene and Springfield, public inde-
cency laws prohibiting the exposure of genitalia exclude
breasts from the prohibition.
That means if you really wanted to, you could walk
around downtown Eugene topless — as long as you’re not
doing it in a sexual or lewd manner — although this is
certainly not common, and you might get some looks or
complaints. This also means almost every beach in Lane
County is a topless beach, but very few are accepting of
nudity. In fact, there is no officially designated “nude
beach” in Lane County.
Lane Code § 6.200.100 prohibits the exposure of geni-
talia in public places. This ordinance may be enforced
county wide — although enforcement may be less common
in remote areas. In places where there are no local laws
prohibiting nudity, it is permissible to be in the nude as
long as it does not constitute a “public disturbance.” That
means if you’re on public land in a jurisdiction that does
not explicitly prohibit the exposure of genitalia you can
legally hike, camp or bathe in the nude. It’s always best in
practice to be mindful of your surroundings and respectful
of others who may not wish to see a nude person while
hiking with their family — so take precautions. Don’t
be fully nude on a busy hiking trail. That might cause a
disturbance, even if it’s technically legal.
“Oregon is the perfect place for me. We have some of
the nicest and most welcoming places to recreate nude,”
says Shirley Gauthier, who has been a nudist for 53 years.
“I have the pleasure of being here at this beautiful [nude
friendly] place,” she says, “being in the mountains and
that there tend to be people unclothed in
the evenings when it gets darker.
Three pools with hot water and one
lukewarm pool lined up in the middle
of the forest. The view was amazing —
the bright green trees and clear blue sky.
Although a sunny day in summer might
not have been the wisest choice for dipping
yourself in warm water.
Still, about 15 people were enjoying the
hot springs with family, friends, or some
came by themselves. I had conversations
with a couple of people there at the hot
springs, which felt natural and calm. I’ve
experienced these things in Japan as well.
“Without any clothes and the way
you were born, it’s an experience and a
relationship deepens,” Kameoka says. He
loves the hot springs culture in Japan. He
is also the director of Onsen Culture to be
a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Many countryside and towns in Japan
rely on tourism, and places with hot springs
are deeply impacted by the pandemic. He
says the number of onsen motels declined
over the years.
By being recognized by UNESCO, he
wants to bring hope to the people in tourist
spots with onsen. “I want them to know
that it is something they should be proud
of,” he says.
Terwilliger Hot Springs is open from sunrise
to sundown and closed Thursdays from 8 am
to noon for cleaning. Visit Willamette National
Forest.Terwilliger (Cougar) Hot Springs for more
information. Learn more about Japanese Onsen
culture at Japan Onsen (Hot Spring) Association.
the hot springs at dispersed spots through the Willamette
National Forest.”
So, why be nude? “Why wear clothes?” Gauthier answers.
She has been a member of the Willamettans nudist club
outside of Springfield since 1972. “When I first joined, I
was 5’ 7” and I weighed 128 pounds and I had no breasts
and I was super skinny and super self-conscious, and
this was one of the few places where I came and I was
totally comfortable.”
While there are no officially sanctioned public “clothing
optional” areas in Lane County, there are places that have
been designated as “clothing optional” by the community.
Glass Bar Island is accessible only by the Willamette
River. The Oregon State Parks and Recreation says while
the location is not sanctioned by the state as clothing
optional, it is known for its clothing optional space by
the community. The area is maintained for environmen-
tal purposes rather than public use. Travel and enjoy at
your own risk.
Terwilliger (Cougar) Hot Springs, located on the McKen-
zie River District in the Willamette National Forest offers
a 1/4 mile hike along the Rider Creek Trail to four soaking
pools with varying temperatures. The Forest Service says
temperatures range from 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the
lower pool to 112 degrees Fahrenheit in the upper pool.
The pools are 3 to 12 feet across and an average of 2 to 3
feet deep. The pool floors are mostly bedrock, but some
gravel, sand and debris remain at the bottom of the pool.
McCredie Hot Springs, located in the Willamette
National Forest eight miles east of Oakridge on Hwy 58
near mile post 46, offers man-made pools bordering Salt
Creek.
Nudie Rock on the McKenzie is located on McKenzie
View Drive near Armitage Park about one mile east from
Coburg Road.
Be sure to check local laws and regulations before venturing out in
the nude.
August 21, 2025
7