Hey everyone! It’s been a little while since my last post where I landed in Vienna and checked into Wombat’s Hostels. This is a fantastic hostel, one of the best I’ve stayed at! I also met some fellow travellers and I gave some small warnings about market traders which I would pay attention to if you’re planning on going!

In this post, it is a bit personal but I thought I’d share this with you and open up as it was certainly difficult for me to get information before I left for holiday. I went to an FKK resort for the first time which I have no regrets over! Please read on to find out about FKK culture, what it is and more importantly what it isn’t. Read about the reasons I went and what I thought about it afterwards.

If you enjoy reading this do go ahead and share! I was hesitant on writing the last sentence as I normally do for all my posts but I reflected and thought well why not? I’m not embarassed and it was a fantastic experience. And as always please let me know what you think 🙂

Strandbad Gänsehäufel – FKK

Now following the visit to the Palace and the surrounding area, I had to come to a decision as to whether to continue on my itinerary list which included visiting a few other Palaces like Hofburg and Albertina or visit Strandbad Gänsehäufel which I had come across in my research before the trip. 

This is an island in between the Danube River in Vienna. The river is quite large and much wider in some areas than the river Thames, so there is a kind of beach resort (man made obviously) within the island complex. I got very interested in visiting this island because there is a rather large FKK (German: Freikörperkultur) area which is a social and health culture that originated in Germany which attempts to uplift the power of self liberation and mental/spiritual/physical wellbeing. It is a communal area where nudity is mandatory and respect for others and self respect is promoted and required.

I was interested in going here for a few reasons. By the way, just to iterate the message, none of this is about sex or any sexual connections. It really is nothing sexual and anyone who interprets it as such should get more educated about this. 

It is a cultural movement much like any other culture, and deserves respect and tolerance/acceptance. As it was my first time in Vienna and the FKK area within the island would also be a first time visit for me, and it was there (lol!), I thought why not. I’m all for new experiences and trying new stuff even if a little daring. 

Curiosity was involved slightly but the part of the island isn’t a place you’d find commonly in Europe especially in Britain so it just seemed like a bit of shame not to at least visit this unique place whilst there and see if I was comfortable going to the FKK area.

I have been aware of what FKK is for a while. I’ve never spent a lot of time on a nude beach. I’ve never gone to one in the UK (not sure if they have any), and to be honest I don’t think I ever will. Nude beaches are not FKK. There is a difference. 

With FKK areas as this is a cultural movement it would typically involve all amenities as you would find in a normal beach such  as showers, toilets, changing areas, cafes and bars. FKK areas are also not little secluded areas as would commonly exist at Nude beaches. So they are not the same thing, with the same atmosphere and same vibe. 

I have been to one nude beach in Barcelona for a very short period of time as it was quite uncomfortable and I really didn’t enjoy it. The trouble you may face with nude beaches is that they are normally open to clothed people with swim suits as well so you occasionally find young guys just looking around to see who’s there which is uncomfortable. 

FKK areas however are strictly for naturism where it’s compulsory to be clothes free. And it’s not just a nude area, it is really a well being place with many facilities which promotes well being and body confidence. I value this a lot more and it’s a lot more comfortable and free mentally.

I read Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger a few years ago and there was a part in his memoir where when he was initially going out with Maria Shriver and a few months after they started going out, Arnold introduced her to FKK. 

It is, I think, a normal cultural thing for Germans and Austrians and there’s no taboo around it. I don’t think Arnold and Maria went to a public open one in Vienna given both of their statuses at the time but it was more of a private area with a few friends.It has been something I’ve known about and been curious to try. I loved the thought of being at one with nature and being able to swim in the river.

There were other reasons related to feelings of confidence, body image positiveness and more acceptance of myself and how I look. I have for large periods of my life experienced tough situations regarding the confidence that I have with my own body image which I think a lot of men and women experience especially in their teens or growing up in school. 

I have experienced bouts of bullying throughout high school and growing up, and one of the most typical avenues of male bullying is with body shaming. It’s making a child or teenager feel insufficient within their gender or making them feel that in whatever way they don’t meet perceived attributes or characteristics of their gender. 

For males, this may be related to muscles or even height but typically one avenue that comprises a lot of male child bullying in my experience has been the abuse through genitalia connotations. Stuff like taking the mick out of a boy by saying you have a small penis etc. Now over a prolonged consistent period of this bullying, it can and in most cases does imprint upon you the feeling of low self esteem and confidence in your own body image and how you look. And this may not even be directly related to genitalia but just generally how you perceive the way you look. 

Whether it’s your face, the size of your muscles and if you have a six pack. This affects other areas of life, such as with sports or even confidence in speaking to the opposite sex because you think that you’re just not good enough, “who would want to be associated with me?”. In adulthood in some cases if these experiences are not expressed and understood, it can have a really detrimental impact on mental health relating to your self confidence and your general happiness if this remains unaddressed.

My own personal experience and thoughts around myself and how I look has up until my late 20’s been a very difficult thing to manage. In my teens, having gone through periods of bullying I often struggled with my own body image and acceptance of that. 

This resulted in periods of not eating, exercising way too much as well as more generally in how I would behave or interact with people. Throughout school I was always mortified by the thought of using the changing rooms for PE or swimming. I would often forge notes from my parents to get me out of these classes. 

However as I’ve grown older and started travelling a lot more, getting comfortable in your own skin and having the respect of everyone around you is something which has changed for me mentally that is proving to be really helpful. 

I think it’s more the acceptance of who you are, and if for whatever reason it doesn’t meet the expectations/approval of others, whether by attractiveness or just general acceptance, so what it’s fine. Just move on, life goes on. If someone else doesn’t like you for whatever reason, that’s ultimately really their issue and something for them to deal with, provided of course you haven’t done anything wrong towards them.

Being in this FKK area was self liberating. It was the final passage in some ways of me really being comfortable in my own skin and in this specific location having body confidence in all my faculties. 

It may be a little difficult to explain to someone but I just felt free, and that everything and all these comments when I was younger, for a long time, they meant less and less, and now it was all just nothing, it no longer bothers me. It was just a period I went through but has no impact on me now as an individual.

The island itself is really big. There’s a normal area which is more for kids and families. There are two pools and given it was the weekend, it was completely packed by children. On paying the entry fee and going through the barriers, you can see multiple buildings to the right going outwards. These are mostly lockers, showers and toilets. 

The riverside or the beach area is where there are free sun loungers and I saw many people relaxing there. Beyond this the island is a bit of a very large park with different sections for lounges and actual living accommodation. There are also shops scattered around here and there. 

The FKK is on the far side of the island which doesn’t actually take long to reach. Once I had changed into my swimming trunks I started looking for the FKK area but first I needed to grab a sugary drink. I went to the closest shop and the guy informed me that the minimum spend for the card was 20 euros. 

This was fine, I wasn’t too bothered but I asked if there were any towels for sale that I could buy as well as the drink to go past the minimum spend on card. I didn’t bring a beach towel which I guess would have been nice. The towel I purchased wasn’t a beach towel as such but it was just an ordinary medium towel. It was quite expensive once I thought about it in order to get to the minimum spend.

I asked the man which way the FKK area was, and it wasn’t awkward or weird to ask. He answered very courteously and pointed straight ahead so I guessed you just had to keep walking straight out of the shop. 

The FKK area is fully fenced away from view from the main island. On entry it’s kind of like a zig zag as you enter, and just before you enter, you can see signs which show no swim wear and no photography. It was at this point where I took off my swimming trunk so was completely nude on entering the FKK area. 

The area was a lot less crowded and busy than the main island. On entering, the first area has these kinds of planks or wooden pallets on the grass where I guess people just get a tan. I saw a few people there at first. I decided to walk more inwards closer to the river. I sat down initially using my towel to cover the grass under the trees. I was facing out towards the river and there were a few other people around me. The river was beautiful and with the sun, it was absolutely lovely. 

I sat there thinking for a bit just taking everything all in and having a bit of my drink. There were all types of people. Most people were much older, so I’m assuming here, past 60. There were a few people my age but not a lot and I think most women kind of just get tanned. 

Someone asked me after I came back if I saw any Asians, and to be honest, no I didn’t. I was the only Asian there the time that I was there, I never saw any Asian people in the FKK area or the main part of the island to be fair. 

Danube River

I decided after a short time to go into the river which is swimmable as the water is so clean. The river on entering is very shallow. You have to walk about 60 metres before the water for me reaches my neck line. As it was a hot day it was so cool and refreshing. It was so lovely. I had my phone stored away in my rucksack and when I was on the bridge I remember snapping to say that I’m not going to be snapping a lot today as I’m going to an FKK area on a beach. 

But the only snap I did take was me standing with my legs in the river. I was completely naked so I used a privacy filter to hide my private parts (Not posting this before you ask! :)). But in the picture all you could see was my legs and feet in the water. Why did I do this? I think the exhilaration and enjoyment of everything, but also to show in some way that I was happy and comfortable in doing this. I think there may have been a bit of a rebellion too with that snap as it’s definitely not acceptable within my culture or I don’t think that it is anyway. (I won’t be posting that image here btw!)

After coming out of the river a short while later, I decided to walk around leaving my rucksack and towel behind. I was completely fine with this, as it felt totally safe. I decided to take a walk around the FKK area to see what else was available. 

There was a small part in the corner where there was a volleyball net and some table tennis tables. The volleyball section was full of sand on the floor which was so nice to walk around in. 

More inland there is one cafe where they sell hot beverages, food and even beer with chairs and tables to sit down on. Now FKK etiquette is to use a towel before you sit down anywhere so I went back to get my towel and rucksack. 

I queued up in the shop. At first there were a few people at the shop who were clothed so I wondered if I needed to put something on but a security guard clarified no when I asked him. I was queuing behind a few people. We were all nude, men and women and it felt so normal and really comfortable. 

I would’ve done my impression of the first scene in Terminator 2 when the Terminator walks into the bar and says “I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle”. The only problem would’ve been that no one was wearing any clothes!

When I was the next customer, there was an older woman who used a kind of a trolley to support her mobility. She had ordered a drink but with using her trolley and getting back to her table, carrying the drink I imagine was quite difficult for her. 

Although I couldn’t understand what she was saying, I think she asked if I could help bring her drink to her table which was just round the corner from the counter. I was more than happy to help and took her drink to her table and she seemed to be really grateful. Everyone in the place was very friendly and very kind, it was a completely safe atmosphere.

I ordered a coffee as I was feeling quite tired by this point. I sat at a table watching the F1 on the TV and again just having a think and taking in where I was. I did a lot of thinking whilst I was there and I did get a few messages from some people I know back in England replying to my snap. 

I say people I know because for a long time, I don’t really consider them as friends.

Toxic vs Healthy Thoughts

The messages were quite toxic and I guess I kind of expected some of these messages from a few select people. One was from a guy I actually knew from my university life who replied to my snap “Can you bang anyone?”. Another guy who I was more close with back in the day when I suppose I was a more practising Muslim replied with “Astaghfirullah” which is an Arabic word for “I seek forgiveness in God” but is used generally by Muslims who are not Arabic speakers when they see or witness something bad, immoral or wrong.

I didn’t reply to any of these messages on Snap because well what was the point? I’m not going to give these people the time of the day. One is very misogynist and the other is completely closed off to other ways of living or to other perceptions of reality. There would be no point in replying to anything if you can’t change their attitudes and I wasn’t going to let this sort of stain the good time I was having.

If I compare this to my work colleagues, however, who I messaged on our WhatsApp group to say where I was, it is complete night and day. There were some initial shock/surprise/humour but generally I found them to be very open and supportive. 

I think in my life now, I resonate less and less with the community and culture I grew up with. I don’t mean to offend anyone in anything I say but it’s not really a culture or community I any longer wish to participate or be associated with, but obviously I understand people may have a certain bias when they see me. 

Just to answer a few questions I thought about if I was doing some sort of podcast with myself and to give people a few more why’s I guess I’m going to write a sort of Q&A in the below sections:

Podcast with…Me

Were you scared or embarrassed?

No, not at all. I wasn’t scared at any point, it was something that I wanted to try and had already prepared for prior to going on holiday. I got myself groomed by getting a wax which again was a new experience for me. 

Would definitely recommend this to other guys, it’s really not that big a deal and definitely results are much better. I’m sure a lot of guys already do, we just don’t talk about it. Embarrassed? About what? I wasn’t naked and wearing “Ichiban: Lipstick for Men”. 

I’m not embarrassed of myself anymore, so no not for a second. 

One other thing I would say is that any related primary emotions like being scared, nervous or anxious, are temporary. For me literally they last for like 5 seconds, and I just get on with things and I don’t look back. These feelings are incredibly short term and temporary and the FKK area I was in was set up so well to make everyone welcome, so I don’t know how you can be scared in that place.

Would you recommend it?

So on this, I’m not going to really recommend to anyone either way if they should go. It is a really personal and sensitive activity and place to go. So it is really down to an individual to decide for themselves what they feel comfortable with. 

As long as you know what it is about, and what it’s not about, you should make your own choice. I personally really loved it, it was my favourite part of the holiday that I actually went twice. I would definitely go again but I’m not going to recommend or not recommend it to other people, it’s really a personal choice.

You went by yourself but would you go with someone you know? How would you feel about your friend seeing you naked?

So firstly a friend of mine has seen me naked, it’s really not a big deal. We’re still friends and it’s never been awkward. Secondly, with the last question when I mentioned it’s a very personal choice, there are two things that I would consider before agreeing to go with a friend. 

One, who actually asked to go. There’s some friends that I have where I would just decline straight away, given I know how they are and their mindset. I may be wrong of course but I just feel some people will have either a toxic or unhealthy mindset that is not quite appropriate in these places. 

The second point, with the friends that I would potentially say yes to, my question to them would be why they would like to go. If it’s out of curiosity and trying/experiencing something new, provided they know what to expect and are comfortable with this, then yes I would be happy to go with them if they feel nervous about going. If however the person would just like to “see it”, then no I would say no because that’s not really appropriate. 

Would you tell others you went or would you be embarrassed about telling people?

I have told people I’ve gone to an FKK area. It’s nothing I feel ashamed or embarrassed about and no I wouldn’t keep this experience hidden from others. Generally I’ve told people on holiday who’ve asked me what I’ve visited. 

When I told Katie back at the hostel and explained what FKK was she was really surprised and really smiling. I think it’s just because it’s not really ordinary and it’s always interesting to talk to people who have these unusual experiences. People have been very polite and very accepting/understanding and also interested. So no, I don’t feel embarrassed about it at all. 

Also since I’ve come back from holiday, a colleague of mine that I work with has told me and another colleague that she herself has gone to a nude beach herself, when the topic was brought up in conversation at lunch. We talked about that and she herself was very open about the FKK club. So I think it’s a lot more common than people think it is and it is a type of experience or place just like any other where everyone is doing the same thing.

Do you have any regrets?

I wouldn’t say regrets but things I would’ve done differently or taken more notice of. The main island was far larger and I didn’t spend a lot of time here which I think I really should have. It is much larger with a massive food court with a variety of options. There are also walking paths, swimming pools and significant green spaces. 

The swimming area was incredibly busy, mostly full of kids so I didn’t really see how or why adults could really swim. There were adults but I think they were parents of some kids. It was a lovely pool and in any other scenario I would have liked to have gone in. 

I didn’t see much of the riverside but this did look much busier than the FKK area so it would’ve been nice to check this out on reflection. A final thing I would’ve changed if I had the choice was to go with friends or others as it is a very social place so being alone is fine but the experience with others I can imagine might be better like it was in Croatia,

Evening at the bar

That evening when I got back to the hostel it actually became a lovely night at the bar with the Czech guy, Katie and Gia/Ria (so sorry if you’re reading this!). We actually all played straight pool/billiards as doubles. 

I offered to buy Katie a drink which she seemed to be happy with. She wanted an Aperol Sprint which I think is a type of cider. When I asked Gia, I’m not sure what it was – maybe I got her name wrong but the look on her face, she just sort of froze. She did decline which is absolutely fine but the look on her face did make me worry if I said something wrong. 

You hear stories about drinks getting spiked, and there were visible signs around the bar. I did think maybe it was this which would have been a reasonable concern for anyone, given we were staying in the same room and she didn’t really know me. I think in future if you do offer a woman a drink, make sure you’re both at the bar so that whoever you’re buying a drink for can collect their drink themself when it’s been poured. This would be safer for everyone to be fair.

Katie had never played pool before so she didn’t know how to use the cue and shoot the ball. This was quite funny and she was being helped by the Czech guy in terms of learning how to aim and use the cue. 

Gia was experienced and did play quite well with me. There was another guy who I had actually met the day before back at the lounge after I came back from the market. His name is Nikolai which is Russian but he is American. He’s currently studying bio-medicine at a very elite university, similar to Harvard, Yale and Princeton. We talked quite a lot when I saw him at the bar before our pool game. 

Much like Ryse he was coming to the end of his permitted travelling time in Europe without a Visa but apparently if you exceed the time limit you get fined a few hundred dollars which I suppose if you really enjoy travelling, it’s worth paying. He talked about his university and that it is very elite and he doesn’t like it. 

There’s many people from famous families so it is very prestigious and not really reflective of what the common person would experience in their day to day life. I asked about his studies so far in genetics which I really have a keen interest in even now, a year after reading The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson. 

We talked quite a lot and I actually offered to get him a drink which he accepted. He was a nice guy to talk to and we exchanged numbers at the end of the night after the pool game. We did stay in touch for a few weeks after that point but we haven’t been in contact recently but I might drop him a message to see how everything is going. 

A friend of mine did ask me about “Cold approaches” and giving out your contact details. And I thought about this. I’m not gay or at least I don’t identify myself as being gay but even if a guy did ask for my number, which has happened a few times on holidays actually, not just with this trip, would I give my number. My reply to that is absolutely, 100%. Here’s why. 

I have been on the other end when I’ve spoken to a woman or girl when I was younger in my early 20’s and in my opinion the conversation seems to have gone well. We talked about many things like interests, what we were doing, or just generally a convo to get to know one another. But when it comes to asking to stay in contact, you get declined which by the way there’s nothing actually wrong with that. 

But I remember the feeling in those moments of absolute humiliation and degradation of self esteem and confidence. It happens to a lot of guys especially when you’re young. I clearly remember those times and those feelings. So when it comes to other people asking for my number, man or woman, without hesitation I give my genuine real number. 

And if it is the case that that person is looking for something a bit more than staying as friends, and you’re not interested just politely decline at the time when they message or call, without making things awkward. Just be kind about it. But I absolutely still remember how it feels like to be somewhat rejected and how destroying it can be and that I would never wish to cause that to anyone. So anyone who asks, absolutely I will share my details if they want to keep in touch.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and learnt something about FKK! It’s been a privelage to share this with you and please don’t look at me weird going forwards!

I would be really appreciative if you could help me to keep this site going. Whether its by making a donation or sharing with friends and family. It would be so appreciated, thank you so much!