The Terra Cotta Inn
Palm Springs, California
www.sunnyfun.com

Looking for a way to leave your cares—and your clothes—behind? The Terra Cotta Inn in Palm Springs, California is well-known as a luxurious clothing optional hideaway. We recently interviewed Tom Mulhall, owner of The Terra Cotta Inn and also President of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce for information on this unique and lovely resort.

*How would you describe The Terra Cotta Inn?

For "au naturel" fun in the sun, there is no better place than The Terra CottaInn, in Palm Springs, CA. Luxurious and affordable! We are a beautiful 17 room clothing optional resort and spa. Originally built as a celebrity hideaway, we now cater to vacationers from around the world. Most guests come from all over the US, Canada, England, and Australia to relax and be pampered.

In the seven years we have been open, we have gone from a start up business to being the most popular small resort in Palm Springs with just over a 75% repeat guest rate. CBS Marketwatch has reported that we are the most mainstream of all clothing optional resorts in the US because we cater to couples trying nude sunbathing together for the first time.

We are the perfect alternative to expensive sunny vacation destinations such as the Caribbean, Hawaii, Tahiti, etc. Visit once and you will understand why Newsweek magazine featured us as one of the best small businesses in an article titled "Size Matters: Small is Good."

*Describe your most romantic room.

The Terra Cotta Inn has one room that is almost 600 square feet. It has a 450-square-foot, 100% private back yard with its own Jacuzzi spa in the back yard. The bathroom is oversized with a sunken tub, a glass walled shower that looks out to the backyard. The bathroom overlooks a garden of beautiful flowers. This room rivals some of the most beautiful rooms you see in the Caribbean. This is our most popular room being booked months in advance and year round this room has about a 96% occupancy rate.

*Pretend you are a couple visiting your property for the first time. What would you plan for your special weekend?

As the most popular clothing optional resort in the US that caters to vacationers, typically guests will be booking their one week vacations here or taking long four- or five-day weekend getaways (although guests can sometimes book for one or two days Sunday through Thursdays). Palm Springs is a fantastic vacation destination. It sits next to the San Jacinto mountains which are the steepest mountains in the US and are simply breath taking. Guests should plan on bring lots of sunscreen because once you enter our resort, you never have to wear your clothes for the rest of your vacation. Palm Springs is the sunniest vacation destination in the U.S. averaging just less than three inches of rain per year. Thus, you should expect some of the sunniest weather ever on your vaction.

The Terra Cotta Inn is very unique. Because of our high repeat guest rate, couples here feel like they are staying at the nice relatives house instead of at a commerical hotel. Guests are very social and talk with each other. Since couples from around the world stay here, many guests become friends and come back at the same week, year after year. We have a saying that "Only nice people are allowed to stay here. Grouchy people are never allowed to book."

The typical day is you wake up, eat a great breakfast, go poolside. Relax! Read books or magazines, talk with other guests, maybe get spa treatments such as massages, manicures, pedicures, wraps, etc. Relax! You then eat lunch. Do more relaxing poolside. Take a nap, have snacks delivered to you poolside in the afternoon, Relax! Then choose from 15 different restaurants that deliver to the inn or go out on the town and eat at some of the great restaurants. Since Tom and Mary Clare, the owners were restaurant critics in Chicago for 10 years, you never have to worry about where to eat.

*What are some of the most unique aspects of your property?

We are a vacation resort, so we stay busy everyday of the week. We were built by the famous architect, Albert Frey who created the Desert modernism style of architecture in the late 50's. This style is very popular now. This style was copied all over the US in the 50s and 60's. The Terra Cotta Inn was the place for celebrities to stay in Palm Springs in the 60's, so it is really cool that guests get to stay where the rich and famous use to play.

*Can you describe your clothing optional policy?

Once you enter our resort, you do not have to wear clothing at all while you are here. Now we have many couples who are nude sunbathing for the first time. They then become our repeat guests. We do not have a strict policy for nude sunbathing. Since we are always averaging about a 75% repeat guest rate, the new people here quickly feel comfortable nude sunbathing.

Many times when guests walk from their rooms, women will wear a beach wrap. And some new first time guests will go just topless sunbathing on their first day. But because everyone feels so safe and comfortable here, they all end up nude sunbathing during their vacation.

Finally, we operate on common sense. In the winter, when it is cooler in the morning or evening, guests will wear bathrobes or sweatsuits to stay warm. So basically, your state of dress or undress is up to you. Guests just need to know that people come here to nude sunbathe, not stay dressed.

*What's a typical breakfast at The Terra Cotta Inn?

We serve what we call an expanded healthy and delicious breakfast buffet. We serve 8 different cut fresh fruits, bagels and cream cheese, croissants, english muffins, pastries, Starbucks coffee, juice, yogurt, and granola.

*What's the best time of year to visit your property?

Any day of the week. Year round, we average just over a 90% occupancy rate. The only month where we are somewhat slow is the month of December were we average a 65% occupancy. Palm Springs has the best weather in the US. In the summer although it is warm, due to our low humidity, guests are comfortable poolside. In the winter, we are one of the warmest winter destinations in the US. The advantage we have is being a desert, you are almost always guaranteed blue skies while you are in Palm Springs.

*Do you host weddings at your property?

We have hosted "au naturel" weddings. We had a British publication actually film the wedding. What is fun is the groom normally wears a bowtie and the bride just a veil. We find that the wedding party doesn't have to worry about clothes fitting properly.

For more information, call 800-SUNNY-FUN (1-800-786-6938) or 760-322-6059 or see www.sunnyfun.com .

Photos courtesy The Terra Cotta Inn