Why are we obsessed with dining in the nude?

The nude food experience is taking over, from London to Japan and down under - what's the fascination and, er, how's the hygiene work?

naked eating restaurants

Why are we so obsessed with eating in the nude? Source: Getty Images

Last week there was a naked dining experience in Melbourne, London’s only naked restaurant which opened this week has had amazingly encouraging reviews and now Japan has announced it will be opening its first naked restaurant in Tokyo in July.

Yep, nude is the new black when it comes to dining out. Sure it sounds liberating, but practicality-wise there’s a lot of questions that need answering. Why the heck are we so obsessed with eating sans clothes? And how does it all work?

What about hygiene?

Nothing is covered – your whole body is exposed – so what does that mean about the hygiene? In London and Melbourne there is an option to keep your supplied robe on and in Japan diners will be required to wear paper underpants for hygienic reasons. Cutlery is edible too.

And if the dining is really naked? We'd hope there were some strict cleaning protocols in place between sittings!

Does your bottom stick to the seat?

Melbourne’s one-night nudie foodie event had no complaints about patrons being uncomfortable. So far the reviews from London’s "soft" opening have made no comment about bottoms sticking to seats either. So far all reviews have been positive.

What if you spill something boiling on yourself?

Melbourne had this one covered. In an interview with Sunrise, restaurant owner Daniel Lemura said they didn’t serve anything like hot soup in order to avoid that problem. In London it is all “naked” food, which means raw meals only, so nothing on the menu is at risk of burning on your naked skin.

What are you going to put on Instagram?

Even if you're happy to post a snap of you and your naked buddies dining, you probably won’t have an option. Naked restaurants usually are non-tech, so no phones and no photo-taking technology allowed, which means no Instagram, snapchats or social media sharing of any kind.

Keen to experience the freedom of dining yourself? Check out London’s Bunyadi restaurant or Japan’s Amrita restaurant, or maybe The Noble Experiment will host another nude night in Melbourne soon.

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By Sarah Norton

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