Clothes are great, but sometimes you want to enjoy the outdoors in your birthday suit. Peep our favorite spots to let it all hang out.
Look, clothes can occasionally come in handy, but every once in a while we just want to log some hours in our respective birthday suits. (Is that totally weird? Yeah? Kind of? Ok.) Anyway... there are a few spots in the Bay perfect for shimmying out of your skivvies without getting slapped with an indecent exposure charge.
Last updated September 19, 2025
BEACHES
(1504 Pershing Dr // San Francisco)
The north end of Baker Beach is clothing optional, so the further north you go along the shore the more likely you'll run into some nude dudes (and dudettes). There's usually a wide variety of happenings going on in the area from naked frisbee to drum circles, so strip down and get a little crazy.
(3325 Shoreline Hwy // Stinson Beach)
Rugged and picturesque, this beach is a great place to get away from it all... including those pesky clothes. Trail access is steep, so be sure to bring quality shoes! That said, there are hot springs to be found during the lowest tides, and wet sand during the highest, so check the tide charts before you go.
Photo by Romain Guy
(Hwy 1 & Hwy 84 // San Gregorio)
Just north of San Gregorio State Beach is the nudist haven, San Gregorio Private Beach, deemed the oldest clothing-optional beach in the country. All are welcome, but the silent rule is that the north end is gay territory and the south end is for the straights. Whichever way you swing, enjoy.
(Lincoln Blvd & Langdon Ct // San Francisco)
With the reputation of being primarily a gay nude beach, this spot has some stellar views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Thanks to the steep cliffs that make for some serious seclusion, this is definitely one of the most popular and well-known clothing-optional beaches around.
Photo via California Beaches
(Conzelman Rd // Sausalito)
One of the more unique beaches of the bunch, Black Sands beach is a beautiful expanse of coastline made up of, you guessed it, black sand. Enjoy yourself some gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge as you rid yourself of tan lines with the locals.
SPAS
Photo via Kabuki Springs & Spa
(1750 Geary Blvd // Japantown)
This Japantown institution is an oasis in the middle of San Francisco, offering plenty of opportunities to cool off and relax. Get naked (under a towel!) for a massage treatment or bare it all in the communal baths, which include a refreshing cold pool.
Photo via Pearl Spa and Sauna
(1656 Post St // Japantown)
Strip down and have a soak at Pearl Spa and Sauna’s wonderfully chilly cold tub, or visit this Korean-style women’s spa for its blissful range of treatments, including a luxurious full-body gold scrub, a deep tissue massage, a seaweed body wrap, and much more.
Photo via Archimedes Banya
(748 Innes Ave // Bayview)
This Russian bathhouse on the shores of the SF Bay is the ideal spot to strip down and unwind. They offer communal baths, hammam-style baths, massages, detoxing Platza services with birch, oak, and eucalyptus leaves, and more to keep your birthday suit clean and relaxed.
Photo via Piedmont Springs
(3939 Piedmont Ave // Oakland)
Beloved local business Piedmont Springs offers 4 outdoor hot tubs, each with a cold hose, for just $30 an hour per person. If you want more bang for your buck, we’d recommend reserving one of their combo rooms, which includes a two-person hot tub, a sauna, and a dressing room, in case you’d rather have some more privacy while you’re gettin’ naked.
Photo via International Orange
(2421 Larkspur Landing // Larkspur)
This clean, minimalist spa in the Marin Country Mart is the perfect place to wind down, with massage therapy, skincare treatments, indoor and outdoor lounge areas, and much more. It’s a great place to experience rejuvenating wellness treatments while lounging around in nothing but a robe.
EVENTS, FESTIVALS + MORE
Ah yes, Folsom Street Fair's dirty little brother. Upon entrance there is a coat and clothes check if you opt for frolicking around the fetish festival in the nude, and leather daddies rule the roost. The festival goes down in July, so keep an eye on the 2026 date and bare it all for a kinky good time!
Photo via Folsom Street Fair
The world's largest leather festival — 'nuff said. Fly your freak flag when it returns for 2025 on September 28, plus stay tuned for announcements on more upcoming events this year. What's not wrapped up in leather will likely not be wrapped up at all, so check your bashfulness and judgment at the door.
We probably don't have to tell you this, but June is Pride month and San Francisco hosts one of THE largest Pride festivals in the country. We might be biased but it's one of the best times to let it all hang out, literally and figuratively. It's an unwritten rule that if you mind your business, you should be fine to wander in your birthday suit, so stay respectful and stay naked! Keep up to date on other SF events and all things Pride.
They don't call it "Bare to Breakers" for nothing. Every year, like clockwork, a contingent of naked-minded folks run this annual race au naturel, taking the concept of going streaking to a whole new 7.46-mile level. The annual race happens every May. Grab your running shoes, shed those layers, and run wild in the streets.
Written by Alex Killian and Grace Orriss
