A man who swapped his life as a Sydney businessman to run a nudist resort in Port Stephens has given an insight into what it's like to live a 'naturist' lifestyle.

Walking around naked is something most people do after showering, but for Port Stephens' Stuart Whelan, he likes to go nude all day.

He's a naturist - someone who prefers to live without clothes.

It's a lifestyle he's come to enjoy so much that a few years ago he traded his job as a small businessman in Sydney for a fresh start in the Hunter region, running a nudist bed and breakfast.

Liberating himself

Stuart Whelan's discovery of the nudist lifestyle came out of the blue.

A few years ago he was searching for walking tracks around Middle Head in Sydney, and discovered two 'clothing optional' beaches.

He was immediately intrigued, and decided he'd try this "strange new world" for himself.

"It was liberating. It was transformational. It was amazing," he said.

"I realised that coming from the corporate world, there's so much stress that builds up; what I found was when I took my gear off, it peeled away that stress."

Stuart told his wife what he'd experienced, and she too was keen to give it a go.

A few holidays at a naturist resort followed - Stuart calls it a 'nacation' (a naked vacation). The couple believed that two days at the resort felt like a week's holiday in the 'textile' world.

"I think it's a really positive lifestyle that tackles most of our modern ills," Stuart said.

"All of a sudden, I had a changed mindset. Why do we walk around in clothes? It didn't make any sense to me after my experience.

"It does feel a bit 'icky' when you're so used to wearing clothes, but after a little bit of exposure to the elements, you realise that it feels good; it is non-sexual, but highly sensual. I say 'sensual' meaning that your whole body is one big sensor. It just changes your perspective on things."

A new life

When a nudist resort in Port Stephens came up for sale, Stuart and his wife decided that enough was enough.

They bought it, packed up in Sydney, made the trip up the M1, and started their new full-time lives as naturists.

"I have to take my watch strap off for you to see my tan line," Stuart said with a laugh.

Running the resort and adapting to life in perpetual nudity was a steep learning curve for Stuart.

"It takes a certain level of body acceptance to take that step," he said.

"Once you realise that we're all the same, you become comfortable.

"You take your clothes off not for other people, but for yourself. That's why it works so well."

In addition to running the B&B, Stuart also edits the naturist publication TAN Magazine.

He said there are magazines for all interests, so why shouldn't there be one for naturists?

"The subjects are wide and varied, [but focus on] people's experiences predominantly - whether they're out in the Australian bush, or their experience at a new resort that's opened up," Stuart said.

Misconceptions about arousal

Living in an environment with other naked people has led many people to wonder if naturists struggle to control their inherent level of sexual arousal.

But Stuart said despite the lifestyle being 'visually stimulating', environmental influences are a major factor in helping naturists remain in control.

"What happens is, if a beautiful young woman came in here with a very low-cut dress, I would not be sexually stimulated because of the environment in which we're in - this is a business-type environment," Stuart said.

"However, if you're in a sexually-charged atmosphere, like a candlelight dinner and she's sitting opposite, then of course, you're going to be aroused.

"Take that into the naturist setting - there's no titillation, there's no mystique. The moment somebody walks in, you've seen everything they've got. Secondly, it's not a sexual atmosphere.

"[Controlling arousal] was a problem I thought I might have, and a lot of people think that; but the reality is you don't, because it's a totally different setting in which you're meeting these people."

Stuart said being comfortable with your body is the key to shedding your clothes in a nudist setting.

As a result, he believes many naturist couples appreciate each other at a deeper emotional level, because the mystique of their bodies is removed.

"Sex isn't about body; it's a relationship. The fact that I see my wife nude every day doesn't take away the intimacy or my desire for her, far from it," he said.

"I think generally speaking, naturists tend to have a better sex life because of better communication. [We've got feedback that] women feel like men engage more because they're looking at them, rather than trying to get a glimpse down their top.

"If there was more natural nudity [in society], there'd be no eroticism when it came to seeing the naked body. It's just another body."

Stuart Whelan spoke to 1233 ABC Newcastle Mornings presenter, Jill Emberson.