Two members of Tiger Mountain Family Nudist Park say lifestyle is ‘freeing’

There is a place in the Puget Sound area where affordable, community centered life is possible. Rent is $400 a month and everyone knows their neighbors, but there’s a catch: It’s a nudist community.

Two community members from the Tiger Mountain Family Nudist Park, Mandy Zelinka and Jeremy Ferguson, joined KIRO Radio’s Gee and Ursula Show on Tuesday to talk about their lifestyle.

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Zelinka is newer to the nudist community, but Ferguson has been a nudist for a while. The two moved from their home in West Seattle to Tiger Mountain in October 2019.

“I’ve been doing it for a few years now and just absolutely love the lifestyle,” Ferguson said. “It’s a phone-free lifestyle when you’re out there hanging out with friends, and it’s a non-judgmental lifestyle. People just accept you for who you are because there’s no barriers.”

The Tiger Mountain community is on 40 acres of land, with a pool, sauna, and hot tub, “nestled in the middle of a mountain,” Zelinka described.

There are 30 spaces and about 45 residents, according to Zelinka’s estimates, in RVs, tiny homes, stick-built homes, and A-frame houses. Only members of the club are allowed to be residents.

For those interested in becoming members, Ferguson said to come visit when they’re open for regular season, May to September.

“Your first visit is free, and then the next two visits, you can come check it out at a reduced cost, and then after that, you determine whether you want to become a full member or continue paying the day fee,” Ferguson said. “Once you become a member, then you can petition the board to live up there full time, if you like.”

The management is all community driven. Every resident volunteers to help with park upkeep. Ferguson said he has been taking care of the roads and the hot tubs. Zelinka runs social media and PR efforts.

Zelinka learned about the community from Ferguson, but admits she was not immediately open to the idea. When they first went up to visit on weekends, she would keep her clothes on before realizing no one was judging her but herself.

“I just finally did it, and it was so freeing and wonderful,” Zelinka said.

The biggest misconception Ferguson has heard about the community is that people think it’s “a big adult film fest,” but he assured listeners that “nothing hinky goes on up there.”

“It’s a family friendly place. There’s a lot of people that have brought up their kids in this lifestyle,” Ferguson said.

Zelinka, Ferguson, and the community want to normalize nudity. They’re very open about their lifestyle, and even started a blog.

“[Once] we discovered how great this lifestyle is, we wanted to change the way that people look at it,” Ferguson said.

Zelinka has noticed that younger people she’s talked to seem to be into the idea of living in a small community, intentional living, and doesn’t seem to be as bothered by the idea of nudism. In her experience, older people are a “bit more apprehensive.”

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“I’ve always been pretty good on the body positivity thing,” Zelinka said. “But the minute that I decided to start taking my clothes off and getting in the pool, it just completely changed the way I looked at myself because I stopped caring.”