Averted eyes are a natural reaction for first-timers at Sun Meadow Resort.

"That first 10 minutes is awkward for everyone," assured Mike Capshaw, resort co-owner, as he leaned against the entrance to the dining area.

He, like the amiable woman offering fresh-baked cookies, the man caulking outside the building and the man playing pool upstairs, had not a stitch on.

"Eventually you realize nobody's looking, and nobody cares," Capshaw assured, smiling at vacationers strolling to the pool.

In fact, that's the appeal.

Being comfortable and equal with strangers is the primary draw at Sun Meadow Resort, the family-friendly nudist resort in Worley.

That, and some laid-back naked bonding.

Boasting a 15,000-square-foot facility on 75 acres, the resort grounds offer an impressive expanse of indoor and outdoor pools, athletic courts, fitness center, game room, lounge area and more.

But most touted is the friendly atmosphere, which has lured nudists from as far as Europe and Australia.

"If you go to a clothed resort - we call them textile resorts - you could spend a whole weekend and meet zero to one people," said Capshaw, 48. "Here, you spend a weekend, and you'll get to know about a dozen."

The popularity of the remote facility is about to abound.

The grounds will soon be overrun with bodies basking in their natural states as they engage in lectures, yoga, concerts and volleyball tournaments at the 2010 American Association For Nude Recreation National Convention in August.

Expected to lure at least 400, the convention is a rare honor to host in the nudist world. Not to mention it will shower extra income and attention on the resort, Capshaw said.

"This is really exciting," he said. "For Idaho, it's never happened before."

But Sun Meadow has paid its dues to get to this point.

Since opening in 2004, it has worked to become one of the most successful nudist resorts and clubs - club is preferred over colony - in the northwest. Roughly 500 guests have already stayed there this summer.

That's because folks get more than just nakedness for their money at Sun Meadow, Capshaw said.

The resort books musical performers from around the country, though some need a little coaxing to play before such a flesh-filled audience. A peaceful atmosphere is maintained at all times, with only clean behavior tolerated.

"We tell people, 'If it won't fly in a mall, it won't fly here,'" Capshaw said.

The facility has even recently reached the success every year-round nudist resort shoots for: Large crowds during the winter, even when the snow was waist deep two years ago.

The key is geothermal heating and good insulation, Capshaw said.

"There are a few clubs on the coast that describe themselves as year-round, but the likelihood is if you're there in January, you probably have clothes on," he said, which could really ruin a winter vacation.

For all the effort, the goal at Sun Meadow is simply a pleasant sanctuary for folks who crave some very informal leisure time.

On Friday the crowd was small. A few guests were busy with water aerobics in the indoor pool, while some chatted idly outside as they sunbathed.

Jay Jacko, a permanent RV-er who tours nudist clubs with his wife, lauded Sun Meadow as one of their favorite destinations.

"It's probably the friendliest," mused the 58-year-old after coming in from a swim. "It may not be as glitzy as some in California, but it's nothing I'd call rustic."

Jacko feels at ease when he's undressed, he said.

Just consider the burden of swimming in a bathing suit, he explained.

"When you get out of the pool, no matter how long you lay there, the bathing suit is cold," he said. "If people experience swimming without a bathing suit, they'll understand."

Dorothy and Joe Issel from Fruitvale, British Columbia, still recall venturing out to Sun Meadow last year, their first nudist club experience.

The casual attitude of staff and guests made them immediately comfortable, said Joe, 63. They preferred returning this year to any other vacation.

Why did they first attempt it?

"I hate clothes," Joe said.

His wife laughed.

"It's true. As soon as we're in the house he takes everything off," she said.

She marveled at how easy it is to wind down at a nudist club.

"There's no stress," the 62-year-old said with a smile. "No phone, no TV. And people talk to you about anything and everything."

Tranquillity is surely guaranteed at the resort, tucked away amid a tactful wall of pines.

Plenty of privacy for naked shuffleboard, basketball, horseshoes, bocce and volleyball, all included in the back property.

"Probably the national sport of the nudist world is volleyball. How that happened I don't know," Capshaw said.

OK. Perhaps it sounds strange, partaking in quaint country diversions sans pants or shirt, or well, anything else.

Capshaw is patient in explaining.

It isn't about voyeurism, or sexuality, or fantasies, he says.

It's about folks of all shapes, sizes and tan lines congregating in a judgment-free atmosphere.

"What I think is incredibly positive about the nudist world is when you visit a nudist resort or campground, the first thing that strikes you is that, 'Gosh, nobody's perfect.' And that's very reassuring," he said. "It really means by implication that everyone's perfect just the way they are."

He believes so much in the philosophy that he raised his daughter, Brie Capshaw, as a nudist, too. Now 18 and working at the resort, Brie said she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I was born a nudist," she said with a grin.

There's no worry about status in a nudist club, she explained. When no one is clothed, there aren't outward indicators of wealth or poverty.

"It's a definite equalizer," she said.

Still, a neophyte might start to sweat about joining strangers in naked bocce.

But Bill Capshaw knows from 28 years of experience that when people fraternize naked, every ounce of social pressure evaporates.

"When you're accepted at that level, there are no pretenses," he said. "You're not trying to prove anything to anybody. That allows you to wind down and relax at a much faster pace than you can in the other world."

He suspects that's why the recession has been so good for Sun Meadows.

The resort has seen about 30 percent more guests in the last two years, he said, which he attributes to a common need to undress and decompress.

"If you put a nudist under pressure, like the economy is doing to all of us these days, what they want to do to relax and de-stress is take their clothes off," he said.

Some have decided they want to do so all year.

Several homes have sprung up on private property beside the resort, where nudists have moved so they can frequent the resort.

An added bonus: They can do naked yard work without offending neighbors. Like the nudist warming up his tractor on Friday afternoon.

"It starts to sound like colonization is going on, but it's really a naked suburb," Capshaw said.

Randy Crockett, one of the suburb residents, said nudism was an easy transition after a rustic youth of skinny dipping.

He considers the Sun Meadow area his home, he said, because everyone who comes there is kind and open-minded.

"You never have to worry about what you do. Everybody gets along," said Crockett, 65.

The convention is scheduled from August 6-15. The event costs $5 for one day, and $10 for the whole convention. Daily fees at the resort is $18.75 for those who aren't members of the national organization, and $15 for members. There is additional cost to stay in the resort's dozen hotel rooms or 50 RV sites.

For first-timers, the first day is free.

Many reluctant visitors end up devoted nudists, Capshaw warned.

"It's very addictive," he said.