Los Gatos nude resort no longer up for sale as owner assesses future

LOS GATOS — A longtime nudist resort near Los Gatos was up for sale for more than a year but failed to land a buyer. Now, its owner is deciding what to do with the 112-acre property.

The Lupin Lodge at 20600 Aldercroft Heights Rd. in the Los Gatos hills was originally listed for sale for $32.8 million around November 2023, an asking price that was dropped to $29.2 million in 2025.

The discount wasn’t enough to entice a buyer, according to owner Lori Kay Stout.

“Nothing stuck,” Stout said in an interview with this news organization. “People expressed interest, but nothing final. We’re not sure if it was the times we’re in or something else.”

A variety of potential buyers expressed interest, according to Stout.

“We had a Japanese developer who wanted to build a hotel resort,” Stout said. “We had two schools that were very serious about retrofitting the property to create a school campus. They are still interested, but there are no offers.”

Stout said an array of factors contributed to various failed purchasing attempts. Some buyers didn’t qualify for a loan, while others became uncertain they could retrofit the site. Tariffs related to China helped torpedo one deal, Stout said.

“I got unsolicited offers to sell the property back in 2016,” Stout said. “I just presumed that if we put it on the market for the first time, we would get a buyer. I thought it would have been sold by now.”

Stout said she is well aware that the nudist and naturist industry is on the wane both in the United States and worldwide.

She noted the shutdown of a 222-acre clothing-optional resort in Australia, known as Australia’s “nude capital” over a period of 40 years, that was sold to a developer in 2024.

Stout said the coming summer season will give her opportunities to ponder what sort of a future the resort might have.

“I have to concentrate on whether we will continue after our 92nd anniversary,” Stout said. “We will reassess after summer ends and when the weather starts to turn cold. We will have to see what’s going on with the naturist and nudist industry.”

The summer season’s highlights are expected to include Independence Day, International Skinny Dip Day on July 11, and the resort’s anniversary on Aug. 1, according to Stout.

Founded in 1934 on the site of an old winery that was forced to close due to prohibition, Lupin Lodge has survived economic collapse, a world war, creditors, recessions, wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges.

Stout put Lupin Lodge up for sale because she decided to step away from a property that she and her family have owned and operated since 1977.

“Lupin Lodge has an extensive use permit, ideal location, gorgeous park-like grounds and views,” according to the just-cancelled listing for the site.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 10:17 AM.