The photo of the attractive brunette is strategically cropped, but the ad makes it clear she's wearing nothing but a smile. The pitch: She swims nude at Paradise Lakes Resort and so can you.

Lake Como, Paradise's across-the-lake neighbor, promises a more rustic family-style retreat, including naked camping and karaoke on its 210-acre grounds.

Palm trees and a water fall adorn the pool at the upscale Caliente Resort and Spa, May 5, 2006 in Land O' Lakes, Fla. Nudist resorts are a big attraction in Pasco County, Fla. They brought in a sizeable chunk of the US$807,000 in tourism tax revenue collected last year. The county even reserved a spot on its tourism board for a nudist. [AP]

Just up the road, brash newcomer Caliente Resort and Spa entices nudists with conspicuous consumerism - flashy facilities, lavish homes and a medical spa featuring laser hair removal.

Three of Pasco County's six nudist resorts are taking off the gloves and everything else as they attempt to attract more of the worldwide clothing-optional market, which has tripled in size since 1992.

"Pasco is becoming the Mecca of North American nudism," said Richard Mason, an activist who helped open a stretch of Miami-Dade County's Haulover Beach to nudists in 1991. "A lot of people think nudists live in a colony like hippies. Then you see a place like Caliente. It's like a country club."

Pasco's nudist tussle began in the late 1990s when Paradise manager Chuck Foster broke away and began planning the 120-acre Caliente facility. Over the years, he's brought over several Paradise employees, most recently Deb Bowen, who is now Caliente's marketing director.

"They took the best of our ideas," said Joe Lettelleir, president of the 72-acre Paradise Lakes resort. "They didn't create their own identity. The bottom line is there were some growing pains. We certainly wish them well."

Modesty is not a nudist's strong point. That's certainly true at Caliente.

The resort's $300-a-night Mediterranean-themed waterfront villas and expansive pools featuring waterfall grottoes have knocked Paradise Lakes from the pinnacle of the nudist resort pyramid.

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