Tera Patrick has been a bunny for more than 20 years. She sat down with Playboy to discuss her life’s journey’s, whether that means personal growth or international jet-setting.
Playboy: Where were you born?
Tera Patrick: I was born in Great Falls, Montana. So, I’m half Thai and my father’s American – my father met my mother in Thailand and he was stationed in Great Falls, Montana.
We only spent the first year of my life there and I was born there, but I don’t have any recollection of it at all because we moved right away to the next Air Force Base in southern California. So I essentially grew up in California.
And then I ended up going to Great Falls, Montana again about five years ago because I got booked on a burlesque feature dancing gig, so I got to return to where I was born and perform there. So that was a super cool full circle moment.
Playboy: What makes you the happiest?
Tera Patrick: I’m the happiest when I’m traveling. I love to travel and I’ve been to almost 120 countries. The first thing I did when I made money from my first Playboy job was travel to Argentina and through Patagonia.
So I started traveling around 1998-1999 and that’s always what has made me feel free, happy, and humble ever since.
Playboy: What’s your favorite place to travel to?
Tera Patrick: My favorite Place to travel to is Japan. I have been to Japan about 25 times because my soul feels so happy there. The very first trip I ever took to Japan was in 1994, and I remember feeling a sense of calmness – I felt like, in my past life, I had somehow lived in Japan.
I don’t know what my connection is to Japan, but I feel deeply happy there. The people are so incredible. One of the first things that I always say about my time in Japan is that they are such kind, humble people. I think bowing is such a sign of respect, and you just really embrace the beauty of the people and the atmosphere of the country when you’re there.
Sometimes I feel kind of dorky when I’m there because I’m always smiling at everybody and nobody really looks at you weird. When you’re in LA, New York or just even in America in general, if you’re randomly smiling at people they think you’re trying to do something to them.
But in Japan, I remember people would just smile at me and I’d smile back – so I just fell in love with that culture. It is my favorite, favorite place.
Playboy: What turns you on?
Tera Patrick: Physically, the first thing I noticed on a man – and one of my biggest turn ons – is that I love strong hands. I have been able to just have fantasies by looking at a pair of manly hands.
I like manicured hands, I like rough hands, I like masculine hands, big hands, long fingers – I mean, they’re just capable of doing things.
So, I love hands. And I am attracted to confidence, but not arrogance. There’s a fine line there, gentlemen!
Playboy: How about what turns you off?
Tera Patrick: One of my biggest turn offs is bad teeth. You gotta have good teeth. I’m 5’10, so height is important because I do like a man that’s taller than me.
And I think I would say arrogance is definitely a turnoff. I would much rather have a guy come up to me and try to tell me some corny joke than try to approach me with his chest puffed out.
Try to make me laugh instead of playing like some kind of ‘you’re not interested’ game. I would rather you just take a chance, say hi, and be yourself. This is the advice I give guys all the time. You’ve nothing to lose. I feel like you have more to lose from being rude, being arrogant or being gross, than if you just come up and be like “hey ladies, how’s it going tonight?” Just be authentic – you don’t have to put on this big, puffy peacock show.
Playboy: Who is a person that inspires you?
Tera Patrick: I love to tell the story of the first Playboy magazine that I ever saw – it had Paulina Porizkova in the issue and I remember being super starstruck.
I was like “whoa” because she is, and was at the time, a supermodel. So that Playboy issue really elevated modeling to me. I also was like wow – she’s a supermodel but she’s also kind of naughty and she’s very free with her body.
There’s no shame. And so very early on she was an inspiration to me. But I’ve also loved Betty Page because she was truly rebellious. She was a rebel.
And my sister. She and I are very close even though we’re completely different politically, physically, and personality-wise – I’m a lot more outgoing and open and she’s a lot more reserved and shy. But, since the first day I chose this path of work as a Creator, she’s always been my biggest cheerleader and she’s always been super supportive.
She’s someone who I always look to for advice and stability. We all need that person in our life that can kind of check us – I remember when I was starting to make money and I would go on shopping sprees or do dumb things, she would tell me that I would be the best dress bag lady in all of LA if I didn’t reel in my spending. So it’s been good to have her in my corner.
Playboy: Have you posed for Playboy before?
Tera Patrick: In 1999, I was working as a nurse in Los Angeles and a girlfriend of mine was like “You should totally try out for Playboy…you should be one of those college coed playmates.” She didn’t know how to describe it and I was like, “yeah – I should, right?”
So I went to Playboy Studio West in Santa Monica and then I got the call to do a test shoot. I remember it like it was yesterday and it was 1999 – I remember walking the halls and seeing all of the playmates of the years, and Kimberly X did my makeup for the test shoot. I just remember the studio was freezing and I was wearing lingerie.
I was just so happy because I remember thinking, “How many women actually make it here?” I did not get chosen to be a playmate because I had actually posed for Penthouse at the same time, so that disqualified me from becoming a playmate.
But two years later, everything came full circle and I was on the cover of the March 2003 issue of Playboy. So I got called to do the cover and pose for the magazine. And I also did a Playboy US cover for March 2016.
Playboy: What is your Wellness routine?
Tera Patrick: It has changed over the years. 10 years ago, I left Los Angeles and moved to northern Italy, where I live now, and my routine took a 180-degree change.
I actually don’t own a car anymore, so I walk everywhere in my city, and I have faithfully done pilates for 25 years. That is my go-to workout. I used to have a show on the Playboy TV network called Night Calls 411 and one of our other hosts on Night Calls, Tiffany Granite, had the most amazing body.
She was the dancer and I used to ask her what she was doing and what workout she does, and she’s the one who introduced me to pilates. Ever since then, I wake up around 6 AM because I’m an early riser, and I do my pilates.
So you will not find me out at night and that’s kind of, I think, what saved me over the years as well. I just really know what my tolerance is. I don’t drink a lot. I’ve never been into really staying up or staying out late. I think sleep is really, really important – drinking water, and just moving every day.
I don’t miss having a car and it’s actually been 10 years that I don’t have a car.
Playboy: What is your favorite thing to cook?
Tera Patrick: My favorite thing to cook is Thai food. I love to cook and I am half Thai, so I love to cook curries, fried rice, noodles, Pad Thai, and all kinds of Thai salads. My favorite Thai dish is actually called Som Tum, which is just a cold papaya salad.
It’s green papaya with lime juice, peanuts, tomatoes…it’s salty, sweet, sour, and spicy – it’s heaven. Thai food really embodies and embraces the salty, sweet, sour, spicy combo and it’s like an explosion.
Playboy: What possession do you treasure most?
Tera Patrick: This might sound silly, but when I moved to Italy I didn’t bring anything with me. I took two suitcases. I had a little bit of clothes, but I really didn’t have a lot and, of course, documents and stuff. But, I had a toy Fox Terrier and he traveled everywhere with me.
He lived to be 19 years old and he traveled with me for years. I took him in a backpack around the world and we went to 50 countries. He would do signings with me. I remember taking him to different photo shoots. different signings, and so many of my fans knew him.
Everybody knew Chopper. When he was a year old, I was in New York and there was a man named Mark the phodographer – I booked a photo shoot with Chopper and he made me a photo album that I still look at and I think of him all the time. It may sound wonky, but it is one of my most prized possessions.
He was with me through such a long period of my life and we went through so much together – how many people can you’ve known for 19 years? He was only a part of my life, but I was there for his whole life. So I have this cute little professional photo album of him posing and I treasure it.
Playboy: What is your favorite thing to splurge on?
Tera Patrick: Probably taking trips. Usually, I haven’t even left for my next trip and I am already booking another trip. I will be spending all of August in Thailand and I was actually also going to go to Vietnam, but I decided to go to Australia in September.
I love to splurge on trips. I like experiences. About 15 years ago, I loved handbags. But, there came a point where I was just over it. I remember thinking one day that they’re nice to carry around, but I’m not really getting anything out of it.
So when I was able to travel again after the COVID lockdown, the first thing I did was travel to Costa Rica. I just sat and watched sloths. I remember thinking ‘I’m just grateful to be sitting here looking up here looking at her,’ and I felt like that was a really humbling experience.
Playboy: What’s your guilty pleasure?
Tera Patrick: I like tequila. That doesn’t really go well with Pilates… but I love a good margarita. The one thing I miss here in Italy is Mexican food.
That was one of the best things about living in Los Angeles and Southern California – we really had so much good food at our disposal, especially Mexican and Indian food. You could just have such a variety of food. And I would give anything for a good Mezcal margarita right now.
Playboy: What’s the best piece of advice you were even given?
Tera Patrick: The best advice I’ve ever been given is to enjoy and be grateful for every moment and to save your money. I remember when I first came into this industry, entertainment work in and of itself can be fleeting.
You have really good moments and bad moments – you have highs and lows and it’s not always consistent. We have so much gratitude when it is consistent and we’re doing well because when we’re doing well, everybody’s doing good.
But you really have to prepare for the future and you have to have an exit strategy and an exit plan in place. So I’m glad that I was responsible in that way early on because it really set me up to actually enjoy the later years of my career now.
As I’ve gotten a little bit older, I still enjoy it. I still love this work so much. I still love this industry so much. And even though my life has changed, my fans have been so good. They followed me and I feel like I’m on this good path.
Tera Patrick is on the Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
