In the Soviet era, Tskaltubo was one of the largest spa towns in the USSR, welcoming hundreds of thousands of citizens on state-prescribed holidays each year. Its natural mineral springs were famed for their healing properties, with claims that people arrived in wheelchairs and left on their own feet. However, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the town's sanatoriums were abandoned, falling into disrepair.
Today, as an independent Georgia moves beyond its Soviet past, locals are reviving these derelict buildings. The Legends Spa Resort, one of the original sanatoriums, reopened in 2011. The town now aims to become a world-class spa destination once again, offering treatments such as colonic hydrotherapy and ultrasound laser therapy.
Lasha Kutateladze, a local guide, explains that Tskaltubo has over 2,000 natural springs. The Balneological Zone channels mineral waters into bathhouses and springs, each with treatment facilities. However, many bathhouses remain in ruins, with cracked tiles, algae, and stray dogs.
For decades, refugees from the wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia have lived in the town's hotels and sanatoriums. Gigla Chofliani, a taxi driver, fled Abkhazia in 1992 and has lived in Sanatorium Gelati for 30 years. He is one of the last residents waiting to move into purpose-built apartments, as the government began rehoming refugees in 2010.
Times are changing, with sanatoriums being put up for sale and families moving to new apartments. Gvanca Bzhania moved into such an apartment two years ago, signalling a new chapter for Tskaltubo.
