Tbilisi is named after the water it sits on. The Georgian word means warm, the legend involves a king, a falcon and a pheasant that fell into a hot spring, and whether or not that is what happened, the springs are real and the city grew up around them. At the bottom of the old town there is a district where low brick domes push up out of the pavement, steam comes out of vents, and underneath each dome is a room with a pool of hot sulfur water that has been in use for a very long time.
What the district looks like
Brick domes at ground level, each one the roof of a bath chamber below.
Steam and a strong smell of sulfur, which is unmistakable from a street away.
One tiled facade, blue and patterned, which is the most photographed building in the district.
A canyon and waterfall immediately behind, reachable on a walkway.
Narikala fortress above, and the old town uphill from there.
A working district, still used by Tbilisi residents rather than only by visitors.
How to actually use one
Book a private room by the hour, which is what most visitors and most locals do.
Bring or rent a towel, and check what the price includes before you agree to it.
Go in gradually, because the water is hotter than it looks.
Alternate hot and cold, which is the traditional rhythm and the pleasant one.
Add a kisa scrub once, performed by an attendant, and be prepared for how thorough it is.
An hour is enough, and two is more than most people want.
Practical notes
Silver jewellery tarnishes in sulfur water; leave it in the changing area.
The smell stays on skin and hair for a few hours and washes out.
Flip flops are useful; the floors are wet stone.
Drink water, before and after, because the heat dehydrates faster than it feels.
Open late, which makes this an excellent end to an evening.
Cards are taken at the larger houses; carry lari for the smaller ones.
Who should be careful
Pregnancy, heart conditions, low blood pressure and skin conditions all warrant medical advice rather than a guidebook’s.
Alcohol before a hot mineral bath is a bad combination.
Children are generally allowed in private rooms; ask when booking.
Come out at the first sign of light headedness rather than waiting.
The public sections are single sex and have their own etiquette; ask at the desk.
Where this fits in a Tbilisi trip
An hour, in the evening, and it is one of the two things everybody remembers from this city.
For the rest of the old town and how the districts fit together, our guide to Tbilisi covers the ground.
For the easiest half day out of the city, our Mtskheta day trip covers the old capital.
And for the rest of the case that this is a better romantic destination than it looks, our guide to romantic Georgia covers it.
The short version
Walk the bath district before you book anything and compare two or three houses, because the same spring water costs several times more in one building than the next. Take a private room for an hour, in the evening, with the scrub the first time. Go into the water slowly, alternate with cold, drink water and leave the silver in the changing room. Sleep nearby if you can, because walking home with wet hair beats crossing the city. And accept the smell, which is the whole reason the city is here.
