Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, nearly all the baths closed down, leaving only one still welcoming visitors today.

Tskaltubo, located in Georgia, may not be the world's most popular tourist destination, but it boasts a rich history. Recent estimates suggest the area is home to around 11,000 people and is renowned for its numerous karst caves. Among these is the Satsurblia cave, the region's sole speleotherapy site, offering a unique climate beneficial for respiratory diseases. Here, the healthful effects of the underground microclimate are utilized, a practice that began consideration in 1920, with construction of sanatoriums starting in 1926. By 1931, according to decrees of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, the city was recognized as a balneology center.

During the Soviet occupation from 1936 to 1991, Tskaltubo truly flourished as a resort, attracting approximately 125,000 visitors annually. However, it's worth mentioning that under Soviet rule, Georgians were allocated two vacations per year to state-supported complexes without any choice in the matter. Tskaltubo then saw the establishment of 19 sanatoriums, bathhouses, a holiday park, and a scientific institute. The area is notable for its radon-containing spring waters, which emerge from radium decay and are present in rocks and soil. While radon exposure has been linked to health risks, it is also considered a natural anti-inflammatory that quickly dissipates from the human body. Hungary, for example, has radon-rich medicinal waters, including those found in Budapest's Rudas Baths.

Historical records dating back to the 7th-9th centuries suggest Tskaltubo was believed to house the waters of immortality, leading to its popularity for treating a variety of ailments from circulatory and nervous system issues to dermatological conditions. From the 1970s, speleotherapy was added to its treatments, utilizing local caves to heal lung diseases. Studies by the University of Oxford have since shown that radon accumulates in enclosed spaces like homes, accounting for 9% of Europe's lung cancer cases and 2% of all cancer cases, posing a 25-fold increased risk for smokers. Lung cancer, second only to smoking as a causal factor, is not, however, the reason for the eventual neglect of Tskaltubo's resort facilities but rather the result of the Soviet Union's dissolution.

STALIN'S FAVORITE

The golden era and subsequent decline into a ghost town of Tskaltubo were recently documented in a short film by the Yes Theory YouTube channel. The film showcases the conditions of the once bustling facilities, now attracting barely more than a hundred thousand visitors, and through conversations with locals, revives the city's history. Of the 19 baths built, only one named Spring 6 remains operational, specially designed for Stalin. As revealed in the video by a 24-year-old local, Lucas, many facilities including the one built in 1950, were constructed by German POWs captured by Russians during World War II.

"When Stalin visited, four thousand extra workers were hired to complete everything on time so he could bathe privately," said Lucas, noting that medical permission was required to use the baths during that era.

Stalin, under whose regime 9 million civilians died, was born in Georgia and often returned for rest. In 1951, a special bathing section was constructed for him at Spring 6, though he only used it once before his death in 1953.

DECREPIT DWELLINGS

As the video shows, today's Tskaltubo is merely a shadow of its former self, with abandoned sanatoriums, stations, post offices, and a deserted KGB building greeting visitors. The remnants of Soviet infrastructure, though left behind, preserve the epoch's imprint. While some baths have been purchased for renovation, the city is currently filled with decaying buildings of historical value, transforming it into a true ghost town. Lucas shared his memories of exploring these desolate areas as a child, describing a difficult childhood not uncommon among Georgians born in 2000.

"I was born in 2000, not the best time to have children. My mother was an immigrant and moved to Greece when I was six to support my studies and clothing," Lucas recalled, emphasizing that like 80% of Georgian children born that year, he was raised by his grandparents.

Despite the hardships following the Soviet Union's collapse, including power outages and food shortages, Lucas noted improvements in current conditions and a sense of hope among the residents. Today, Tskaltubo sees a mere 700 tourists annually, but its facilities have sheltered refugees from conflict-affected regions since the '90s, notably following the conflict tied to Abkhazia, a territory of contested independence recognized by only a few countries. Residents, displaced by the unfolding crisis, share their desires to return home, echoing a sentiment of lost happiness and enduring hope for reconciliation.