Tbilisi sulphur baths, how they work and which to choose

Abanotubani and a short history

Abanotubani means the bath district. It sits on the right bank of the Mtkvari river, at the foot of Narikala fortress. Legend says that in the 5th century King Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting here when his falcon and a pheasant fell into a hot spring. The king decided to build a city on the spot. Its name comes from the Georgian word tbili, which means warm.

Medieval records count 65 baths in Tbilisi. Most of the bathhouses standing today were built in the 17th and 18th centuries under Persian influence, as brick domes rising straight out of the pavement. The district suffered badly in 1795, when the Persian ruler Agha Mohammad Khan sacked the city.

The baths were never only for washing. People met friends here, talked business and celebrated. Alexander Pushkin bathed here in 1829. In A Journey to Arzrum he wrote that he had never met anything more luxurious than the Tiflis baths, in Russia or in Turkey. Alexandre Dumas spent more than a month in Tbilisi in 1858, went to the baths often and described the scrub and the soap foam in his travel book. More than one bathhouse now claims Pushkin as a guest, and Chreli Abano has rooms named after both writers.

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What is in the water

The water rises from natural hot springs under the district. The bathhouses describe it as sulphur-alkaline thermal water with calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Hydrogen sulphide gives it the smell of rotten eggs.

The pools are usually about 38 to 40 °C. That is much hotter than a normal bath, so a few minutes at a time is enough. The temperature varies a little from room to room, and many rooms also have a cold pool.

For centuries people came here for aching joints, tired muscles and skin problems, and the bathhouses still say the water helps with them. These are traditional claims, not medical advice. Think of it as a very hot mineral bath, and a deeply relaxing one.

Public hall or private room, and 2026 prices

A public hall is a shared bath, separate for men and women, where people bathe naked. You pay per person and walk in without booking. In 2026 the main public halls in Abanotubani are at Bathhouse No. 5. Queen's Bath, the other cheap public bath, was closed for refurbishment in 2026.

A private room is what most visitors choose. You rent the whole room by the hour, and the price is the same for one guest or for as many as the room takes. Every room has a hot pool and a shower. Larger ones add a cold pool, a sauna and a resting area. Couples, families and mixed groups all use private rooms.

• Public hall at Bathhouse No. 5. About 10 GEL for men and 6 GEL for women.
• Simple rooms in the small bathhouses off Abano Street. About 20 to 40 GEL an hour, often cash only.
• Mid-range private rooms. About 70 to 200 GEL an hour.
• Rooms at the best-known bathhouses. About 130 to 300 GEL an hour.
• Suites for groups of seven to twelve. About 400 to 600 GEL an hour.
• Kisa scrub. Usually 10 to 20 GEL per person, though some visitors paid 30 GEL at Chreli Abano in 2026. People usually tip the attendant 5 to 10 GEL in cash.
• Massage. A soap-foam massage is about 15 GEL at Royal Bath. Spa massages at Chreli Abano and King Erekle's Bath start at 85 to 100 GEL for 30 minutes.
• Extras. Towels, sheets and slippers cost about 2 to 5 GEL each. Tea is often extra, but at Gulo's it is included.

The bathhouses open in 2026

All of them except Kyiv Sulfur Spa stand below Narikala, a few minutes' walk from each other. Prices are for the whole room for one hour.

• Chreli Abano, also called the Orbeliani Baths. The one with the blue tiled front that recalls the madrasas of Samarkand, at the top of Abano Street. Private rooms only, open from 9:00 to 23:00, booked and paid online. Rooms cost 130 GEL for two, 160 GEL for three and 200 GEL for four to six, including the Pushkin and Dumas rooms. The VIP room for nine is 500 GEL and the Royal Apartment for twelve 600 GEL. The kisa is paid in cash.
• Royal Bath, 1 Grishashvili Street. Tradition says it was a favourite of King Erekle II. Private rooms only, open from 8:00 to 23:00. Its five rooms cost from 150 GEL for up to four people to 290 GEL for a 180 m² room with a sauna for up to eight. A kisa is 15 GEL. Book on its website or by phone.
• King Erekle's Bath, run by the same company as Chreli Abano. Private rooms only, open from 9:00 to 23:00. Rooms cost 200 GEL for up to three and 250 GEL for up to five. The King Erekle suite for seven, with a cold pool and a sauna, is 400 GEL.
• Gulo's Thermal Spa, in a courtyard off Grishashvili Street. It is named after its owner and stays open late, from 7:00 until 3:00 at night. Private rooms cost about 150 to 300 GEL, tea is included and a kisa is about 20 GEL. A booking is required, through Facebook or WhatsApp.
• Bathhouse No. 5, also listed as Sulfur Bath No. 5, by Heydar Aliyev Park near the river. It has the public halls, open from 8:00 to 21:00. The women's hall has showers but no pool. Private rooms cost about 120 to 200 GEL, and a VIP room with its own entrance about 200 GEL. A kisa is about 10 GEL, or 20 GEL with a soap massage.
• Bohema, also known as the Mirzoev bath, in the lanes behind the domes. Private rooms only, about 70 to 200 GEL.
• Kyiv Sulfur Spa, on Kiev Street in Chugureti, across the river. Private rooms for about 90 to 120 GEL, open until 2:00.
• Queen's Bath, long the cheapest public hall, was closed for refurbishment in 2026. Check that it has reopened before you go.

How a visit works, step by step

A visit to a private room follows the same pattern almost everywhere.

• Book. Reserve online, by phone or on WhatsApp, a day or two ahead for evenings and weekends. Chreli Abano takes payment online and refunds 80% if you cancel one or two working days ahead. Public halls need no booking.
• Choose the length. One hour is the minimum. Book two hours if you want a kisa, so the scrub does not eat into your soaking time.
• Arrive 15 to 20 minutes early. The hour starts when you get the room, not when you finish paying.
• Pay for extras at reception. Towels, sheets, slippers, soap and the kisa are not in the room price. The kisa and the tip are paid in cash, even where the room took a card.
• Shower, then soak. Sit in the hot pool for a few minutes, cool off in the cold pool or under the shower, and repeat.
• The kisa. After 20 to 30 minutes the attendant, called a mekise, knocks and comes in. You lie on a bench while they scrub you hard with a coarse mitt, the kisa, then wash you in a cloud of soap foam. It takes 10 to 15 minutes per person, so leave the door unlocked.
• Finish. Rinse, soak once more and dress. Staff usually knock about 10 minutes before your time is up. Some baths serve tea in the resting area.

When to go

Winter is the best season. From December to February the air is cold, steam drifts from the domes and there are fewer visitors. Spring and autumn are good too. In summer the days are hot, so go late in the evening.

Late evening is the favourite time all year. Chreli Abano, Royal Bath and King Erekle's Bath are open until 23:00, and Gulo's until 3:00. Weekday mornings are quietest and weekend evenings busiest, so book weekends early. Around New Year, book earlier still.

A bath is best at the end of a day on foot. Watch the sunset from Narikala, walk down to the baths, then have dinner in the old town. Do not go straight after a heavy meal or drinks.

Etiquette and who should avoid hot baths

In a public hall everyone bathes naked, men and women apart, and photos are not allowed. In a private room you can go naked or wear swimwear, and mixed groups usually wear swimwear.

The bathhouses themselves advise against the hot pools for pregnant women and for people with heart or blood pressure problems. If that is you, ask a doctor before you go. Skip the kisa if you have sunburn, eczema, cuts or very sensitive skin. Bring children to a private room only and keep their soaks short. If you feel dizzy, get out and cool down.

• Shower before you get into the pool, and keep soap out of it.
• Keep your head above water and do not drink the pool water. Bring a bottle of drinking water.
• Take off silver jewellery, because sulphur water darkens it.
• Rinse your swimwear afterwards, as the water can stain fabric.
• Wear flip-flops, as the floors are wet and slippery.
• Skip alcohol before the bath.
• In winter, rest about 20 minutes before going back out into the cold.

A short checklist

Run through it before you leave the hotel.

• A private room booked for the evening or the weekend, for two hours if you want a kisa.
• Cash in small notes for the kisa, the extras and the tip.
• Flip-flops, swimwear for a mixed group, a comb and a bottle of water.
• Your own towel, or 2 to 5 GEL to rent one.
• Silver jewellery left at the hotel.
• Enough time to arrive 15 to 20 minutes early.
• A warm hat for the walk home in winter.
• A word with your doctor first if you are pregnant or have heart or blood pressure problems.

What to combine nearby

The baths sit at the heart of the old town, so they fit easily into a day of walking. Our guide to what to see in Tbilisi has a full route, and Tbilisi in winter a plan for the cold months.

Narikala fortress stands right above the baths. The cable car runs up from Rike Park across the river, at 2.5 GEL one way with a Metromoney card. In winter it runs from 10:00 to 22:00, later in summer, and it stops in strong wind. From the fortress, stairs lead down to the baths in about 15 minutes.

Behind Chreli Abano a path runs up the Leghvtakhevi gorge to a waterfall about 22 m high, five minutes on foot. The name comes from leghvi, the Georgian word for fig. Near the baths stands the Jumah Mosque, where Sunni and Shia Muslims pray together.

Across the river, Metekhi church looks down from its cliff. The Bridge of Peace, Sioni Cathedral and the Gabriadze clock tower, with its short puppet show at 12:00 and 19:00, are all close by. With half a day to spare, the old capital Mtskheta is 20 km away on our half-day tour.

Our four-hour Tbilisi city tour by car walks through the old town to the baths, so an evening room fits right after it. Flying in? Book a Tbilisi Airport transfer, or read how to get from the airport to the city. More about the city is on our Tbilisi page.