Georgia’s haunting Tskaltubo spas

On the edges of Kutaisi, Georgia is the spa town of Tskaltubo, very much in vogue when this was a part of the USSR.

We went to visit these haunting remains of this elegant spa town.

This was a favorite spa destination of native Georgian Joseph Stalin, and the infrsastructure exploded around his visits, making this locale even more elite.

Stalin’s favored spa center still boasts a frieze of him, complete with adniring Comrades welcoming him.

Since the end of the USSR, the surrounding turn-of-the-century luxury structures that once hosted the Party elite have been abandoned and fallen into disrepair.

It is haunting to wander around these buildings overgrown with bushes and trees, catching glimpses into a past, when Communism’s elites would wander the hallways.

In more recent years, refugees fleeing Abkhazia when the Russians invaded took shelter in these crumbling structures.

Now, Georgia is hoping investors may invest in these structures and bring these spa hotels back to life.

Close to these crumbling hotels, you can find the working spas, including the structure favored by Jospeh Stalin. These have been maintained and are still working spas.

Beside Stalin’s watering hole are the crmbling spas of the Soviet workers, much less humble but interesting to see. These have fallen into disrepair, but you can wander them and get a sense of the past.

An enjoyable journey into the past.

Stalin’s preferred spa