Tskaltubo — Georgia's Radon Spa Revival

Overview

Tskaltubo is one of Georgia's most storied balneological resorts, built around more than 2,000 natural radon-carbonate mineral springs that emerge at a steady, body-temperature 33–35°C — crystal clear, soft, and used for therapeutic bathing since ancient times.

The waters are valued for their effects on musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and nervous-system conditions, along with skin, urological, and gynecological complaints — a legacy that made Tskaltubo one of the USSR's premier health destinations, drawing up to 125,000 visitors a year to its network of sanatoriums at its Soviet-era peak.

The therapeutic effect works through radon hormesis: at Tskaltubo's low, naturally occurring concentrations, the water is believed to stimulate the body's own healing responses — modulating the immune system, easing inflammation, and increasing natural endorphin production, which patients report as reduced pain from arthritis, rheumatism, and other chronic joint conditions.

The resort's most famous patient testified to this effect directly: Joseph Stalin, who suffered from rheumatic arthritis from his 40s onward, began visiting Tskaltubo in the 1930s and found the radon baths genuinely effective — a conviction strong enough that he directed major state investment into the town's medical bathing infrastructure. That same radon-water tradition continues to draw visitors seeking relief today.