The city of Tbilisi got its name and came into being thanks to sulphur springs and the legend of how King Vakhtang Gorgasali was hunting a deer in the Kura valley and accidentally wounded it. The deer ran away and fell down next to the hot spring, which cured it. King Vakhtang ordered the foundation of a town on this site and named it Tbilisi, which comes from the Georgian word "tbili", meaning "warm".
The springs provide information about the sulphur baths area called Abanotubani, which still exists today. The baths themselves are located underground and only their large domes with turrets on top can be seen on the surface. The Orbeliani Baths (named after the former owner), also known as the Blue or Mottled Baths, are the most famous establishment and resemble a mosque with their lancet façade, two small minarets and blue and blue tiles in the decoration.
A superb massage is given on a marble bed, followed by the use of a rough woolen mitten to remove keratinized cells. The skin is then covered in a light lather and washed thoroughly, leaving you feeling new and refreshed.
Cost of admission: from 5 GEL (approximately €2)
