Rich in active gases or metals — a strong mineral character.
Buoyancy
Standard buoyancy
LowHigh
Soft water — natural, classic buoyancy.
SoufreSulfuresSulfates
The Caucasian Mineral Waters is a group of spa resorts — Pyatigorsk, Zheleznovodsk, Yessentuki, and Kislovodsk — located in the Northern Caucasus region of Russia, a region of over 300 mineral springs of diverse compositions set in an alpine landscape of exceptional beauty at the foot of Mount Elbrus. More than 130 sanatoriums and hotels, many equipped with modern facilities, receive over 730,000 visitors annually (2022 figures), making this one of the most frequented thermal destinations in Eastern Europe. The region's mild climate, dramatic mountain scenery, and the nearby Lake Tambukan — celebrated for its dark mineral mud used in wellness body treatments — add further dimensions to this remarkably large and varied thermal complex deeply rooted in the Russian spa tradition.
Insider tip — Pyatigorsk, meaning Five Mountains City, presides over the Caucasian Mineral Waters resort region from the foot of Mount Mashuk, where a cable car ascends to panoramic views of the Greater Caucasus including Elbrus on clear days. The sulfurous springs here inspired Mikhail Lermontov's novel A Hero of Our Time, and the Lermontov Baths remain one of Russia's most historically significant spa establishments. The city retains beautiful neoclassical colonnades and pump rooms dating to the 1820s Alexander era. Soaking in the Proval sulfur lake grotto carved into the mountainside is an unmissable local ritual.
