An amazing resort town, the main advantage of which is mineral water and hot springs. Pyatigorsk, a balneological resort praised by poets and writers, welcomes tourists all year round. Here are unique water resources useful for the treatment of many diseases.
Folk trail
The hot springs of Pyatigorsk is a miracle granted by nature, which for a long time people have been using to heal and treat a number of diseases. All known resources have their own composition, radon and hydrogen sulfide waters are most popular, and therapeutic mud is also popular. Folk, or shameless, are called hydrogen sulfide baths in the open air.
Water, making its way through the rocks for centuries, created recesses in the rock resembling small stone baths. They are considered to be popular because many tourists who seek rehabilitation and who are unable to receive treatment in a sanatorium have come and continue to seek it.
Today in any health resort there are spa programs that support the body and mind in a healthy state. Previously, you could use mineral springs only as prescribed by a doctor or using shameless bathtubs.
The fight for morality
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the administration of Pyatigorsk tried to eradicate the "wild" use of springs, filling the popular bathtubs with sand and gravel, but the water found another outlet to the surface, where another bathtub was based. The main claim of the authorities concerned not bathing free of charge, but was of the nature of a struggle for morality. The fact is that the baths were not divided into male and female, they were immersed in them all together, but completely without clothes.
Unable to overcome public bathing, the authorities decided to streamline the flow of people who want to improve their health. The baths were divided into female and male, for this they built a brick building. In addition, medical control was carried out, the doctor who worked here did not allow people with skin and other infectious diseases into the baths.
Bathing in hot springs was completely free, the session lasted 2 hours, pools were designed for 20 people. Most visitors enjoyed visiting such baths, but some lacked romance and irritated the queues, so natural baths in the rocks were still popular.
For Pirogovsky baths
In the vicinity of Pyatigorsk, hot springs with hydrogen sulfide water are located in several places. The most popular and inhabited are located in the area of the Tales of the East restaurant and Café Panorama, behind the Pirogovsky Baths building (Gagarina Boulevard). To the sources you need to go down a steep slope. In 2015, the territory was ennobled; observation platforms and a staircase appeared.
The baths themselves in this place are arranged in the form of a cascade of 14 consecutively located small stone containers. The hottest water (70-80 ° C) enters the uppermost bath, flowing through the cascade, the temperature drops to very cool. Most visitors have chosen bathtubs at an average level; a magnificent panorama of the city opens from the lower tier.
The water in the hot springs of Pyatigorsk in winter and summer is cloudy, with a gray or blue tint, this is due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide in it. In the baths, water never stagnates, constantly updated due to the continuous flow of water. A shield is installed for visitors, where there is information that baths should be taken no more than 20 minutes, as well as a warning about the dangers of self-medication.
Where are the hot springs in Pyatigorsk? You can get to the place by regular bus number 1 to the stop "People's Baths". Leaving the bus you need to return to the intersection, where you turn left and walk to the end of the street. Further movement is carried out according to the placed signs.
In failure
Less well-known hydrogen sulfide hot springs in Pyatigorsk are located near the Proval Lake. There are much fewer tourists, most of the swimmers are local residents. The resource washout is located on a gentle slope and has a rather large volume, up to 5 people can fit in it. Also in the vicinity there are small holes filled with healing water, they are used to treat feet.
Water in the largest pool periodically foams and even boils, this is due to thermal activity and does not pose any danger. Hot springs in Pyatigorsk for bathing in winter in the vicinity of Lake Proval were first discovered by Peter Pallas in 1793, but it was difficult to get to them. The situation changed only in 1837: a bridge was built for visitors, and you could go downstairs in a basket.
In 1858, they came up to the question radically and struck a tunnel in the rock, since then they have been walking to the lake. You can admire the failure and heal in the hot springs of Pyatigorsk all year round. You can get to the place from the train station by city bus route number 1 to the final stop "failure". There are other routes, locals will be happy to give you directions.
What is good for water
The benefits of Pyatigorsk hot springs in the treatment of skin diseases became known even under Peter I. Today, the range of applications has become much wider. They have a therapeutic effect in the form of inhalations, irrigation, bathing, wraps. The fact that water really affects the body is demonstrated by the so-called Matsesta reaction - the skin turns red a few minutes after immersion in hot mineral water.
The change in skin color is due to the expansion of capillaries, a person feels a surge of heat, the pores open and through them hydrogen sulfide, iodine and other useful substances enter the body. In general, absorption occurs not only through the skin, but also through the respiratory tract, mucous membranes.
Indications for diving in hot springs for swimming in Pyatigorsk is:
- Skin lesions of various etiologies (eczema, ichthyosis, neurodermatitis, dermatitis, etc.).
- Diabetes mellitus, prostatitis.
- Stimulation of blood microcirculation, ventilation.
- Prevention of thrombophlebitis.
- Restoration of cartilage tissue, improvement of the musculoskeletal system (arthrosis, arthritis, osteochondrosis, ankylosing spondylitis, polyarthritis, etc.).
- Stabilization of blood pressure.
- Strengthening the nervous system (insomnia, depression).
- Stabilization of the hormonal background.
- Neurological diseases (neuralgia, VSD, paralysis, etc.)
- Gynecological diseases (obstruction of the fallopian tubes, inflammation, cycle disorders, etc.).
The opinion of experts
Doctors believe that plunging into the hot springs of Pyatigorsk, where minerals are in high concentration, is dangerous without the supervision of a doctor. In hospitals and sanatoriums for baths, diluted water is used and the patient's condition is monitored, in case of the slightest threat to health a person will receive the necessary help instantly. In the "wild" conditions of folk baths, the patient is treated at his own risk.
Contraindications for swimming are:
- Myocardial pathology (ischemic disease, heart defects, chronic heart failure, etc.).
- Any chronic diseases in the acute stage.
- Acute inflammatory diseases.
- Neoplasms of any etiology and at any stage.
- Thyroid disease.
- Gynecological diseases (myoma, endometriosis, adenomeosis, etc.).
- The state of intoxication.
General rules of conduct
To obtain a positive effect from taking mineral baths, you need to know not only the indications and contraindications, but also the safety rules:
- The duration of one session should be no more than 20 minutes.
- During the day, no more than 3 diving sessions are carried out.
- In order for the treatment effect to last at least six months, at least 10 dives are necessary.
- You can’t dive headlong into hot springs. Also, a heart zone is left above the surface of the water.
- Before treatment baths, food is taken 2 hours before the session, physical activity should be avoided after the bath, experts recommend spending 1.5 hours at rest, preferably sleeping.
Mineral water of Pyatigorsk hot springs, where mineralization reaches a high concentration, can bring not only benefits, but also harm if you do not adhere to safety rules. The most important condition for success is a preliminary consultation with a doctor. The specialist, relying on the indications and analyzes of the patient, will recommend the source, number of procedures, their duration, mode and so on. Perhaps, successful therapy will require drinking and mud treatment, which is available both in a sanatorium and in the public domain.
Not only in Pyatigorsk
You can get a charge of health at any time of the year not only in Pyatigorsk. Kislovodsk thermal waters have a similar composition and effect. The most popular sources are in the village of Suvorovskaya. The water temperature in these terms reaches +45 º, so you can take baths all year round. Comfortable conditions of stay and treatment are created for vacationers, the pool is divided into two parts - indoor and outdoor. The complex is located at: stanitsa Suvorovskaya, st. Highway, building 1.
The second largest source is the Pearl of the Caucasus complex, where several modern pools await tourists, the largest of them occupies an area of 300 square meters. The water temperature in the pools is different, from +20 to +45 degrees Celsius, which makes it possible to choose a font depending on the state of health and temperature tolerance. The address of the complex: Kislovodsk, Prospect Mira, building 1. All exciting information can be clarified by phone.
In summer and winter, hot springs in Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk are open to all comers, bringing health and joy to vacationers.