Moving here from Budapest, Hungary, a city rich with state of the art bathhouses, coupled with my grandparents hailing from Eger, another Hungarian city famous for its thermal springs, I have pretty high standards when it comes to bathhouses. As with the aforementioned cities, a trip to Tbilisi is incomplete without experiencing one of the Old Town’s many bathhouses. Indeed, one should look no further than Gulo’s Thermal Spa, a favorite of many Tbiliseli.

Built in the 17th and 18th centuries, the bathhouse has hosted many a foreign guest, traveler, and celebrity. The French author Alexandre Dumas, felt as if he could lift mountains above his shoulders after a reinvigorating traditional Kisa massage, and period of relaxation in the thermal waters; the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was moved enough to declare in A Journey to Arzrum that "From the genus have not seen either in Russia or in Turkey is nothing luxurious Tiflis baths."

The true wonder of Gulo’s Thermal Spa is the total privacy one is afforded during the experience. Indeed, unlike in Budapest’s palatial bathhouses where tourists and locals alike flock in their hundreds, often crowding out the saunas and pools, in Tbilisi one is offered the luxury of having their very own room, equipped with at least a hot pool, and for those willing to pay extra, a hot  pool, cold pool, and a sauna, along with couches and arm chairs to rest in. Gulo’s Thermal Spa has eight different rooms where one hour of therapeutic relaxation costs between 30 and 350 GEL depending on the specifications of the room, while the traditional Kisa massage costs 10 GEL.

Due to high demand, it is highly-recommended that one make a reservation beforehand.