If you’re headed to Tbilisi, Georgia, you’re in for a real treat. The city is filled with culturally exciting activities, from exploring massive cathedrals to eating hearty khinkali and khachapuri. But even in a city as bustling as Tbilisi, perhaps the best thing to do there is enjoy a traditional Georgian bathhouse.
I hardly knew this was a thing until my friend who hails from Georgia encouraged me to go. After a quick Google search, it seemed the most popular and one of the most beautiful was Orbeliani Baths. With only one day to spare in Tbilisi, I decided I’d go late at night after a long day of exploring.
If you too want to enjoy the Orbeliani Baths, here’s what to know before you go.
You need to make a reservation
Reservations here are required. You can do it directly on their website up to one day prior, or by calling the day of. You simply choose a room that meets your party size needs, and add any additional services if you so desire. The website would not let me book day of, so I called, and it was easy over the phone. No card was necessary to put down. I booked my appointment for 9PM, but was running a little late, and they were quick to move it to 9:15PM for me sans issue.
Bring cash
While Orbeliani Baths does take card, if you want any additional services, like a kisa (more on that later), you will need to pay cash. You will also need to pay cash for any tips you want to leave.
The rooms are all private
Going out late at night as a solo traveler is not usually at the top of my suggested travel tips, but Orbeliani Baths is the exception. Here, the rooms are all private, so you can enjoy peace and serenity behind closed doors without anyone bothering you.
They’re not nude (unless you want them to be)
Because the rooms are private, you can pretty much choose if you want to stay clothed or not. I kept a swimsuit on for the bath, but went nude for the body scrub.
Get a Kisa
Okay, now for the best part! A kisa is a body scrub to remove all of your gross, dead skin. If you’ve ever had a Korean body scrub, it’s very similar. How it works is, a masseuse will knock on your door during your bath session. They will be wearing two Brillo-pad-like gloves and begin scrubbing away at your skin. This does NOT hurt at all so don’t be alarmed by the description of Brillo pads. It’s quite satisfying to watch all fo your dead skin get washed off of you. And, yes, washed, because between scrubbing, be prepared to be doused with a bucket of water to clean off the grey curly dead skin.
Prices
Maybe even better than the body scrub are the prices. For the smallest room, it costs 100 GEL per hour. That’s approximately 37 USD per hour. The body scrub was 20 GEL, which is approximately 7 USD. The USA could never! You should be prepared to tip about 10% on top the cost should you choose to get a service done. Note that rooms go up to 500 TEL an hour for larger parties.
You can go with friends
If you’re not a solo traveler, get some friends and rent a room together. The largest room holds up to eight people.
Food & Drink is available
While drinking wine is generally not encouraged when in a hot, steamy tub, I’m a rule breaker at heart. I got a glass of white wine while soaking, but I will say, it does get extremely hot and is easy to get dehydrated, so proceed with caution and definitely drink a lot of water if you’re going to drink alcohol. Or better yet, get some food with it, like a Georgian cheese plate.
It gets HOT
While I am not sure of what the actual temperature is, the room gets very hot quite quickly. Luckily, there is a standup cold shower available, which I used at least four times in my one hour there to cool down between hot tub sessions.
If you’re interested in booking, click here.