Contemporary healing in Guba
Guba, one of the most stunning regions of Azerbaijan, is a haven for travellers and nature lovers. Those also wishing to combine health and genuine relaxation in nature’s embrace should add Guba to their list. Located in a secluded corner of the city of Guba, on the banks of the River Gudyalchay, the ‘Shahdag Quba & Truskavets’ medical sanatorium complex offers an authentic Truskavets experience for visitors, even those with little time to spare. In the complex, equipped with the latest medical equipment, sufferers of diabetes and various endocrinological, neurological and musculoskeletal conditions can undergo a course of treatment under the supervision of doctors and other professional medical personnel. Healing baths brought from Truskavets, profiting from the experience of the medical sanatoria of this Ukrainian resort city, ensure maximum comfort and rest for guests. Special therapeutic procedures like Ozone therapy, cedar barrel treatment and salt therapy, all with countless benefits, are individually prescribed to visitors and carried out to the highest standards. After the procedures, you will feel renewed, both in body and soul. Also, local and foreign tourists travel to Shahdag Truskavets sanatorium for health tourism all year round, with various treatment packages from which to select.
Duzdag’s soothing salt caves
Salt therapies are offered in many health resorts in Azerbaijan, but for the most authentic experience head to Duzdag, a former salt mine turned physiotherapy centre.Research and archaeological finds have proven that salt was extracted in Nakhchivan as early as the Eneolithic period. Salt was exported from here along the Silk Road, and today this gift of Nakhchivan’s nature is also being used for medical purposes. Located 12km from Nakhchivan city, Duzdag, which translates as ‘Salt Mountain’, is an old salt mine which since 1979 has functioned as a pioneering physiotherapy centre in the use of speleotherapy to alleviate respiratory diseases. Today the Duzdag Physiotherapy Centre treats diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, pollinosis, allergic rhinitis in salt caves at a depth of 110 metres. Patients spend the night in comfy rooms located along the former mining tunnels and breathe in the healing salt to improve lung function. Tourists are welcome to come and explore the atmospheric tunnels and spend some time imbibing the salty air. Meanwhile, the Duzdag Hotel, located 2km from the physiotherapy centre, offers indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa and wellness centre, restaurant and bar, in addition to pleasant rooms. There’s also an on-site Salt Museum where you can browse some interesting salt-themed exhibits.
Health and wellness experiences in Lankaran
Nestled between the Caspian Sea and the Talysh Mountains, Lankaran has plenty of natural beauty. Moreover, the area is home to numerous hot springs where locals have been healing themselves for centuries. Nature in this subtropical corner of Azerbaijan isn’t just pleasing on the eye, but also naturally therapeutic. Scattered throughout the region are thermal water springs (called ‘istisu’ in Azerbaijani) that have long been used by the local population to cure all sorts of ailments. They tend to be very simple sanatoriums offering bathing booths filled with the hot, mineral-rich water flowing naturally from underground. Bathing in these is surprisingly relaxing, but the village of Haftoni has taken the procedure to an entirely new level. A popular sanatorium opened around the many hot springs here way back in 1958 and became a hit with Soviet health seekers. However, since summer 2019 the village is home to the luxurious Lankaran Springs Wellness Resort.