Truskavets
Lviv Oblast, Ukraine · Трускавець
A Carpathian drinking-cure town built around Naftusya, the oil-scented mineral water
You come to Truskavets to drink, not to soak. The town sits in a valley of the Carpathian foothills, reachable by bus or train from Lviv, and has been a spa since the first baths opened in 1827. Its signature is Naftusya, a lightly mineralized magnesium and calcium water with a faint petroleum smell.
At Pump Room No. 1 in the Resort Park you buy a card, load it, and fill a cup or bottle from taps for Naftusya, the chloride-sulfate-sodium waters Sofia and Maria, and the salty Bronislava, used for rinsing. The pump room opens in three sessions daily, morning, midday and evening, and water costs well under a dollar a liter.
Sanatoriums and hotels around town offer full treatment packages, and several have their own taps. Truskavets kept operating through the war and its tourist tax income rose in 2026. The downside: there is no hot spring to bathe in, much of the center is Soviet-era concrete, and travel to Ukraine carries air-raid and security risks you should check first.
What's in the water
- MagnesiumMagnesium-rich water feels soft and slightly slick. It is the mineral most bath-salt blends try to copy.
- CalciumCalcium-rich springs build travertine: the white terraces of Pamukkale and the rock rims of countless wild pools.
- SodiumSalty thermal water floats you a little higher and can sting fresh cuts.
- ChlorideChloride springs are the salty, warm-holding waters common in Japanese onsen and coastal geothermal areas.
- SulfateSulfate springs are often clear and odorless, common in European spa towns.
Sources
Hot springs near Truskavets
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