All the springs of Truskavets — what each water is drunk for

The Truskavets deposit holds around 25 springs, of which 14 are in use, giving roughly ten distinct types of water. Your sanatorium doctor will prescribe a specific combination, but here is what's on the menu.

The drinking waters

Naftusia (spring No. 1) — the flagship. Low-mineralised water with dissolved petroleum organics; diuretic, choleretic, the resort's reason for existing. Drunk warm, on schedule, only at the pump room. Full article here.

Maria (No. 2) — a chloride-sulfate, sodium-magnesium water of moderate mineralisation. Prescribed for the stomach and intestines: chronic gastritis with lowered acidity, sluggish digestion. Slightly salty-bitter; many find it the most palatable after Naftusia's oil note.

Sofia (No. 3) — the strongest-tasting classic: a chloride-sulfate water with noticeable salinity. Taken for liver, gallbladder and constipation-prone digestion; typically drunk warm so the salts act gently.

Bronislava (No. 4) — a sodium-chloride-sulfate water that is mostly not swallowed: it is the resort's gargling and inhalation water, used for throat, gum and upper-respiratory complaints. Ask at the pump room's separate tap.

Yuzya (No. 11) — the legend of the ladies' spa: nearly mineral-free water rich in glycerin-like organic compounds, historically credited with smoothing the skin. It earned the name "water of beauty"; today it is drunk and used in cosmetic rinses. The science is thin, the tradition irresistible.

The bathing and technical waters

Several highly mineralised brines — descendants of the salt springs that fed the village for centuries — are too strong to drink. They feed the mineral bath departments: sodium-chloride baths for joints, circulation and nerves, and concentrated brine for pearl baths and pools. Spring Edward and the historic Ferdinand group in Adamivka park belong to this stronger family, alongside deep brines pumped for balneological use.

Where to find them

The main pump room (buvet No. 1) in the centre serves Naftusia, Maria and Sofia — paid by volume since the buvet's modernisation (36 UAH per litre as of 2025, so a prescribed dose costs a few hryvnias; you pay with a rechargeable card from the cash desk). Adamivka park preserves the romantic historic springs (Yuzya, Ferdinand, Edward and company) in little pavilions; not all flow year-round. Bath waters you meet only inside sanatorium treatment wings.

Practical notes

Bring or buy the local invention: a flat ceramic spouted cup, which protects tooth enamel and doubles as the town's best souvenir. Never stockpile water "for later" — every Truskavets water except the strong brines loses potency fast. And treat the schedule seriously: these are pharmacologically active waters, which is exactly why they work.