A Wild Ride at Buvet 19: My Unforgettable Experience

Hey there, folks! I'm still buzzing from our New Year's celebration in Pятигорск, and I'm excited to share my thoughts on Buvet 19.
Located near the Pятигорский некрополь, this place is a small, one-story building with panoramic windows. Compared to other buvetes in Pятигорск, it's the largest and most beautiful – the Pитьевая галлерея is a close second, and it's like a mini-market with multiple buvetes. The walls are adorned with Soviet-era tiles featuring Pятигорск's scenic views and, of course, working-class folks.

Here's the thing: each buvet has its own schedule and massive breaks in between. To put it simply, they're open for 2 hours at a time – breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you're staying at a sanatorium, your doctor will prescribe a specific buvet and the amount of water you should drink. Keep in mind that there are certain health conditions that make it inadvisable to drink from this source.
For instance, if you have high blood pressure, you won't be assigned to a warm buvet. Similarly, if you have urinary tract issues, it's best to avoid 'live water' altogether.

CompositionThe water is usually prescribed on an empty stomach, starting with 100 ml and gradually increasing the dose. To enjoy the buvet, you'll need a container – a buvetnitsa, to be precise. It's a cup with a thin spout that you can buy on the spot for around 500 rubles or more, depending on the material. Alternatively, you can get a disposable cup from the vending machine for 7 rubles or ask the administrator for one if you're staying at a sanatorium on a union-sponsored trip.
I recommend using a thermos, though. It'll keep the water at the right temperature, and the lid will help mask the, ahem, 'aroma.' Plus, it's less likely to spill if you accidentally knock it over.

You can fill up your container to your heart's content, but be aware of the rules. The staff is pretty strict about not touching the faucets with your container, as they're frequently disinfected and wiped down with questionable cloths.
Now, let's get to the main event – the taste. It's... unique. The water is warm, with a strong sulfur smell, and it's incredibly salty. There's also this lingering aftertaste that's, well, not exactly pleasant. I couldn't bring myself to drink it, and I ended up getting sick from it. My husband described it as if someone had started cooking a rotten egg and then decided to drink the water from it.

As for its supposed health benefits, we can't say for sure. We didn't experience any adverse effects, but our friend did during her summer 2025 stay at a local sanatorium. She was prescribed this buvet, and every time she drank from it, she'd get a 'bear's disease' – I'm not making that up. Needless to say, it was discontinued, and she returned to normal.

When we visited, there were usually only a few people around, but by lunchtime, the parking lot was filled with tourist buses. You can imagine the scene.

I'm not gonna lie – I highly recommend Buvet 19 as a quirky experience in our otherwise mundane lives on the Krasnodar Krai. It's a wild ride, to say the least.