The town of Saki is known for its Sanitorium. The Sanitorium is known for its special mud baths, massages and rehabilitation facilities. The mud is cultured in large pits which is a two year process. The area is well guarded by young soldiers and great care is taken to insure the process is done correctly. Saki is only one of two places in the world that makes the special healing mud. Within the holding tanks are micro-organisms that produce the mud.

The mud starts its life in one tank and after a pre-set amount of time, it's moved from that tank to another and so on as it undergoes each step in this process. When the two years are completed, the mud is transferred for use in Sanitorium and patients are treated for various ailments including but not limited to arthritis, infertility and muscle pain. During the Soviet regime, Saki's Sanitorium was used primarily by high ranking military officials and the wealthy. Now, civilians are able to use the facility with a physicians prescription and of course cash payment.

The Sanitorium is surrounded by a wonderful public park and in this photo (left) is an outdoor rehab area for people who have had spinal cord injuries. Paraplegics or amputees are able to come in here and do weight training on special equipment designed with this very purpose in mind. After seeing this, it became clear to me why I was seeing a large number of people in various styles of wheelchairs roaming town.

Replete with beaches, steppe, salty breeze, medicinal herbs, mud, hot springs, beautiful lake, a variety of Spas, sanatoriums and resort, the city of Saki, is an integral part of Crimea. The city’s sanatoriums and clinics offer a variety of treatments that include mud therapy, climatotherapy, psychotherapy, physiotherapy and acupuncture. The clinics and sanatoriums of Saki offer treatments for a gamut of ailments. The population of the city is multi-ethnic that comprises Russians, Armenians, Belarusians, Jews, Karaites, etc. Famous for its exquisite beaches and sea breeze, the city is also a repository of therapeutic mud and hot mineral springs.

City Saki, regional center with a population of more than 35 thousand people, is the oldest balneological resort. The city is situated on the shores of Lake Saki, curative mud of which are world famous. Here, 150 years ago was based first in the Crimea mud resort. Area Saki Lake, where it comes from a health center medical mud - 1085 acres, depth - up to one meter.

A popular remedy is also mineral water "Crimea" (type "Essentuki-4"), sources of which are located near the city. Beaches of the resort are located outside the city, at Saki peresypi, 11 km from Saki. The hospital has a therapeutic spa and gynecology department, equipped with clinical, serological, and biochemical laboratories: X-ray, functional diagnostics, dental, etc. From ancient times to the time of the Crimean Khanate was located on these lands, a small settlement. Its inhabitants are themselves not knowing it, gradually discovers the wonderful healing properties of mud surrounding the lakes, as was later many legends are.

In 1827, in Saki was founded Russia's first mud baths, where the practice for practical use Saki mud. 10 years later, in Saki office was opened in Simferopol military hospital, also practiced mud therapy. Climate of Saki is a unique combination of steppe climate with sea: summer is very warm, winter is mild, the average annual air temperature is +11,8 °, average summer temperature is +23,2 °, winter - +1,6 °.

Saki offers a unique mix of steppe, cool sea, salty wind, herbs, flowers and exotic spas. An integral part of the Republic of Crimea, Saki city in Crimea is located in the centre of the Sakskogo area of Crimea. Saki is one among the eleven cities of republican subordination. Saki is situated about four to five kilometers away from the Black Sea, in the West Coast of Crimea. Located about 45 kilometers away from the Crimean capital city, Simeforol, Saki houses the oldest mud resorts in the region.

Widely acclaimed for resorts, it is considered as the oldest spa resort of Crimea. The climatic condition of Saki is similar to that of Eupatoria. The city has a dry climate with mild winters to its credit. This elusive and unique city is privileged with the presence of exquisite beaches, sand dunes and salty winds. The regime of the Crimean Khanate witnesses Saki, then a village ruled by a Crimean King, Mansour.

Saki played a prominent role in housing the coalition forces during the siege of Sevastopol that occurred in the Crimean War. Around 1855, the village was almost completely annihilated by the German troops. It was gradually rebuilt again. In 1858, migrants from Poltava province settled and later the Greeks from Constantinople settled in Saki. Despite these records of the settlers, early account of the first settlers of Saki is still ambiguous. These accounts do not state exactly, the identity of the first settlers.

The city is home to a multi-ethnic population. The major chunk of the population comprises Russians, who account for about 66% of the total population. The population also consists of 25% of Ukrainians and 6.5% of Tatars and Belarusians. The Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Poles, Crimeans and Karaites constitute a mere 2% of the total population.

Saki is famous for being the oldest resort and there are several baths in the city. Many baths in the city are appended with unique sanatoriums that specialize in treating patients with spinal cord disorders. Sanatoriums like the Nikolai Burdenko resort and polyclinic that is named after an Academician, offers treatments for various ailments. The city replete with mineral springs, therapeutic mud, mineral water and ideal climate is among the much sought after spa destinations of the world. These natural resources are utilized to treat patients and also improve their metabolism, blood circulation of vital organs and cardio vascular systems, gynecological problems, nerve problems, musculoskeletal disorders, regenerative processes, etc.

The spas of Saki are also famous for climatotherapy, massages, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, acupuncture and other curative processes. The must see places of Saki include Spa park, monuments, the beaches and Sakskom lake. The lake is the repository of therapeutic mud and is the coveted property of the land. The city is popular in Europe and around the world for its picturesque landscape and spectacular spas.

You can get there by direct flight to Simferopol or through Kiev or Odessa.