Naftalan: The Azerbaijan resort where guests bathe in crude oil | cnn.com
Ever since the world's first oil well was dug here back in 1847, Azerbaijan has been making the most of its plentiful stocks of "black gold."More than 170 years later, Azeri Light crude oil is still the country's most valuable resource.But in the little town of Naftalan, 320 kilometers west of Baku in the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, an unusual local oil -- also called Naftalan -- has been attracting the travel set for hundreds of years.This crude oil is too thick for commercial use and it isn't much good for burning. But it's said to have health-giving properties and so people have been bathing in it since ancient times.Recently, treatments involving being submerged in the dark gloop have had a resurgence.