Amethyst mine and spa

In Luosto -- near the better known Pyhä ski resort -- there's an amethyst mine that runs tourist digging tours. In the summer you may hike to the mine, but in the winter the better option is to take a ride on a snowcat " Amethyst Pendolino" and visit the mine. A visit includes the ride, a presentation about the history and purpose of the mine, and then you get to .. digging. You may take the smallest finds home, and everybody is guaranteed a find. And afterwards you might also visit the Amethyst Spa, a Lapland Hotels Luostotunturi resort who has a spa with an amethyst theme.

The mine visit is an experience! The snowcat train, the winter scenery, the descent to the mine, the digging, the joy of finding small gems. 

My loot:

These are maybe 1cm across, so not big but nice!

The mine isn't really an underground one, though the stairs to descend to the mine make you feel like it. The dig site is on a steep hill/cliff, but still above ground. In the summer you can dig outside. Which could be warmer and nicer experience, but the inside-the-wooden-tunnel setup certainly made it feel more like a real underground experience. 

Do get warm clothes though, in the outside air you'll be waiting at least some moments, and then in the mine it is almost outside temperature, though no wind. Don't get your best clothes on this trip either, as the digging may make you dirty.

A visit to the mine costs different amounts depending on day and time, but for our time it was 76€ per person. What a perfect business model for the mine! So you run a mine with people who pay to dig, and any bigger finds you still get to keep yourself :-)

In any case, this is an experience worth trying :-) 

The transport:

The spa runs as a part of the Lapland Hotels Luostotunturi hotel, but you can also enter the spa as an outsider guest. The spa cost for adults is 18€. The spa is advertised as the having an amethyst "cave" where the jacuzzi is, but IMHO it was nice but not super impressive. There was a bigger pool to play around, though, and nice, warm saunas. Worth a visit unless you're staying in some other place that has saunas and pools. Certainly a fitting end to an amethyst mine visit, but maybe not worth a trip otherwise.

(Photo by Lapland Hotels Luosto)

Mine pictures:

Mine snowcat/train pictures:

Spa pictures:

Author:

Other articles about this trip include the skiing in Pyhä in winter storm (link, alt. link).

This article has also appeared here. Read all urban exploration stories from theurbanexplorer.net, and underground stories from planetcaver.net, swimming stories at planetswimmer.com, and sauna articles at saunablogger.cool. Or all blog articles from Blogspot. Photos, videos, and text (c) 2025 by Jari Arkko. The pool is by Lapland Hotels, on their webpage, all rights belong to them.