After experiencing a fair few airport lounges over the years, I think the United Club Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 is one of my favourites.
I recently flew to New York and had the pleasure of visiting the United Club lounge before the flight. Terminal 2 at London Heathrow is the dedicated Star Alliance terminal so is the terminal I travel through most frequently. The only disappointing aspect of the United T2 lounge is the fact it’s quite far from many of the boarding gates, so you have a stupidly long walk (about 15 minutes from security) to get there.
I visited mid-morning and found the lounge to be very busy, but I didn’t have a problem with finding a space to sit and work on my laptop. The lounge itself is very light, with lots of glass and light colourings for the design which make it seem very spacious.
United Airlines Heathrow Lounge Location
Satellite T2B (departures, after security)
Lounge B1, Level 2 (stairs and lift opposite Gate B46)
Access to the United Club Lounge at London Heathrow
Access is reserved for United Club members, Chase United Club Visa holders, Star Alliance Gold travelers, and international business or first class passengers traveling on any Star Alliance flight. While access for Star Alliance Gold status holders from United Airlines (Premier Gold or higher) is limited to traveling on a same-day international itinerary, that applies to all passengers departing LHR.
Facilities at United Club Lounge at Heathrow
As I’d had an early start I hadn’t had time to shower at home, so I made full use of the shower facilities at the United Club Heathrow lounge. The shower rooms were luxurious, lockable, and full of luxury Cowshed amenities. A hairdryer and large, soft towels were provided, and the shower was pretty powerful with a nice big rainfall shower head!
After my shower I investigated the rest of the lounge. There’s the busy central area where most people sit as it’s right in the middle of the bar, food area, showers, and entrance. But there’s also a small library area off to the side that is really nice to just sit in a little peace and quiet if you have work to do before your flight. There are also different types of seating depending on what you feel like; bar seating, lounge seating, dining seating, armchairs, and desk seating.
There are plenty of newspapers and magazines dotted around, however at my time of visit (in 2016) I could see no PCs at all, so you’ll have to use your own. There are plenty of plug points though and free wifi which requires no login.
Food & Drink at United Club Lounge at Heathrow
The food at the United Heathrow T2 lounge is epic. Think hot dishes, full English breakfast items, as well as salads, fruit, yoghurts, cereals, and baked goods. Basically make sure you turn up at the United Airlines lounge feeling very hungry, and leave feeling very full. As well as the bar you also have plenty of fridges in the lounge that are fully stocked with bottles of water and soft drinks.
The bar is huge, gorgeous, and overlooks the runway. The barman was a lovely guy and whipped me up a Cosmopolitan (gotta have one when you’re going to NYC). All drinks at the bar are complimentary, including all alcoholic drinks and cocktails.
Final Thoughts
I actually prefer the United Club lounge to other Star Alliance lounges in Heathrow’s Terminal 2 (Singapore Airines, Air Canada, Lufthansa) and I really appreciate the great showers with cowshed toiletries lovely staff, and genuinely delicious food. This lounge certainly provides a nice dose of tranquility.