Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Lounge
What isn't there to like about the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Lounge. It has a novel design, great facilities, and is one of the most entertaining lounges at JFK. It is one of the few lounges where you genuinely won't want to get on the plane.
There are special Virgin Atlantic's spa treatments (which are free for Virgin customers), top-notch dining and friendly staff. A rare and unpublished perk is that all Delta One passengers also get access to the New York JFK Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge.
NEWS: New Virgin Atlantic New York JFK clubhouse now open. The new space is inspired by the theme 'Understatedly Uptown, Unmistakably New York'. It has cost five million pounds (US$7 million) to rebuild the 10,000 square feet facility at the Virgin Atlantic JFK Clubhouse, inside Terminal 4 at New York JFK International Airport.
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New York JFK Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge review
Virgin Atlantic new Clubhouse at New York-JFK Airport is amazing, and shows what can really be done with a brief that includes designing a completely new lounge from scratch. The new space is inspired by the theme 'Understatedly Uptown, Unmistakably New York', and looks rather like an upscale hotel lobby, with a decent cocktail bar in the middle.
The lounge is big - really big - with more than double the space of the existing Clubhouse. However, first you have to find it: the Virgin JFK Lounge is on the left arm of Terminal 4, now that the previously open space outside security is now airside. It is a good 10 minutes, brisk, walk from the Delta Sky Club, and then you have to head up the stairs, and head to the large white entrance.
As you walk in you are first struck by the walls, with curved shimmering stainless steel rods and walnut fins hanging from the ceiling creating lots of much smaller spaces within the lounge, while at the same time allowing you to see the whole area. On the ceiling are gold pods with down lights which soak up a lot of noise and vibration: a good idea considering most of the surfaces are reflective, including the polished hardwood floor. There isn't much of a view in the lounge, except at the far end where floor to ceiling windows give decent views of the runway, and hopefully of your aircraft parked below. Alas most of Virgins flights leave after dark, so you won't get to see much of the view, unless you are here for the 6pm flight, or the early morning daytime flight on the rare days when it runs.
The seats are on the cutting edge of art, with quite a few of the strange four-way squashy seats, as well as some small patent-leather stools with low backs - they scream achingly trendy, but there are woefully impractical. At most seats there are no places to put drinks, or indeed plug in a laptop. To complete the eye-popping look, there is a sofa made from red balls in the entertainment zone, opposite the snooker (pool) table.
In the quiet corner of the JFK Clubhouse, passenger sized round cavities have been carved in the walls, lined with wool, with intimate lighting, in case you have had a hard day and you want to retreat into your own private zone.
On the other side of the lounge are more conventional seats. And some more somewhat enclosed sofas, before the far end gives way to some shiny grey leather sofas again.
The bar itself is in the middle of the lounge, but quite low down: there are some low seats here if you want to sit actually at the bar.
Finally, if you really want to embarrass yourself, you can slip into the usual Virgin Atlantic sleeper suit in the Clubhouse: you're given a hanger for your suit so you can carry it on board.
The new airside space has been designed by Slade Architecture in collaboration with the Virgin Atlantic in house design team. It has cost five million pounds (US$7 million) to rebuild the 10,000 square feet facility at the Virgin Atlantic JFK Clubhouse, inside Terminal 4 at New York JFK International Airport.
The New York JFK Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse opening hours are from 1400 to 2200 every day.
Food
Food is as you would expect good, but again there is no self-serve snackbar. Now, just as the bar is great if you've got plenty of time to wait and you don't mind hanging around for the butlers, if you are in a hurry this can be a real downside. The moral is, allow plenty of time. There are menus on all the tables, and there is a more formal brassiere area, with proper dining tables. Here, you can order a full five course meal á la carte. The desserts are especially good, as are the clubhouse burgers. There is a strong New York bent on the menu, including pork sliders, tin baked steak and Brooklyn Ale pie.Bar
Naturally, the heart of the the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK is the bar; it is mocked up as what Virgin call a 'sultry, uptown cocktail bar'. There is a resident mixologist (barman) who will pour cocktails. The range of spirits has to be seen to be believed: not only with your usual premium brands, but also with some more obscure bottles, including a large range from Mexico. There is also sparkling wine, and some of New Yorks microbrewery ales. Alas, if you're hunting for some beer from the UK, you may be out of luck.Business Facilities
There are of course computers in the work area, with a meeting room with high-backed chairs. There are also newspapers here, with a good set from the UK, including the Telegraph and the Daily Mail, but no Guardian or Independent.Bathrooms
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Spa
There is one final delight in the lounge - it has a Clubhouse Spa. This is the first Virgin have offered outside of London. There is also the usual hairdresser, offered by New York City salon Bumble and Bumble: for haircuts you normally have to book in advance.Be sure to arrive early if you manage to score access, though, as complimentary spa sessions book up quickly and the lounge does seem to fill up as the night goes on.
Access
It is available to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class passengers, Flying Club Gold members, Australian Velocity Gold members with an international ticket on Virgin Atlantic.Video: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Lounge
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Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse New York JFK Lounge
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in total 1 videos, 51 photos by Loungeindex.
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| Location: | Airside | |
| Open hours: | 1400-2200 | |
| Lounge for: | Virgin Atlantic | |
| Access: | ||