A while ago my Roving Reporter visited the AA arrivals lounge at T3, which was impressive. Last week I revisited the BA T5 Arrivals lounge to see how it compares.
In this post:
The Details
Location: After exiting Arrivals, take the orange lifts to the first floor .
Opening Hours: open daily from 05:00 to 14:00, offering a full English breakfast until 12:30.
Eligibility:
- flying on a scheduled British Airways flight in First or Club World
- Gold Member of the British Airways Executive Club arriving on a British Airways long haul flight
You may also be able to access the AA lounge at T3 although technically it is meant to be T3 flights only. However I do know a number of people that have gained access if you could be bothered to make your way over to T3 from T5.
BA Arrivals lounge Elemis Spa
You can have a complimentary 15 minute treatment in the lounge Spa, subject to availability. Unlike the other Elemis BA spas you can’t pre-book your treatments, even travelling in First. The treatments are the same as the other T5 Elemis spas and include shaves, massages and facials. As usual, you are likely to have to wait a while to get an appointment. You can find the full list of treatments here.
The lounge and facilities
The lounge doesn’t really have any natural daylight, so it is not a place you would want to linger for long. As you enter the lounge, if you turn left, you will come to the Elemis spa and then the business area. The business area is quite small but has the same as the other BA lounges with PCs, headphones and a printer. If you turn right when you come in, you will enter the main lounge seating are. This tends to be quiet, as most people are either eating or showering. In this area are newspapers and TVs with the news channels on. Beyond this area is the ‘Hydrotherapy’ zone or showers and cabanas.
Showers and cabanas
After you have walked through the seating area, you will come to the “Hydrotherapy zone”. This has an impressive 94 shower rooms. You check in with shower reception and if there is a wait, they will give you a buzzer. Although the showers feature an assortment of massaging jets and rain shower heads, that’s where the luxury stops. As usual BA have gone with a design based on a fusion of hospital chic with a dash of your local sports centre showers. The rooms are designed as a wet room, so don’t leave anything on the floor! Towels and Elemis Toiletries are provided. One handy service is the pressing service. Whilst in the shower room ,you can open a special two way door to hang your clothes and they will come back pressed in around 10 minutes.
The shower rooms have a built-in sound system, with pre-set news and music channels. You may prefer to have a bath, in which case you should see if there is a cabana available. Priority for these is given to First passengers. The cabanas are larger than the shower rooms. They have a dressing area, an overflowing “infinity” bath, and a chair.
Food and drink
The selection in the Arrivals lounge is far better than the Galleries Club breakfast. The buffet has pretty much what you would expect in Galleries First. There is a full cooked English breakfast with scrambled eggs, as well as pastries, cereals, yoghurt and fruit. The usual coffee machines and teas are on offer. Drinks wise, don’t expect Bloody Marys and Champagne like the AA T3 Arrivals lounge. All I saw was water, juice and hot drinks.
There is also a Concorde Room dining room, accessible for First and Concorde Room card holders. Here, there are a few items to order with waiter service. There is usually full English with eggs to order, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, eggs benedict and kippers. Most of the rest of the menu is just what is already on the buffet. This is a small area, but a bit quieter than the main lounge dining area.
Conclusion
If like me, you were on a short night flight and want to maximize your sleeping time, the lounge is worth a visit for breakfast. The breakfast is better than on board or the airside Galleries Club. It is also a reasonable place to freshen up prior to going straight to a meeting. However, it was nowhere near the standard of the AA T3 lounge.
You can find the BA Arrival lounge page here.
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19 comments
The link you gave to the T3 AA arrivals lounge says that you can only use it if you’re travelling on BA if you arrived in T3. This contradicts what you said in the article. Which is true?
Sorry if it wasn’t clear. Technically according to the rules you couldn’t use the AA lounge if you arrived in T5 on BA but I know people that have. I have amended the article.
Arrive LHR in T5 on BA business, but connecting to a BA First Class flight to the U.S. Is it possible to use the Concorde Room upon arrival, then proceed to T3 for departure? If not, what lounge would be preferred in T3? (With first class departure out of T3, I assume entry into any OW lounge would be possible – considering we are also OW Emerald)
Hi Mark. You could only use the Concorde room if flying from T5. No access on arrival unfortunately. 100% the Cathay lounge. As good as Concorde room apart from no Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle. There is a review of it under the review-lounges tab. If you are flying F you can get a Spa treatment in the BA lounge free. Book from 28 days in advance.
The lounge is upstairs after you come through customs. Not worth it for that short time Colin.
Paul
Thanks Paul
Is the bath REALLY infinity? I’ve had 3 baths there over the years but have always been afraid to let the water rise over the edge ?
Yes it is infinity as if you look closely there is no overflow outlet but yes I was nervous about doing it too!
Can you use the arrivals lounge if you are transferring to a BA domestic flight in T5. Have about 3 hours between flights.
Yes you can but it does mean you would have to go landside through passport control and then back through security again for your departure
Hello Michele.
Not sure if you still answer questions on an older thread, but I thought I’d give it a go. I may have more later, thanks for an informative site!
I am flying into T5 from the US, and have an internal UK flight about 3 ½ hours later, both business class. I’d love to get a shower, but I am not sure if it would be better going to the arrivals lounge, or the Galleries Club lounge and getting one there. Any thoughts?
Thanks
Since you have plenty of time you could do either. Obviously for arrivals you have to clear immigration and go landside but as long as you have that amount of time it should be plenty. Both have a wait for a shower at peak times though the breakfast in arrivals is better.
Thanks Michele
Hi Michele, I am arriving into London Heathrow T5 on an American Airlines Flight, operated by British Airways, in First Class – would I be able to access the Galleries Lounge in Arrivals.
Hi Paula. Yes you would.
Hi Michele,
Hoping you may be able to help with a couple of queries?
I am landing next month (BA First Class) into T3 – am I allowed to transfer across to T5 to use their arrivals lounge or can I only use T3. Which would you recommend anyway?
I am then landing back into T5 later in Feb (BA Club World) with my teenage children. My husband has been booked through BA but because of his route, lands into T3 on AA Business. Can he transfer through to T5 to join us?
Hope you may be able to offer help so I can plan logistics ahead!
Many thanks!
You should only be allowed access to T3. The AA lounge is much nicer anyway apart from the lack of spa which you can rarely get an appointment at anyway. I’d stick with T3. Technically your husband should use T3. I’d ask at T5 when you arrive. They may bend the rules but it’s hard to know.
Hello, I have a question , would really appreciate any advice you can offer!
We are flying february 23rd from montreal to London heathrow on BA business class. We will arrive very sleepy at 8:30AM. Our connecting flight in BA business class is not till 9PM that night. Is there a place to sleep in the BA lounges?
Thanks!
No there is not really apart from if you managed to find a sofa. Personally I would recommend looking at a day room. Hilton do them. The one at T2 may be an option. There is also a plaza premium arrivals lounge there that has sleep rooms. You can get there by train for free.
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