Whether you are a seasoned road warrior or a first-time leisure traveller, air travel can be stressful.
Let’s face it: most airports are not exactly an oasis of peace and tranquillity. With long queues of weary travellers, slow Internet, uncomfortable seats and overpriced fast food options, the airport can be a truly nerve-wracking place.
No worries, a few hours in one of these ‘top 5 coolest airport lounges’ can take the edge off your most deeply rooted feelings of stress. Offering anything from slot cars to saunas, some airport lounges are truly doing their bit to put the glamour back into air travel and make flying fun again.
Finnair’s Premium Lounge in Helsinki
Finnair has always been an innovative airline and this clearly shows in their latest lounge, which is an example of Scandinavian design excellence. This ‘ultra-white’ lounge is home to a wall of Apple computers and a staffed bar.
But best of all: the lounge features a unisex Finnish sauna to truly de-stress even the tensest of travellers. Drop your inhibitions and your clothes and expect fluffy towels, forest berry-based shampoos and shower toiletries from Finland in return.
CIP Lounge in Istanbul
Not many lounges can show off a grand piano, pool tables, a library, super sized TV screens and private sleeping rooms, but the CIP Lounge in Istanbul has it all.
If you have a particularly long layover, you can take advantage of one of the lounge’s eight private oases. Though not as comprehensive as a hotel room, they are quite comfortable, and each room provides a single bed, television, desk, and telephone.
Other exclusive amenities include a prayer room, billiards table, library, cinema, massage area, slot car racing course, video game consoles, golf simulator and a dedicated playroom and private infant room.
DJ David Guetta’s Lounge Club in Ibiza Airport
A club in an airport? It doesn’t get any ‘cooler’ than this.
DJ David Guetta and his wife Cathy opened a “F*** Me I’m Famous” lounge club at the Ibiza Airport in the airside area. Open 24/7, the lounge comes complete with DJ booth, dance floor, funky furniture and ambient lighting. Travellers can choose four styles of music throughout the day: chill-out music (6am to 2pm), funk and Latin house (2pm -7pm), house and deep house (7pm -12am) and tech-house and electro-house (12am – 6am).
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in London
For a true rockstar-experience, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London’s Heathrow has a recording studio and digital editing room for music mixing. Just in case you dream up a great tune while waiting for a flight…
The lounge boasts a truly dizzying array of amenities, such as complimentary spa services, Bumble and Bumble hair salons, and mouth-watering food. “The Den” at Heathrow is perfect for gamers and film buffs, where you can play on retro video game consoles or catch a flick on state-of-the-art multiscreens.
Star Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles
This indoor/outdoor lounge overlooking the Hollywood hills offers an amazing terrace with firepits and a waterwall.
The lounge’s ‘experience zones’ are designed to accommodate passenger needs ranging from social gatherings to quiet time away from home. In addition to the outdoor terrace, the lounge offers a bar area for socialising, a library space, a den, a study and a media room.
For those who want to put in some work before a flight, the lounge is equipped with high-speed wi-fi and offers printing, fax and copy services on request. In addition to traditional power outlets customers can also make use of USB power ports to recharge their mobile devices.
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