Review: the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3

This is our review of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 3.

With Virgin Atlantic now having sent two Clubhouse passes to all Flying Club Silver members we thought it was worth doing another ‘proper’ review of the flagship Clubhouse at Heathrow.

Anika last reviewed the lounge some time ago in 2018. It goes without saying that a lot has changed since then, although as you’ll see below, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse remains a fantastic lounge.

Where is the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow?

All of Virgin Atlantic’s flights depart from Heathrow Terminal 3. This is the same terminal used by Delta as well as many other oneworld airlines including Cathay Pacific, Qantas, American Airlines and even some British Airways flights.

The Virgin and Delta side of the terminal is clearly marked:

Once you clear security you follow the signs for ‘Lounge H’, which is located by the walkway to gates 13-22. This is also where the American Airlines Admirals Club is located.

Inside the Virgin Clubhouse at Heathrow

The Clubhouse is on the first floor, accessible via these classy stairs (or a lift):

At the top you are greeted by Virgin Atlantic staff who will check you into the lounge. If you have a Silver Clubhouse voucher just present this: you do not need to pre-book.

If it is your first time the lounge staff will give you a tour of the facilities.

The Clubhouse is very well designed. It is a fairly large, open space, but different tiers break up the room and create smaller areas to sit and relax in. It is one of the best-designed lounge spaces I have seen:

and

There is a bar by the window, as well as a number of quieter window seats separated by a wall of glass:

Whilst the lounge was quite busy on a Monday morning there were still plenty of quieter areas, particularly round the left-hand corner which was virtually deserted. This features some rounded booths:

…. and a dining area:

I opted to sit at bar-style seating:

There is also a mezzanine level with a pool table:

The Clubhouse is one of the only lounges at Heathrow to have a small outdoor space in the form of a terrace:

…. with some excellent views of the airport:

Back at the entrance to the lounge there is a magazine rack which I was pleased to see featured real, physical newspapers:

These have been removed from many lounges due to Covid concerns but I much prefer reading from paper than from PressReader on a phone or laptop. The selection included The Times, Daily Mail, Financial Times and a few magazines including GQ and Virgin’s own in-flight magazine.

Showers are available if you need one. Amenities are by REN Skincare and are geranium-scented.

Food and drink at the Virgin Clubhouse Heathrow T3

The entire lounge is table service. You can order by scanning a QR code or one of the fantastic lounge staff can take your order. In many cases the lounge staff reach you before you can get your phone out to scan the code.

In the mornings the menu includes a range of breakfast items, including a sausage or bacon breakfast roll, eggs benedict/florentine/royale and a full English breakfast (as well as a veggie option). You can also order porridge, toast etc as well as grab a range of cereals, yoghurt, pastries or cold cuts from the food bar:

I always go for the eggs royale in the Clubhouse, which is very good:

Champagne is Laurent Perrier Brut. Prosecco and sparkling wine (English, I imagine) is also on offer. Your glass will never be empty – staff will constantly top you up.

What has changed since covid?

New additions to the Clubhouse include three Peloton bikes, with fantastic views across the tarmac:

…. and a new ‘snooze’ area:

These have replaced the hair salon and spa, respectively.

I asked one of the lounge staff how often they had seen people use the bikes and their answer was ‘not many’. This is not particularly surprising – I think most people use airport lounges as places to relax, get work done or celebrate.

A workout won’t be top of mind for most people and the the Peletons appear to be more of a PR stunt than anything else, although I would be more inclined to exercise on a connecting flight than if I were just departing from London.

The spa is a real loss and it’s not clear whether this will return in time.

Conclusion

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow is one of my favourite lounges worldwide. It gets pretty much everything right, from a well designed space to an excellent food offering and proper table service.

The staff are fantastic too – friendly, personable, and ready to top up your drink at a moment’s notice.

Heathrow Terminal 3 has perhaps the highest concentration of excellent lounges worldwide, but the Clubhouse holds it own – different, but on par with the Cathay Pacific, Qantas and American Express Centurion lounges.