As airlines have built more and more lounges, the exclusive spaces have seemed to move away from utilitarian, conference center-like rooms to the sort of sleek venues that somehow make you want to spend more time at the airport.
With that in mind, the new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse certainly isn’t the largest lounge at Los Angeles International Airport, but it’s the only one that you very well might confuse for a suave hotel bar on the Sunset Strip. It’s full of locally-inspired touches, too: The lightning above the bar mimics L.A.’s sunset colors, the artwork on the walls pays homage to local landmarks and the soaps and lotions come from Northeast L.A.’s Flamingo Estate.
Before I even go any further, you probably want to know whether or not access to Virgin’s new LAX lounge is remotely within your budget. The short version: It’s reserved for Virgin Atlantic travelers (plus a guest) with an Upper Class ticket (the cheapest fare I’ve found so far is just over $3,000), as well as those flying Delta One on a Delta international flight. There are a handful of loyalty programs that’ll get you in, too (including for Virgin Atlantic, Delta and Air New Zealand) but I’ll break those down at the bottom of this story.
The clubhouse, which is located on the sixth floor above the B side of the Tom Bradley International Terminal and officially opens on March 28, offers seating for about 70 guests. Though many lounges are plagued by lines at the door in recent years, Virgin Atlantic doesn’t anticipate such issues here as the airline’s only nonstop flights out of LAX are its three overnight ones to London’s Heathrow Airport.
Once inside, the bar—outfitted with more outlets and wireless charging spots than you’ll probably know what to do with—is by far the focal point of the 4,400-square-foot space, and home to the densest cluster of tables, chairs and countertops.
Over to the right, you’ll find the Ruby Room, a Hollywood screening room-like setting with solo chairs centered around a big-screen TV (you can listen in via wireless headphones), plus some plush banquette seating.
To the left, the lounge narrows into the Wing, a more work-focused area that features three privacy pods named after—and featuring music memorabilia from—three Virgin Records studios: the Manor, Olympic Studios and Sunset Sound. Taken all together, it’s admittedly a somewhat compact lounge, so the separation between each of these areas is a bit more thematic than physical.
All the way toward one end, you can roll out a yoga mat and relax in the Zen Den, a narrow wellness and mindfulness room that sports a handful of weights and a FORME Studio smart mirror (complete with an intro video from founder Sir Richard Branson himself). There are other wellness touches throughout the lounge, like TRIP drinks that tout sleep benefits to lighting that transitions throughout the day to aid weary about-to-cross-the-pond travelers.
As for the perks you’re probably most interested in: The clubhouse offers a California-esque assortment of goodies for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus a full bar and a small self-serve buffet. Though my morning preview featured tray-passed, appetizer-sized lunch and dinner bites, travelers on a typical day will be treated to table service from any seat.
I sampled the mahi-mahi tacos and pulled hoisin mushroom bao, as well as a sweet miso doughnut drizzled with honey caramel. But the clear standout was the fish and chips (which I was told is Branson’s favorite): Moist and flaky, crispy and not oily, I went back for seconds even though it was a few hours before I’d typically have the stomach for deep-fried fish. On the drink side, I tried a refreshing non-alcoholic mojito, as well as the Redhead, a somewhat-morning-appropriate mix of prosecco, berry liqueurs and gin.
This isn’t Virgin’s first foray into an LAX lounge: The carrier opened a colorful, mid-century modern-inspired clubhouse in 2015, which it shuttered in 2021. And it’s also not the first lounge to occupy this specific space within the airport: It most recently belonged to Etihad Airways. But that former space had more of a bright business center feeling, whereas Virgin has brought more of an intimate lobby bar vibe to this iteration.
Back to the matter of access: The clubhouse opens at 11:30am and you can enter three hours before your scheduled departure. But that’s only if you have an Upper Class ticket on Virgin Atlantic, and you can bring a guest with you as long as they’re traveling with Virgin Atlantic or Delta. You can also enter if you’re flying Delta One on a Delta international flight—though, in that case, you’d also have access to the Delta One Lounge, and that one’s in a class of its own.
When it comes to loyalty statuses, it’s open to Flying Club Gold members plus a guest travelling internationally with Virgin Atlantic or Delta; SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on Virgin Atlantic or Delta plus a guest traveling on an international flight operated by a SkyTeam carrier; Virgin Australia Velocity Club Gold, Platinum and the Club card holders traveling on Virgin Atlantic; and Air New Zealand Gold or Elite members traveling on Virgin Atlantic.
And finally, for connecting flights, you’ll need to be traveling in Upper Class or Delta One, or a Flying Club Gold member, Platinum, Diamond or Gold medallion member or Sky team Elite plus—on the same itinerary, ticket and day on an international flight (Sky team Elite plus must be departing on a sky team member carrier).