We review the Aspire Priority Pass lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5. Even better, we have pictures of this exciting lounge for you to scroll through below. We have also written a detailed review of personal experience of this paid-for aspire priority pass lounge with details of the food & drink offering.
If you are traveling on British Airways in Economy or “World Traveller” or “Euro Traveller,” you cannot access any airport lounge in Terminal 5 except the Plaza Premium lounge, which is another paid-for lounge, or you may be able to access the Plaza Premium lounge for free with an American Express Platinum card (although in our experience, the queues make access almost impossible for Amex holders).
The only lounge which is linked to a Priority Pass is the Aspire Lounge. If you wanted lounge access, you were forced to book British Airways Club Europe Or Club Word or First (Club Europe gives me access to the British Airways Galleries Club Lounge which we’ve reviewed).
To get hold of a Priority Pass, you buy a membership from Priority Pass, you can get an American Express Platinum card (which entitles you to 2 complimentary Priority Passes), or you can enjoy three hours in ‘Aspire, the Lounge, and Spa at LHR T5’ for a fee.
Where is the new Aspire Airport Lounge?
Funnily enough, I used to favor the coffee shop to the far right (when facing the planes) of the Terminal 5 departure area. This is now where you will find the Aspire lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5. So go down on the escalators from security and walk as far as you can to your right (when facing the planes), and you can’t miss it!
How is the Aspire Lounge At Terminal 5?
The 4,000 ft² lounge space is dominated by soaring windows on two sides (see picture above), giving guests dramatic runway views. There is a bar towards the end with a variety of seating, including low cylindrical seats and half-cylinder booths all in purple hues, as well as desk spaces that come complete with plugs for charging, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, and designated quiet zones.
To help guests relax before or during a long trip, state-of-the-art ‘rest pods’ can be found in the lounge that lets guests recline back on specially engineered, reclining loungers, watch television, and recharge in private so that they are rejuvenated for the journey ahead.
An extensive British-inspired seasonal food and drink menu has been created, including a wide range of complimentary and premium (chargeable) options, changing throughout the day. Guests can also enjoy a unique opportunity to sample Spey Whisky (see photo below), draught beer, and a selection of wines on a complimentary basis or choose to pay for carefully selected ‘Wine Flights,’ an innovative way to taste a variety of wines from different regions.
All this sounds good on paper, but in reality, this lounge tends to be overly busy, with few available seats and very little that is appealing food-wise. The food and space in the British Airways galleries lounges are considerably better.
An extra offering of the lounge is the ‘Bliss Spa at Aspire,’ which is the award-winning beauty company’s first location in an airport and costs extra. The specially designed travel spa menu includes a range of facials, manicures, and pedicures available as a refreshing 20-minute express or luxurious 40-minute appointments guaranteed to deliver amazing results in a fun, positive environment.
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