Country
United Kingdom
City
London
Airport
London Heathrow
Alliance
None
Airline
Virgin Atlantic
Cabin-class
Business
Notes
The Good
- A la carte dining, barista coffee
- Private shower suites with free garment pressing
- AC, USB power near most seats
The Bad
- No access for Virgin Australia Velocity Gold, Platinum (unless flying business class)
X-Factor
- Enjoy a complimentary treatment at the Clubhouse Spa
Introduction
Flying into London's Heathrow Airport with Virgin Atlantic or Delta Air Lines? With a business class ticket or the right frequent flyer card, you'll be able to stop by the Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge after your flight.
Offering guests a la carte dining, private shower suites, WiFi and even a day spa, visiting this arrivals lounge is a great way to start your day, particularly if you've landed far too early to check into your hotel, or are headed straight for the office and need to look (and feel) your best.
Australian Business Traveller stopped by the flagship arrivals lounge of Virgin Australia's sister airline to bring you this review.
Location & Impressions
After completing the arrival formalities at Heathrow Terminal 3, veer left and follow the signs to "arrivals lounges"...
... and then turn right and take the lift or stairs up to the next level. If you're only travelling with carry-on baggage, the stairs can be faster because passengers going to the short stay car park also share these lifts, making them quite busy.
Keep your eyes peeled for "Virgin Atlantic Revivals" when you do emerge upstairs...
... and if you're walking down this corridor, you're in the right place. As above, the lounge opens at 5am daily and closes at 1:30pm: but if you're still enjoying your visit come 1:30pm, we're told you won't be booted out of the lounge, so don't feel you need to rush off if you have another email to send.
Being in the public area of the terminal, you'll have already collected any baggage and can store it behind the reception desk...
... and once inside, you'll find a cosy space split into an array of small nooks geared towards dining, lounging and relaxing:
Particularly important after touching down on those early morning flights – especially from Hong Kong in connection with a Virgin Australia flight – there's plenty of natural light here to help your body adjust to its new time zone, but without much of a view to speak of, the windows here adopt a gentle pattern print:
Read: Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Upper Class review, Hong Kong-London
Access
After landing at London Heathrow, the following guests are welcome to visit the Virgin Atlantic Revivals Lounge:
- Virgin Atlantic Upper Class (business class) passengers from any destination, including on flights booked using Flying Club miles, Virgin Australia Velocity points or through other frequent flyer programs.
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold and UNIQ members arriving into Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic or Delta, including in premium economy and economy.
- Delta SkyMiles Platinum and Diamond Medallion cardholders arriving on Virgin Atlantic or Delta flights in any class of service.
- Delta One (business class) passengers arriving into Heathrow, also including any journeys booked using points.
- Virgin Australia Velocity Platinum frequent flyers arriving into London on Virgin Atlantic.
Unlike Virgin Atlantic's departures Clubhouse lounge, Virgin Australia Velocity Gold members do not have access here, unless flying on an Upper Class or Delta One ticket which provides this.
Dining
Being geared towards sleepy business travellers landing throughout the morning, it's no surprise that barista-made coffee is available here to kick-start the day...
... and while there is a very simple buffet offering cereal, fruit, pastries and smoothies...
... the real focus here is on a la carte dining, with menus ready and waiting at every table:
The breakfast service runs until the lounge closes at 1:30pm – here's what's on offer:
I can never go past a good poached egg, so began with the smoked salmon Egg Royale...
... and paired that with a very refreshing pomegranate and elderflower sparkling water – highly recommended:
As the Egg Royale was quite a small dish, I continued with the mango and coconut yoghurt pot for something filling and a bit healthier...
... and as I wasn't in a rush to get to my hotel, enjoyed the artfully-presented smoked mackerel breakfast bowl later during the day as an early lunch:
With full table service throughout, you're free to sit anywhere – be that in the main dining area...
... up at the bar...
... or in the corner, in the more casual-styled seats:
As you'd expect of a lounge tailored towards passengers stepping off long international flights and kick-starting their business day in London, alcohol is not served here.
Work
Virgin Atlantic and Delta both offer WiFi on flights into London, but if you've arrived in the morning, that hopefully means you got some rest along the way – and with the lounge featuring a dedicated business corner, it's easy to transition from 'zzzzz' into 'work mode':
The space is small but has desk facilities, whether you need to use a desktop computer or brought your own tech – in which case, you can easily plug it in to recharge:
Otherwise, power points are accessible from many of the seats throughout the Revivals Lounge, including in the dining area.
You'll mostly find them along the walls, where both USB and AC outlets are available – and here, it's time to unpack your travel charger for the UK-style AC plugs:
As for the WiFi, our tests revealed consistent upload and download speeds of 9.5Mbps: perfectly usable whether you're doing some light browsing, are sending and receiving large email attachments or even if you're streaming video in HD.
Relax
While this lounge doesn't seem very big in the main seating areas, walk down the corridor and you'll discover a long stretch of private shower suites – much appreciated if you've landed too early to check-in at your hotel, or are heading straight to a business meeting after leaving the airport.
Bookings are made via the front desk and the suites are refreshed after each guest uses them, which isn't always the case in other lounges.
A nifty feature here is the little cupboard next to the main door where you can hang your outfit...
... and to have it pressed, or for any minor repairs (such as reattaching a button), just hit the housekeeping key nearby, and it'll be returned to the same place. You can also adjust the music playing in the room (or turn it off) via the same system:
Beyond the expected showers, the real treat here is the Clubhouse Spa, where all guests are offered a complimentary session.
It doesn't matter whether you've arrived on Virgin Atlantic or Delta, or whether you were flying up the front in Upper Class/Delta One or down the back as a frequent flyer – if you can access this lounge, you can enjoy the spa.
For your free treatment, the current choices are an express facial, a foot and scalp massage, a head massage or a file and buff (hands or feet): all 15 minutes in duration. If you'd like to enjoy a second (or third) treatment from this list during the same visit, you can pay £16 (A$28.40) per additional session.
A range of other, paid-only spa services are available for purchase too, such as a safety shave, arm or eyebrow waxing, manicures and pedicures. You'll find the full menu at the lounge's main reception desk or tucked behind your dining menu at each table.
I was content with the 15-minute foot and scalp massage on this visit, which was a nice way to begin the lounge experience and forget that I was actually inside one of the world's busiest airports.
Overall, Virgin Atlantic's Revivals Lounge offered everything I was seeking after a long-haul flight: a shower, breakfast, barista coffee, WiFi and access to power – and a post-flight spa treatment never hurts, either!
If you're entitled to Virgin Atlantic's complimentary chauffeur service onwards to your office or hotel, you'll be able to firm-up your departure time at the in-lounge service desk, too: whether you just want to pop inside for a quick breakfast before zipping off, or want to push your chauffeur transfer back a bit to enjoy a more leisurely morning.
Chris Chamberlin was a guest of Virgin Atlantic.
Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
08 Sep 2012
Total posts 236
Nice review. Hopefully with the tie up between Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic - VS will get more Australian passengers who can enjoy this lounge.
United Airlines - Mileage Plus
29 Jan 2011
Total posts 157
16 Dec 2018
Total posts 1
Hey Chris - sounds like a great lounge to try. I’m VA Plat and got an email today saying that from 17 Dec access is open to us when flying in on VS flights - great news!
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
24 Jan 2018
Total posts 755
Finally got to use this lounge last month on arrival into LRH on VS8 (VA5352) from LAX. Chris, your article above inspired and nailed it 100%. Being able to have a shower on arrival, a relaxed brekky and check a few emails filled a 3 hour void before hotel check-in.
Interestingly, on arrival into LAX on VOZ23, Velocity Platinum secured access into Delta's Sky Club lounge in T2, again offering the opportunity to shower and relax before Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse opened, where upon I enjoyed a la carte dining before boarding VS8.
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