Review: Polaris Lounge LAX
My leg for this portion of the trip consisted of LAX-SFO-MNL which meant I was granted access to the Polaris Lounge at LAX. This was amazing since the flights to Tokyo leave late morning while the other Polaris flights leave around late evening. my flight to SFO was a 4:15 and I arrived at around 1 pm to LAX. Polaris access works at any airport as long as you have a same-day Polaris leg.
The Lounge
Situated in Terminal 7 by gate 73 the Polaris is small but a great place to hang out and do some p;ane-spotting if you are into that. The views from this lounge are spectacular, take a look at "The Pencil" departing to Newark.
Or the Alaska Air 737 across the way
Anyways moving on the Polaris Lounge has a couple of different sections to it with the main "living room" as well as the bar in one section.
When I was there it didn't have too many people but I could imagine it would get very busy in the evenings.
I sat down in the far corner which felt very private. These cubicles seem to be like a Singapore business class bed on the A350 without the small footwell your feet cram into haha. I also brought over a glass of Aperol Spritz which was made the correct 3,2,1 way, props to the bartender.
Later I also brought around a glass of champagne for which in the lounges United serves Lanson Brut which is a very decent champagne, especially for the price tag it comes at. Not too sweet. Don't mind the Fedora 😁.
The last part of the living room is a small area by the entrance with some more seats, they seem like a good place if you have friends or family but I personally wouldn't sit there by myself.
While I didn't get any pictures there is also a full bar in the living room stocked with lots of options from Casamigos to Lanson to top-tier Bourbon.
The Roundabout
The roundabout section of the lounge is between the living room and the Dining room/shower suites. This part features some grab and go sort of snacks such as cookies and a few other bits and bobs as well as a wall of wines and champagne. They also incorporated some dining tables out there since as you will read later the dining room is quite small.
As you can see there are some tables for sitting but closer to the dining room are some tables that are reserved for dining.
Dining
The dining room consists of about 8 tables, some with opportunity for 2 people and others sitting for 4. It is a very intimate space with some quality food. Since it was empty I came back twice once for a burger and the second time for the classic "skillet cookie".
This is what the dining room looks like.
I took a seat in the far corner and was greeted by the waiter who gave me a menu. The menu for today read as follows.
I do love a good risotto but was more in the mood for a burger. They asked me how I wanted it done and I said medium, they got it right! Unlike at SFO which you will read about in the following post.
The burger was quite delicious and I highly recommend it. I had another glass of champagne to accompany the burger because well why not?
To finish I had a skillet cookie but will review that in the SFO Polaris Lounge review, let's just say, INCREDIBLE!
Overall a fantastic dining experience, I had a private room with bottomless champagne and good food. What more could I ask for?
Restrooms/Shower Suites
For those wondering about this situation there are about 10 private restroom stalls so don't worry you can handle your business in private hehe. There are also shower suites although it slipped my mind to check them out, my apologies.
Service
The service was good but wasn't over the top such as my last visit to Dulles. My champagne was constantly topped up and orders were taken willingly but it didn't have the happiness vibe to it. I'm okay with that but for me, that's what differentiates a good lounge and a great lounge when the people working there really want to be there. Such as on my flight to Manila!
Overall Conclusion
No complaints from me. If you go at the right time it is a treat to just watch planes enjoying a glass of champagne. Then altering and having some good food after that. The Polaris Lounge is small but is a fantastic lounge.
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