Review: United Polaris Lounge San Francisco (SFO)
- Konrad Tillman
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Intro
Upon arriving onboard a United 777-300 from Tokyo in Polaris, I had the opportunity to kill some time in the largest United Polaris Lounge in the network: SFO. Over the past few years, I have the opportunity to visit this lounge many times, and while everyone has their own rankings, this is by far my least favorite lounge for a number of reasons. Let’s get into it:
If you are interested in other Polaris Lounge reviews, I have reviewed the ones at Newark, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston (coming soon).
Location+Access
The Polaris Lounge at SFO is relatively easy to find, whether you are connecting or departing. If you are departing from the international terminal, it will be just on the right after clearing security. Literally right in front of your nose.
However, if you are connecting, head over to Gate G1, which should be right behind you.
In terms of access, it is very simple. Passengers must be ticketed into Polaris on a same-day ticket or on a long-haul flight on a Star Alliance carrier in business class only from the departure destination.
For example:
EWR-IAD-LOS receives Polaris access at both EWR and IAD
IAD-FRA on LH receives Polaris access
IAD-DEN-MUC on Lufthansa does not receive Polaris lounge access at Washington.
Passengers also receive access upon arrival: SYD-SFO (access in SFO if you can get through TSA)
The Lounge is open from 6:30 am to midnight daily (changed this year), with the final call for dinner service at 9:30 pm, and the final call for drinks at 11:30 pm.
Seating
Upon entering the lounge, the first thing you will notice is that there are two floors allocated to this lounge. Starting off, downstairs is where you will find the quietest area of the lounge, due to this area having no food and a limited drink selection. However, there are plenty of the classic Polaris cubbies lying around, along with other forms of seating. If upstairs gets too busy, I have never found an issue finding a seat downstairs before.
This is also where the showers are located (more on that in a bit).
Heading up the escalator is where you will find the main part of the Polaris Lounge, and gosh, is it huge. If you head to the left, this is where you will find phone booths, the service desk, plenty of seating, and even further back, more seating!
However, if you decide to go towards the main room (right after the escalator) is where you will find a very large section of seating, including dining tables, Polaris cubbies, and plenty of more seating options. This is also the section where you will find the bar, the buffet, the lavatories, and the dining room in the back.
I am sorry for not getting a lot of good shots. I have been here so many times, and it gets so crowded that at times I cannot even find a seat, let alone take photos. Quite the opposite of the other Polaris Lounges (apart from Newark). This can even occur in the early hours as well…
Dining
Much like the other Polaris Lounges, the one at SFO features a dining room in the back, albeit very small. The dining room serves lunch/dinner from 11:30 am until 9:30 pm and offers a rotating menu, which tends to be quite nice. However, keep in mind that I have had to wait 2 hours for a table at times. During the day, expect about a 45-minute wait, and after 5 pm, anywhere from 1-2 hours. For the size of the lounge, it is ridiculous.
At least the food is good.
Side note: There is a buffet right outside of the dining room featuring hot and cold options, but once again, it was too busy every time to snap pictures. At one point, it got so busy that they ran out of food, and people were waiting for the restock lol.
Showers/Nap Rooms
While there are toilets located in the middle of the lounge by the bar (which can also have a wait), I’ll touch on the showers, which are located downstairs.
If you are looking to freshen up, simply chat to one of the workers downstairs, they will be more than happy to show you to one of the 10 shower suites available. Ordinarily, you don’t have to wait, but occasionally, there will be a short wait of about 10-15 minutes. It’s all worth it once you are inside, though!
The SFO Polaris Lounge also features a nap room with some semi-private half-lie-flat (I don’t know how to describe them) nap pods. While there is a time limit of one hour, this is not enforced during the non-peak hours. One time, I ended up sleeping here for a few hours 😅.
Service
The service here is certainly something to talk about. While some of the staff are fantastic, others certainly give off the vibe of feeling rushed (rightfully so when the lounge is almost at full capacity). Not a lot of small talk from bartenders, the dining staff saying “maybe you will be seated instead of no”, and just an overall lack of friendliness compared to LAX/IAH. Not that it is bad service at all, it’s just an overall rushed feeling.
Final Thoughts
The Polaris Lounge at SFO is a fine lounge if you are departing from the airport originally. However, if you have a choice between which hub to transit through on a long layover, I would personally avoid SFO due to how busy this lounge can get. The lounges at LAX/IAH/ORD are far superior most of the day, with better service, an intimate vibe, and just a more relaxing experience.
United has set the bar high with their Polaris Lounges, and I have to say, the one at SFO needs an expansion. I know a lot of people like the one at SFO, but it isn’t for me, sadly.
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