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For travelers with lots of money and frequent flyer miles, the Delta One Lounge makes transiting through LAX even more luxurious.
Delta’s brand new premium lounge, which opens today inside Terminal 3, is the second of its kind. The first Delta One Lounge, which debuted at JFK Airport earlier this year, set the tone with a personalized and exceptional approach to customer service, a full-service complimentary food and beverage menu, and other upscale amenities. A third location is expected to open at Boston Logan International by the end of this year.
Access is typically granted only to ticket holders in Delta One, the Atlanta-based domestic carrier’s highest seat class on international flights and certain long-haul domestic flights from Los Angeles to New York. (If you fly First or Business Class on certain Delta Air Lines partner airlines, or if you are a member of the invitation-only frequent flyer status Delta 360, you may also have access to the Delta One lounges.)
Photo: Patricia Kelly Yeo from Time Out
I usually cover Los Angeles’ vast and ever-changing food and beverage scene, but I got to experience Delta One Lounge through an exclusive press preview the day before its grand opening. I happened to be already at the airport on my flight back from the Phoenix area music festival FORM, so I decided to check out Delta’s newest lounge. While there, I sampled cocktails, coffee, a few menu items, tried out a massage chair, and took a shower in one of the reserved suites available at the Sky Club right next door, which is also available to Delta One customers. I also did that.
LAX’s Delta One Lounge is a quarter the size of JFK’s lounge (the terminal itself is quite large), but it seats about 200 people and offers a full-service food and beverage selection. There are also a number of ultra-comfortable travel perks, including a dimly lit wellness area, additional shower amenities, and a secondary screen to connect to your laptop. Like the original lounge at JFK, the new lounge is designed for those looking to kill a few hours or linger. So if you are in a hurry, it is better to eat at Sky Club.
Photo: Courtesy of Delta/Jason Dewey The library area in the Delta One Lounge.
Since I had already gone through security, I entered through Sky Club, Delta’s existing business class lounge. The larger, busier space will offer more casual grab-and-go service, as well as an entire hall of shower suites for certain ticket holders or frequent flyer program members. (Two of them are reserved exclusively for Delta One passengers.) Most travelers accessing the lounges will be using the dedicated Delta lounges, which have a dedicated TSA screening line and direct access to both the Sky Club and Delta One lounges. Enter through the One Check-in area.
Elegant floral arrangements and a unique, highly soothing scent, a proprietary allergy-friendly blend, distinguish Delta One Lounge from Sky Club. Inside, two bartenders were already mixing drinks behind a sparkling emerald quartzite bar with brass accents. My boyfriend and I sat at the white marble countertop and ordered from the destination-inspired drink menu.
He chose the HND Cucumber Lychee Chu-Hi (aka Shochu Highball), named after one of Tokyo’s two major airports, and I ordered the LAX La La Land Martini. Both drinks were professionally made. The HND offered a refreshing spa-water-like experience, while the much stronger LAX left a pleasant citrus aftertaste thanks to a few drops of Meyer Lemon Olive Oil.
Photo: Patricia Kelly Yeo from Time Out
We then ordered a cappuccino from the espresso machine before our formal tour of the space. One of them had a fun, if slightly gimmicky, 2D latte art printer, which I uploaded and used to print the Time Out logo on top of the drinks. Unlike most domestic airline lounges, which are designed for efficiency and speed, nearly every perk in the Delta One lounge comes with an actual attendant, right down to full-service dining. While waiting for more travel writers to arrive, I chose from a selection of buffet-style pastries and sweets, including bonbons from Mira Chocolate in Culver City, one of the best chocolate shops in Los Angeles .
Photo: Courtesy of Delta/Jason Dewey
On the tour itself, a Delta representative took me through various indoor seating areas, including a “library” lounge, a semi-separate dining room, and a curtained-off wellness area. Elements of modernism and Art Deco, as well as Missoni accent pillows, gave every part of the space a luxurious feel. Carefully selected contemporary art pieces from around the world decorate the walls. As with other airline lounges, some seating arrangements and tables are clearly intended for sitting and eating, while others are reserved for solo business travelers who are presumably trying to get some work done. It is designed for people.
Photo: Patricia Kelly Yeo from Time Out
However, there were two aspects that stood out to me the most. It has a small landscaped outdoor terrace overlooking the tarmac and an on-site sushi bar that is currently exclusive to LAX. At the end of the tour, my boyfriend and I decided to eat outside. We also tried two cocktails, a homemade bucatini, two of the three rotating destination-themed bento boxes (usually only one served at a time), and some of the sushi. Everything was delicious, well made and better than the usual airport fare.
Photo: Patricia Kelly Yeo from Time Out
Afterwards, we decided to try out the shower suite and massage chair. Unlike many of the other lifestyle writers and journalists who attended the preview, I was actually getting off the plane that afternoon. A Delta One Lounge staff member escorted me through the emergency exit door to the Sky Club shower suite. There, the shower attendant directed me to a clean bathroom with complimentary plush bathrobes.
Compared to other Delta SkyMiles members who can book suites, Delta One Lounge guests get access to things like deodorant, shaving kits, menstrual pads and tampons, and a gentle facial cleanser from Grown Alchemist, a cruelty-free vegan high. , some additional items will be provided. -End skin care line. You can also steam or press your clothes or shine your shoes. This is a boon for time-poor business travelers who want to look their best.
Photo: Patricia Kelly Yeo from Time Out
Next, I booked a 15-minute massage chair session in the wellness area, which is separated by a curtain from the rest of the lounge. Note that unlike the Delta One Lounge at JFK, there are no massage therapists or facial services available. The space has just eight curtained “pods” with traditional massage chairs or zero-gravity recliners, and Hyperice recovery sleeves can be slipped onto your feet.
My agent walked me through the different ambient soundtracks available in the massage chair and checked in with me midway through the session. The relaxing treatment with the curtains closed was the perfect way to unwind after waking up at 5am and attending a 3 day music festival in almost 100 degree heat. After the treatment, another staff member offered me some infused water. And I sampled even more Grown Alchemist skin care products on trays in the space.
Photo: Patricia Kelly Yeo from Time Out
To be honest, we only had an hour scheduled for the Delta One Lounge press preview, but we had so much fun that we ended up staying for most of the afternoon. It was a long morning of waking up at 5am, then driving, then flying. If that’s not a stamp of approval, I don’t know what is.
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