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We had some time between our flight from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and our onward connection to Tampa International Airport (TPA), so we waited for the Polaris® Lounge to open and then walked over to find the space nearly empty. The two-floor lounge measures 28,120 square feet and makes it one of the largest Polaris® Lounges out there (it used to be the largest, but Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) just added more space to take the top spot) (review here).
Access
International Business Class passengers traveling on United have access to the lounge before departing, when connecting, and upon arrival. If traveling Business or First Class on a Star Alliance carrier (like Lufthansa, SWISS, ANA, etc.), the lounge is only available pre-departure. No guests are allowed unless you are traveling in First Class on a Star Alliance member airline. Check-in for the lounge is right inside the doors.
Anthony’s Take:
An escalator is down the hall to take you to the second floor. If you walk straight ahead, you’ll find lots of seating along with the shower suites, some restrooms, and a relaxation area. All of the food was found upstairs.
Bar
The bar is located in the middle of the upstairs level of this lounge. Unlike the United Club℠, premium wines and spirits are complimentary here. This bar (like the other Polaris® locations) also offers a selection of bespoke cocktails.
Juice and drip coffee was set up near the buffet during our visit.
More juice, water, and soft drinks were in another section.
A similar setup was found downstairs.
More drip coffee was downstairs. There are no coffee machines on either floor and you have to order it at the bar if you want an illy espresso, latte, or cappuccino.
Food
The buffet and sit-down restaurant make up the back section of the upper level of this Polaris® Lounge. We visited on a Thursday morning and found the lounge almost empty. Breakfast was being served with several hot dishes, fruit, yogurt, breads, cold cuts, and more on offer. The restaurant was closed and would not open until 8:00 AM. We had to board at 8:20 AM, so this was not an option. The buffet was fine, but felt like it was more like a United Club℠ than Polaris® Lounge based on the quality and variety.
Scrambled Eggs
Egg Whites
Earl Grey Monkey Bread
Bacon
Chicken Apple Sausage
Vegetarian Sausage Patties
Breakfast Potatoes
Sweet Potato Hash
Congee
Whole fruit and Cranberry Orange Bread
Fruit
Yogurt
Condiments
Meats and cheeses
English muffins and bagels
Bread
A toaster for guest use
The sit-down restaurant is next to the buffet, but not open during our visit.
Seating & Decor
The lounge is tastefully decorated, but I don’t find the art as nice as what Delta has in its lounges. There is a ton of seating on both floors in all sorts of styles and configurations.
Downstairs seating
The art does not have a particular theme.
More art downstairs.
Even more downstairs seating
I liked that there were several phone booths.
Upstairs, you’ll find seating similar to the lower level.
More seating
There were multiple seating types and configurations found here.
A Christmas tree was still up during our visit in early January.
The decor on the shelves is supposed to make it feel more homey.
My only complaint about the furniture is that a lot of it is getting worn and needs replacement or repair. United should invest to keep this in better shape for its premium lounge.
Amenities
This lounge offers free Wi-Fi, shower suites, relaxation rooms, restrooms, office areas, a departures board, tons of seating, and the food and beverages outlined above.
Seating for those waiting for a shower suite.
The shower suites are spacious and offer their own sinks and toilets.
The relaxation rooms are not fully private and are first come, first served.
A desk to help with reservations was not staffed during our visit.
Private restrooms are on both floors.
Therabody brand toiletries are found here.
I love the lights in the bathroom hallway.
Overall Impression:
The Polaris® Lounge at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is huge and a great place to work, relax, dine, and spend time before or after a flight. I know I’ll be back in the future.
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
1 comment
I appreciated ti’s lounge a lot more after leaving it. We stopped by the regular International terminal United Club briefly as it was next to our gate. What a dump.