If you’re slogging through a long layover, a nice lounge is essential. Here’s my United Polaris Lounge review for the IAD location.
International travel, especially if you’re booking with points, can lead to some awkward layovers at times. For this particular instance, my wife and I had to grind through a 5.5 hour pause at Washington Dulles before hopping our transatlantic flight to Brussels and onto Athens. Deciding to turn that into a “lounge crawl” we made our first stop at the United Polaris Lounge.
United’s Polaris Business class turned heads when it was introduced, competing with the major European carriers in terms of design, comfort and amenities. So, how does the lounge product stack up?
Overall: pretty damn great. It’s gorgeous, has a TON of amenities and is a great spot to relax pre-flight. There were a few middling issues on our visit, but we found it to overall be an excellent lounge. Read on for my full United Polaris Lounge review.
Strongest smells: Clean carpet overall, Spanish spices near the food
Champagne: It’s the real deal, Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut. It’s among my favorite pours and as Champagne goes is straight down the middle. Perfect to snag a few glasses while you watch the ground crew argue on the apron.
2. Location & Access Details
United occupies a large portion of Terminal C at Dulles so it’s only natural the Polaris lounge is close by. Specifically it’s right smack between gates C17 and 18. Since we arrived from St. Louis at Gate C20, this was easy as could be. The lounges are well marked but since there are other, less exciting United lounges nearby make sure you head for the United Polaris Lounge signs specifically if you want to check this joint out.
Entry rules: Entry is pretty much locked down to United Polaris Business Class passengers on international flights, and Star Alliance passengers in either Business or First class international flights. It’s a tight guest list, but this means the lounge rarely feels crowded
3. First Impressions & Ambience
Immediately upon entering the United Polaris Lounge you’ll be greeted by the reception desk. Scan your boarding pass, and you’ll be directed to your right and up a white marble staircase. The marble doesn’t end there. The lounge is expansive, with plenty of seating options and vibes for any traveler. To the right there’s quieter, typical lounge type seating that continues all the way to the wide, panoramic windows that overlook the apron. To the left you’ll find some open, cube type stations that offer a bit of privacy, plus full on booth style pods that allow for unencumbered work or focus.
Along with this you’ll find plenty of lounge-y bucket style seating to sink into. The bar area is sleek and offers seating that you would typically find in a high end cocktail bar, along with plenty of bar stools for those who prefer to hold court with fellow passengers or make friends with the bartender (never a bad idea)
Crowd type: The make up of the crowd ranged from business people to families. We especially enjoyed meeting an older couple headed to Rome for their anniversary who we chatted with for a while. That’s the goal my wife and I have for ourselves, to keep on traveling the older we get!
Sensory Check-In:
Sight: Dark bronze, Navy Blue, White Marble. These permeate the lounge and lend it a sophisticated feel that feels airy yet refined.
Sound: Steadily louder, but if you’re here in off hours you’ll get ambient music and the clinking of glasses.
Smell: Clean carpet, coffee and Spanish spices if you venture near the buffet
Touch: plenty of smooth leather and smoother stone, especially in the bathrooms and shower suites.
Taste: Fresh fruit and honey from the Laurent Perrier, ketchup and paprika from the excellent potato wedges you get in The Dining Room. Order the dang burger, wouldja?
4. Facilities & Amenities
Seating types
The Nap Trap: you can grab a full on snooze room back by the shower suites. From what I could tell, there was one room with two, separate cubbies that featured sound machines and comfy lounge chairs that easily accomodated a nap
The Throne: this was the most common and came in two varieties. One smaller and more plentiful, usually in pairs with a coffee table in between. The other larger and partitioned off, ideal for reading or settling in with a movie or work.
The Social Butterfly: there were chairs as well as curvy couches that fit this mode. Both unique in style, each perfect for meeting others or gathering your travel party together.
Showers, restrooms, work zones, kids’ play areas.
Showers: my wife and I are evangelical when it comes to showering in airports. When you have the opportunity and time to do it, take a shower while you’re traveling. You at your destination will thank past you. This United Polaris lounge review cites two things that made the shower situation great at Dulles: the quanitity and the shower fixtures themselves. To start, there are PLENTY of showers here, so the line never gets too bad even in peak times. Once you’re in the shower, the beautiful Hansgrohe (shout out fellow cycling fans) fixtures feel like a spa day incarnate. Also on offer are shower products from United favorite Thera Body. I particularly loved the shower gel.
Restrooms: Plenty of restrooms are available, with the same great Hansgrohe fixtures and Thera Body products. The highlight though is outside in the hallway, where the ceiling is lit with animated stars. It’s an elegant approach to a bathroom, that’s for sure.
Work Zones: the aforementioned cubes work well for someone needing to buckle down a bit. But the real stars are the 4 true work booths, where you’re basically isolated from the rest of the lounge but for the fact anyone can look over your shoulder. These were occupied the entire time we visited.
Kid zones: no areas for the wee ones so to speak. If you have kids that need to burn off energy, this is likely not the lounge for you.
5. Food & Beverage
The bar: is huge and a hub of activity with bartenders mixing drinks, pouring Champagne and topping off beers. There’s plenty of seating here, but as it’s the busiest area by far you’ll want to go peek into some of the quieter corners to get any work done.
The buffet: at least in this United Polaris Lounge review, the buffet left a bit to be desired. This might have been due to our timing since we arrived in the odd “between morning flights and afternoon flights” doldrums of 11:00 AM EST. The options seemed a bit sparse but I’m guessing we missed breakfast. Nevertheless, I grabbed some fresh bread and a couple of slices of salami. As lunch approached, the themed, Spanish influenced buffet started to come togeher. Everything appeared fresh and was replaced regularly. And the smells that wafted around the buffet area were incredibly enticing. That said, I kept my eyes on the ultimate prize, which brings me to the focal point of the food in this United Polaris Lounge review.
No United Polaris Lounge review would be complete, without a seat at “The Dining Room”
“The Dining Room” at the Dulles location is a unique feature, and perhaps the main highlight of this United Polaris Lounge review. While the typical lounge buffet is present and serves solid food, the offerings were a bit more sparse than expected. The reasoning in my mind? They’re focusing more on the made to order offerings that are found in The Dining Room This seated meal is perfect for lunch or dinner, and on our visit we were shown to a table immediately. Following a quick champagne pour, we gave the menu a perusal. Between my wife and I we split a delicious open faced focaccia small plate that featured seared Prosciutto and Taleggio cheese. For our main course we opted for the cheeseburger, which was cooked to a nice medium and was served with some incredible potato wedges. To top it all off, we finished the meal with a delectable skillet cookie topped with cold, creamy vanilla ice cream. I love this concept overall, especially since it likely cuts down on food waste from the buffet and the food you receive is way fresher and much tastier. Big points for this United Polaris lounge review. One issue we did encounter, and it was likely do to our timing since the morning crew was shifting to the afternoon crew, was the attentiveness of the staff. Our initial host was quick with the beverages and our orders, but when he informed us he would be off shift soon it took a while for us to see another server. Once we did get the service figured out, our second server was every bit as polite and attentive. She was even kind enough to inform us our initial cookie order had been, unfortunately, burned in the kitchen but she would have the replacement out soon! Long story short, definitely have a meal at The Dining Room in the Dulles Polaris Lounge. No guilt: kkip the buffet, and spoil your upcoming biz class meal service in favor of freshly prepared, interesting dishes here.
Big Hit: the cookies and random snack bars around the lounge. Go for a walk and you’ll find fresh chocolate chip cookies and gummy bears (which my wife was quick to point out).
Swing and a miss: the true espresso machine was out of order, and even the Illy automatic barista machine was down to one station only. Tough sledding for coffee lovers but my robot-made cappuccino did the trick.
6. Crowd Levels & Practical Experience
We popped into this lounge at around 12 PM eastern, right at lunch time. This was certainly a “transitional” period for the lounge, lots of stocking and prepping but not very many people which was fine by us.
We got to see the gammut of peak vs quiet periods. The lounge was pretty sparsely occupied when we arrived, as you can see from the pictures. By the time the evening European flights approached, however, the place was packed and seating became a bit more scarce.
The Staff was attentive and plentiful, especially at the bar and roaming to keepo track of the cleanliness and stock level of the lounge. The Dining Room was a bit iffy, but I chalk that up to the staff being on a turnover period from breakfast to lunch.
7. The Unexpected MVP
Unreal pours of champagne in actually appropriate glassware (tulip glasses) were the highlight of our stay. I’m admittedly a bit obnoxious about my bubbles, but I firmly believe Champagne need not be just for celebration. It should be for everyone. I ALSO believe it shouldn’t be confined to a flute. Luckily here you get nicely sized pours in legitimate tulip glasses. This makes the taste of the Laurent Perrier La Cuvée really sing. Don’t believe me? Try a glass in the lounge and then try a glass on your flight when they use the typpical flutes. You’ll taste the difference.
Pros: Expansive layout, impeccable design and a wide variety of seating. Food and top shelf drinks are plentiful and readily available. The major Pros are the dining room with its excellent food, and the hefty pours of Laurent–Perrier Champagne.
Cons: If you’ve only got an hour ahead of your trans-Atlantic flight, you might be fighting for seats. And if you’re only here for the buffet, the options might not be quite to your liking.
Final Verdict for this United Polaris Lounge review
I’ve played the lounge game well in my traveling life. There’s been some exceptional experiences, and there’s been mystery bags of pop tarts (seriously). The United Polaris Lounge review falls WELL above average. This is a top notch lounge for east coast flights heading to Europe, and you’ll be well served booking the full Polaris experience if and when you decide to take that next jaunt across the Atlantic. Despite its size and tendency for delays, Dulles will be on my shortlist for airports when heading to Europe purely because of the United Polaris Lounge.
