New Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX: Stylish But Small

In September 2024, Virgin Atlantic announced plans to open its latest Clubhouse lounge location, which is the sixth in the network. There’s now an exciting update, as the lounge is officially opening.

Basics of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX

A Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is opening at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as of tomorrow (March 28, 2025). The 4,401 square foot lounge is located in Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), on level six. Virgin Atlantic has taken over the space of the former Etihad Lounge, which closed during the pandemic, when Etihad discontinued flights to the airport.

The lounge is described as having been designed with wellness in mind, with “a multi-sensory experience designed to soothe the senses at twilight with thoughtful touches to aid relaxation.” The lounge features local artwork and sunset-inspired mood lighting, including day-to-night transitional lighting, to help align circadian rhythms.

For such a small lounge, it has an impressive number of unique concepts:

• The Ruby Room is a Hollywood-inspired space with its own cinema, featuring wireless headsets connected via bluetooth
• The Wing has acoustically-sealed work pods, named after iconic studios like The Manor, Olympic Studios, and Sunset Sound
• The Zen Den is an immersive space featuring relaxation, movement, and mindfulness sessions, powered by the FORME Studio, a smart fitness mirror
• The Royal Box is “a destination for VIPs featuring adjustable mood lighting and a secret menu”
• The lounge has shower suites, with shower and body products from Flamingo Estate’s Garden Essentials collection

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse offers table service at every seat in the lounge.

Signature dishes include a tuna poke bowl, California roll, tofu pho, Californian fig salad, and more. There’s also a self-serve area at the brasserie with health-conscious bites, like Mediterranean quinoa salad, raw vegetables and hummus, citrus kale salad, and trail mix.

The beverage selection includes all kinds of cocktails, beer, and wine, with cocktails crafted by Virgin Atlantic’s in-house mixologist. Cocktails include the Twisted Angel, featuring Aperol and gin. There are also a variety of low and no-alcohol offerings, like TRIP Mindful Blend.

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX opening hours vary, but generally, the lounge opens roughly four hours before the first Virgin Atlantic flight departure. Currently, the lounge is open daily from 11:30AM until 12AM.

For those curious about the economics of this lounge, according to Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) documents, Virgin Atlantic has spent around $2 million to refurbish the lounge space, and is paying around $1.2 million per year in rent, with an initial five year contract that can be extended by another five years.

Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX access requirements

So, who can access the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX?

• Passengers traveling in Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic, with the ability to bring a guest
• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold members traveling internationally with Virgin Atlantic or Delta, with the ability to bring a guest
• Delta One passengers on a Delta international flight
• SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on Virgin Atlantic or Delta, with the ability to bring a guest

This is the fourth Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse location in the United States, complementing locations in New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington (IAD). Interestingly, there was actually a Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Los Angeles back in the day, in Terminal 2. It opened in 2015, and closed in 2021, with plans to become part of an expansion of the adjacent Delta Sky Club®.

Keep in mind that all terminals at LAX are connected airside. We also recently saw the opening of the Delta One Lounge LAX, in Terminal 3. This lounge is phenomenal, and Virgin Atlantic Upper Class passengers also have access to that.

My take on the new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX

I’m excited to hear about the opening of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX, and have a few thoughts.

For one, additional lounge capacity is always a good thing, given how chronically overcrowded airport lounges are. That’s especially true at LAX TBIT, since so many passengers are eligible for lounge access. This lounge space had been sitting empty for years, so I’m happy to see that it’s once again welcoming guests.

Second, I’m curious if this lounge ends up joining Priority Pass for hours outside of the typical Virgin Atlantic departure bank. Virgin Atlantic’s other Clubhouses in the United States belong to Priority Pass over select hours, so I would guess this lounge will join as well. However, I don’t see any indication of that yet. TBIT doesn’t have a single Priority Pass lounge, as it stands.

Lastly, Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses generally have a great soft product, with a la carte dining and great cocktails. However, let me just acknowledge that the actual space the lounge has taken over leaves quite a bit to be desired. It’s not a very big lounge, and it lacks views. As you can see, there’s a heavy emphasis on mood lighting, since you won’t be getting any natural light in this lounge.

Bottom line

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX is finally opening, at Tom Bradley International Terminal. Virgin Atlantic has taken over the space of the former Etihad Lounge, which is roughly 4,400 square feet, and on level six. This is a great new option for SkyTeam flyers, and I’m happy to see Virgin Atlantic making a lounge comeback at LAX, after the carrier closed its previous lounge a few years ago.

What do you make of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX?