Virgin Atlantic has just brought back a popular feature at its flagship lounge, though only for a limited time (thanks to Creditcrunch for flagging this).
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Virgin Atlantic partners with Secret Spa UK on Clubhouse treatments
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London Heathrow (LHR) is one of the best business class lounges out there, though perhaps it’s not quite as differentiated as in the past (both due to other lounges getting better, and some cutbacks at the Clubhouse).
For example, back in the day the airline offered an incredible spa and salon, with everything from massages, to nail treatments, to haircuts. However, at the start of the pandemic the spa was closed, and it ultimately became clear that this would be a permanent(ish) move, as the space allocated to those amenities was repurposed. However, the spa concept perhaps isn’t as much a thing of the past as we had assumed.
Virgin Atlantic has just announced that it’s partnering with Secret Spa UK to offer treatments in the Clubhouse. This includes a menu of express massages, facials, and nail treatments. Services can be booked inside the Clubhouse and are based on availability. They’re also exclusively open to those flying in Upper Class, the name of Virgin Atlantic’s business class. So those who access the lounge by other means wouldn’t get these services.
The new Clubhouse spa is only available for a limited time
Unfortunately there’s a catch with the new spa, which is that it’s only available for a limited time, through April 30, 2026. At least that’s the narrative as of now. We’ll see how this plays out, as it’s maybe possible that this ends up getting extended.
I suspect that Virgin Atlantic will analyze feedback from guests and see if this gives people a more positive perception of the experience. For that matter, I assume this is a limited time marketing partnership, and that Secret Spa UK is footing much of the bill for this, in order to increase brand awareness.
So we’ll see what happens, but it sure would be nice if the spa concept returned to the Clubhouse on a more permanent basis.
Ultimately Virgin Atlantic has long struggled with profitability, given the challenges of being an airline that exclusively operates long haul flights, combined with its second place position at Heathrow, after British Airways.
The airline has found fewer ways to differentiate its passenger experience compared to back in the day. The airline also used to offer onboard massages, chauffeur service, and more. However, the airline couldn’t really get a revenue premium for that.
Bottom line
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse London Heathrow once again has a spa, several years after this amenity was “permanently” eliminated. The catch is that the spa is only available through April 30, 2026, so this isn’t expected to stick around. Then again, who knows — maybe if feedback is really positive, Virgin Atlantic will be inclined to keep this around.
What do you make of the return of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse spa?
Back in the day I would often go out of my way to fly VS to take advantage of the spa at the LHR clubhouse, onboard massages, etc. And the Clubhouse staff were beyond fantastic. They would recognize and greet frequent passengers by name and even remembered their preferred drink orders. So VS may not have gotten a revenue premium, but they definitely took market share that would have otherwise gone to competitors.