Here’s a very specific airport lounge etiquette question that I’d love to get some reader takes on…
In this post:
Airport lounge furniture: shoes or socks?
It’s common to see travelers behaving poorly in airport lounges, whether it’s people picking their nose at a buffet, or putting their bare feet on chairs. However, here’s where it gets tricky, if you ask me.
Many airport lounges have chairs with ottomans, so that you can get comfortable. If you choose to sit in one of these seats, should you keep your shoes on, or take them off? Logically speaking, it’s considered a best practice to not put your feet with shoes on furniture, right?
Well, I just spent (don’t ask how many) hours in the Cathay Pacific First Lounge Heathrow, which has quite a few chairs with ottomans overlooking the apron. This is my favorite place to sit, since the chairs are comfortable, and the views are amazing.
But here’s what I noticed — not a single person who used the ottoman took their shoes off. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t spying on people, or anything, but every 15 minutes or so I’d just glance over, and would notice that everyone had shoes on, and no one was just wearing socks.
While I kept my feet off the ottoman for most of my stay, at some point I did want to put them up, so I took off my shoes, and placed my feet with socks onto the ottoman. For the record (not that anyone is asking), I had a fresh pair of socks on, and I had just showered a couple of hours earlier, in the lounge. I almost felt self conscious placing my feet in socks on the ottoman, simply because I was countering the trend.
When a lounge staff member came up to me, I quickly put my shoes on, because subconsciously I almost felt like I was doing something wrong. It reminded me of the below elevator experiment.
Am I wrong? What am I missing?
Human behavior is a funny thing, and I can’t help but be fascinated by what I observed. Literally dozens of people put their feet up, and not a single other person took their shoes off. Am I just wrong, and the correct etiquette is to keep your shoes on? Did they realize the better etiquette is to take shoes off, but didn’t care? Were they worried their feet were smelly?
I’m trying to make sense of this, and I can sort of kind of see where people might be coming from. Generally, taking your shoes off on a plane is questionable (especially if you’re seated close to others), so perhaps some people think the same policy applies in airport lounges. And I can also see how people might be self conscious, given that feet might be smellier than usual when traveling.
But it’s also possible that I have it completely wrong. Is the correct etiquette in fact to leave your shoes on? Is either acceptable?
Bottom line
I feel like it’s a best practice to never place shoes onto furniture. Yet based on what I’ve observed, people in airport lounges do that, rather than taking off their shoes, and placing socks on furniture. I tend to think that if it’s me against the world, then I’m probably the one in the wrong. So that’s why I’m asking y’all…
Can anyone help me understand this? What’s the correct etiquette for feet on airport lounge furniture?
I think it’s far more inappropriate to take off your shoes in public (aside from places like Vietnam where it’s required) vs putting your shoes on a public ottoman. In someone’s home I’d agree they should be removed; in a public airport lounge shoes should stay on and furniture is purchased to be durable and withstand such use.
I am pretty sure no one takes their shoes off for the ottomans at CX's HKG lounges either. If not there, then I don't think anywhere would have shoe-off etiquette.
I am an equity partner at a top grossing multinational law firm and thus the highest of the high class. How I act is model etiquette. I am a product of top NYC and New England private schools, a US News top 10 undergraduate, and a top 6 law school. I have been educated alongside peers from high society who have all been coached on appropriate manners by way of Emily Post and her influences.
...I am an equity partner at a top grossing multinational law firm and thus the highest of the high class. How I act is model etiquette. I am a product of top NYC and New England private schools, a US News top 10 undergraduate, and a top 6 law school. I have been educated alongside peers from high society who have all been coached on appropriate manners by way of Emily Post and her influences.
Please keep your shoes on in an airport lounge. Although you should avoid propping your feet up on coffee tables, an ottoman is by definition for the resting of your feet.
As a more general rule to take precedence of the foregoing: When in Rome. Do not be the only person with shoes off when everybody else has their shoes on (or vice versa) unless you are certain everybody else is in clear violation of a standard practice.
Never gave this too much thought but my understanding is that ottomans are supposed to be to put your feet up, not to sit. So, I keep my shoes on. And for the record I’m a stickler for being considerate and following etiquette.
Last month at PHL Amex lounge, there was a frequent announcement to not take off shoes while resting legs on the furniture. I guess that became a norm.
Is this a joke? Who would ever even think to take their shoes off in an airport lounge?
ChatGPT thoughts on the topic:
It’s generally good etiquette to keep your shoes on when using an airport lounge, especially when placing your feet on an ottoman. Lounges are shared spaces, and removing your shoes can be seen as unhygienic or inconsiderate to others.
However, if you’re in a more private or relaxed setting within the lounge and your socks are clean, some people do remove their shoes discreetly. Just be mindful of the...
ChatGPT thoughts on the topic:
It’s generally good etiquette to keep your shoes on when using an airport lounge, especially when placing your feet on an ottoman. Lounges are shared spaces, and removing your shoes can be seen as unhygienic or inconsiderate to others.
However, if you’re in a more private or relaxed setting within the lounge and your socks are clean, some people do remove their shoes discreetly. Just be mindful of the environment and those around you. If in doubt, observing what others are doing can be a good guide.
I think you are overthinking this… At the end of the day, airport lounges are simply public spaces. Most people aren’t removing their shoes in public.
If you are entering a private home, sure. Maybe even if you are entering a restaurant where people are expected to remove shoes. But you are in an airport lounges, which is simply in public. Even in areas of the world where removing your shoes in certain areas...
I think you are overthinking this… At the end of the day, airport lounges are simply public spaces. Most people aren’t removing their shoes in public.
If you are entering a private home, sure. Maybe even if you are entering a restaurant where people are expected to remove shoes. But you are in an airport lounges, which is simply in public. Even in areas of the world where removing your shoes in certain areas is commonplace, most people aren’t going to remove their shoes in public.
Showering, wearing clean socks, etc, it’s all overkill. You are in public. Keep your shoes on, order your food and drink, and enjoy.
I been there and I take my shoes off. But then again my feet don’t smell. I’m not sure if that’s a self conscious thing of people or they just don’t bother since they are only there a bit. I don’t think either way is wrong.
It’s public furniture, not that different from the floor (inside) or maybe a picnic table (outside). I would say to leave your shoes on. And always on when you’re on a flight. The floor of a jet is the same as a public floor or the ground. Whether to take your shoes off in someone’s house is culturally variable. Some people see the soles of shoes as very dirty (so shoes off). Yet other see...
It’s public furniture, not that different from the floor (inside) or maybe a picnic table (outside). I would say to leave your shoes on. And always on when you’re on a flight. The floor of a jet is the same as a public floor or the ground. Whether to take your shoes off in someone’s house is culturally variable. Some people see the soles of shoes as very dirty (so shoes off). Yet other see socks or barefoot inside as a family-only practice (so shoes on unless you’re a family member). Accept the variation and worry about greater things.
You should wear the airline slippers on the Ottoman.
You don't remove shoes to put your feet up in an airport lounge, because you don't take off your shoes in an airport lounge.
Ben, I think you can take your shoes off and not be worried about other peoples opinions here so long as the lounge doesn’t have a policy against it. I would do it myself.
1. You are traveling on an international airline in LHR with so many diverse cultures around you, and so the pressure to conform to one standard should be very low imo. Now of course if you were in a country...
Ben, I think you can take your shoes off and not be worried about other peoples opinions here so long as the lounge doesn’t have a policy against it. I would do it myself.
1. You are traveling on an international airline in LHR with so many diverse cultures around you, and so the pressure to conform to one standard should be very low imo. Now of course if you were in a country where it was understood to be a major violation, my advice would be to be respectful…
2. And just as equally important, you are in a FIRST class lounge, and i truly believe this gives you far more latitude to comfortably and confidently do what you find most comfortable to you and it’s OK! It’s first class, not business, and you paid for the ability to be extremely comfortable, just as you are (with some culturally universal limitations of course). Again, I myself do as a preach when flying international first, so at minimum you’re not the only one ;)
Ok Ben, I’ll put my head above the parapet to be blown away by the bigoted few.
Firstly, in one’s own home I believe that it should be shoes definitely off. In someone else’s home one should ask one’s host.
Now in public places, it is my opinion, that it is preferred to keep one’s shoes firmly on.
Yeah, that’s essentially my mindset too.
But you certainly did nothing wrong, Ben.
"I had a fresh pair of socks on, and I had just showered a couple of hours earlier".
Good for you, but I think that's probably not the case for most lounge guests? Maybe they've come off a few-hour flight from somewhere in Europe and are waiting for their connecting long haul. If everyone took their shoes off, we'd be reading a blog complaint about all the shoeless smelly feet.
These are leather, easier to...
"I had a fresh pair of socks on, and I had just showered a couple of hours earlier".
Good for you, but I think that's probably not the case for most lounge guests? Maybe they've come off a few-hour flight from somewhere in Europe and are waiting for their connecting long haul. If everyone took their shoes off, we'd be reading a blog complaint about all the shoeless smelly feet.
These are leather, easier to clean that cloth upholstery. As long as you're not barefoot, why do you care of the prior guest had shoes where you have your socked feet?
Oh, shoes upon an ottoman (where shoes are allowed in a room ) is fine. And remember this allowance only extends to the ottoman!
I love the Cathay First lounge at Heathrow! In particular, the dining room is a wonderfully intimate scaled-down version of what you get in the Pier first lounge at HKG.
I'm going to disagree with you on the shoes. I consider airport lounge etiquette to be largely similar to an upscale restaurant or a hotel lobby. I can't think of any circumstance in which it would be appropriate to remove your shoes and just wear socks in either of those locations.
Hi it's very simple for most Asians.
as the ottoman has had dirty shoes put on it (since everyone doesn't take off their shoes as you observed), I would not take off my shoes to put my clean socks on the ottoman thereby soiling my socks.
100% this. It's why many of us also have "outside clothes" and "inside clothes", and nothing makes us more upset than someone laying/sitting on our bed with their "outside clothes" on :)
That’s a good common sense take too. I agree.
Ottomans are, to me, an exception to the no shoes on furniture rule. They are designed for feet, and in most cultures, we don’t take our shoes off in public. Think of them as large plush footstools.
Definitely shoes off is the right move. Especially the CX lounge is like a home. When you go into a friend’s home, you offer to remove your shoes right (especially in Asia). And you definitely don’t put street shoes on a friend’s ottoman.