American Express is known its network of Centurion Lounges, which are open to those with select premium credit cards. Well, the card issuer has just eliminated a popular amenity from some of these lounges, as reported by Zach Griff.
Amex Centurion Lounge spas close due to crowding
Historically, Amex has partnered with with Exhale to offer express spa treatments to guests at select Centurion Lounges. However, these were only available at three lounges, in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), and Miami (MIA). Guests could generally choose from back massages or nail treatments, with services lasting around 15 minutes.
Well, unfortunately these spas have all been shuttered as of Thursday, October 3, 2024. Amex explains that this is being done in order to add more seating areas to these lounges, and in turn, to accommodate more eligible card members.
These spas weren’t exactly huge — maybe a few hundred square feet — though I guess some additional seating is better than nothing. Only time will tell how exactly Amex furnishes the former spa rooms. Will they just have some chairs thrown in them, will they be quiet rooms, or something else?
My take on Amex closing Centurion Lounge spas
Of course Amex is eliminating an amenity that has a bit of a halo effect, and I imagine people won’t be happy about that. At the same time, I’m also not sure I can really blame the card issuer.
Lounge crowding has become such a major issue in recent years. When Centurion Lounges were launched over a decade ago, it was inconceivable to think that the day would come where lounges would have waitlists to get in. Fast forward to today, when it’s not even unusual to see that, at least at lounges in the United States.
I also imagine these spas weren’t great in terms of managing expectations. Actually getting a treatment was almost like winning the lottery, given how many guests these lounges get, and how few treatments are available in a day.
Most cardmembers can only access three lounges in advance, and typically these treatments were booked up that far out. If anything, the best way to snag a spa treatment was to have a longer layover between flights, where the three hour access rule doesn’t apply.
Amex now sort of lags the competition when it comes to cool lounge gimmicks and amenities. Some Capital One Lounges and Chase Sapphire Lounges have some special amenities. For example, the Capital One Lounge Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) has Peloton bikes and relaxation pods, while the Chase Sapphire Lounge New York LaGuardia (LGA) has complimentary facials.
Bottom line
Amex Centurion Lounge spas have just closed, due to lounge overcrowding, and to make space for more seating. These spas were only found in three of the locations, and those rooms will now instead have seating added, to accommodate more eligible guests.
While it’s of course sad to see this amenity cut, I don’t remember the last time I was actually able to get an appointment, so it’s not much of a loss for me…
What do you make of Amex closing Centurion Lounge spas? Is it a sensible move, or just cost cutting?
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