The Salon At PS LAX Review: What A Fun & Seamless Airport Experience!

I kicked off my first class quest to Japan by flying Starlux Airlines’ A350 first class from Los Angeles (LAX) to Taipei (TPE). The fun really started before taking off, as Starlux sends its first class passengers to PS LAX, which is essentially a private terminal with attentive service, a la carte dining, and limousine transfers to the plane.

What an absolute treat it was to visit PS LAX, especially when this was included with my ticket (given that it otherwise retails for $1,295+). While I’m not going to suggest this is some incredible deal or that it offers huge time savings, it absolutely is a lovely way to start a trip, and it definitely redefines the airport experience.

In addition to PS LAX, you’ll also find PS ATL, PS DFW, and PS MIA, and the concepts and pricing are similar across the board (though as you’d expect, the design does differ — PS LAX is the original location, so I imagine the newer ones have even better design).

PS LAX pricing & booking process

Let me emphasize that since PS LAX was included with my Starlux first class ticket, my booking process for PS LAX was different than it would be for others, and I also didn’t have to pay extra to use it. So first let’s talk about the general pricing and booking process, and then I’ll share my exact experience.

You can find PS pricing below, with the cost being the same across locations.

In all situations, access is permitted up to three hours before the scheduled flight departure time. If you’re traveling internationally and checking bags, you’re asked to arrive at least two hours in advance, while for domestic itineraries, you’re asked to arrive at least 90 minutes in advance.

What’s the difference between The Salon and Private Suite?

• The Salon is a shared lounge offered by PS, which multiple guests can use at once; so it’s not totally private, but then again, my understanding is that the idea is that this is supposed to be a bit of a social experience (meeting “like minded” people who are also willing to spend $1,295 to elevate their pre-flight experience), so some people appreciate that 😉
• Private Suite is the more private concept for PS, where you get a suite that’s for your exclusive use, and it has a living room, a bathroom with shower, etc.

As you can see, a PS visit will generally cost you $1,295 per person without a membership, but that pricing can drop as low as $895 per person with a membership. There are also some programs that offer some number of complimentary visits. For example, Amex Centurion Card members and even American Concierge Key members sometimes get a free visit allotment with PS.

In general, you need to book PS at least 24 hours in advance, and PS promotes how if you book within 24 hours, there’s a 45% service fee, in the event that guests can be accommodated. Bookings are available directly through the PS website.

In the case of Starlux, first class passengers can book PS LAX by reaching out to the exclusive first class service line at least three days before departure, not including the day of travel.

There’s an online form that can be filled out to make the request, or alternatively, you can just call the service line.

It’s interesting how at most outstations, Starlux either offers chauffeur service or access to a private terminal. As you can see above, Los Angeles is the only US city to have a private terminal experience, but it’s also the only US city to not have chauffeur service.

The Starlux first class service line called me shortly after submitting my request, and they just asked me to confirm how many checked bags I’d have, and how I would be arriving at PS LAX. I then received my confirmation directly from PS within an hour. It was all very impressive service.

PS LAX location & arrivals experience

PS LAX is located at 6875 W Imperial Hwy in Los Angeles, so that’s the address you’ll want to give your driver. The facility is located on the very south side of the field (where you see the red pin below), even south of runways 25L and 25R. It’s located right by the private jet and cargo facilities.

In theory the big convenience is of course that you can skip the main part of the airport. However, since I had landed the same day from Miami, I had to take a rideshare from the airport terminal to PS. The entire arrivals experience feels pretty badass.

There’s a gate as you pull up, where the security guard asked for my details. Upon confirming I had a reservation, he just asked the driver to wait for a moment so that they could “prepare” for my arrival. After about a minute, the gate opened, and we pulled into the driveway.

There I was greeted by two PS employees — one immediately took my checked bag, while the other escorted me straight into The Salon. For those curious, I was checking a bag specifically because of Starlux’s fascinating handling of first class checked bags, whereby they place the bags in a dedicated first class branded crate.

Anyway, I was asked for my passport, and was invited to have a seat in The Salon, where I’d be waiting until it was time to head to the gate for my flight. I was presented with a piece of paper stating that I should be ready by 11:35PM, in anticipation of my 12:35AM departure. For what it’s worth, I arrived at PS LAX at 9:35PM, exactly three hours before arrival, which is the earliest you can arrive.

I must say, I find the logistics of all of this to be fascinating. Around 30 minutes after arriving in the lounge, I was presented with my boarding pass on Starlux ticket stock. A Starlux agent somehow also showed up in the lounge, simply to confirm that I had no lithium ion batteries in my bag.

Given the distance between the terminal and PS, I can’t help but be curious about the logistics. Are the bags and boarding passes shuttled in separate vehicles? How did the Starlux representative get to the lounge?!

The Salon at PS LAX layout & seating

The Salon at PS LAX is a pretty intimate facility — it exclusively consists of one room, with a wall going through the middle. What you see in the below three pictures is basically the extent of it.

There are a dozen seats at the bar, with half on each side.

There are then what I’d consider to be four little living room-style seating arrangements, so ideally you don’t have to share one of those spaces with another party.

The Salon at PS LAX also has a beautiful outdoor terrace space, though unfortunately all of the furniture was already covered up during my visit.

For those curious about crowding, the facility remained mostly empty during my visit late on a Saturday night. When I arrived there were three other guests, then eventually there was one other guest, and then eventually I had the facility to myself.

The Salon at PS LAX bathrooms & shower

The Salon at PS LAX has two bathrooms down a hall from the main area, and one doubles as a shower suite. The main bathroom has a sink, a toilet, and a urinal, and it was spotlessly clean.

Then there’s also the shower suite, which has a sink, toilet, and walk-in shower.

Bath amenities were from Le Labo, and there were also a small number of other amenities that guests could help themselves to, including dental kits, Marvis toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.

PS LAX food & drinks

Upon sitting down at PS LAX, I was immediately presented with a menu and drink list. All food and drinks are included with visits, and the selection is impressive.

You can find the PS LAX food menu below.

You can find the PS LAX drink list below.

PS offers a signature caviar welcome, and upon sitting down, I was asked if I wanted to partake in that… of course! That was presented to me within 15 minutes. It included a glass of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut, plus a personal tin of Italian Calvisius caviar, served with blinis, chips, sour cream, and chives. I must say, that’s a lovely presentation!

Once that was complete, I ordered the signature PS Martini, with vodka, gin, vermouth, lemon, and a caviar-filled olive. Yum.

While I was trying to save my appetite for onboard the flight, I figured I had to try a couple of the dishes, to check out the quality. To start, I ordered the grilled corn salad, with cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, corn vinaigrette, pickled sweet peppers, and cilantro.

Then for my main course, I ordered the branzino, with potato and leek vichyssoise, heirloom bean salad, salsa verde, and pickled carrots.

Lastly, I asked for a matcha latte. PS LAX has a great espresso machine, and the hot drinks are in partnership with Alfred.

The food and beverage situation at PS is phenomenal. What a treat — the food was restaurant quality, and the drinks were truly bar quality, so I have nothing but good things to say. It’s actually worth eating and drinking here.

I think one other thing worth mentioning is that food can also be prepared to go, so if you prefer, you can have them prepare food for you to enjoy on the flight. Since I was flying Starlux first class, I figured I wouldn’t need anything else to eat. 😉

PS LAX TSA security & limousine service

At 11:35PM, as expected, I was fetched, and told it was time to head to my flight. I was then escorted toward the private TSA checkpoint, which was frictionless. It was the same TSA PreCheck experience I’d usually get, just without the crowds.

Past the checkpoint, there was a fridge with a variety of canned and bottled non-alcoholic drinks, which guests could grab and take with them.

At that point I was placed in the BMW 7-Series that would be taking me to my departure gate. As an aviation geek, it’s of course a real thrill to get to drive across the taxiways. It’s also quite a long drive, given the location of PS LAX in comparison to the terminals.

The drive over to Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) took around 10 minutes. For those curious, you don’t drive across the runways, as there’s a tunnel that takes you under the two parallel runways. You do drive along the taxiways, though.

Once there, we pulled right up to gate 207, right next to the Starlux Airbus A350… what a stunner!

Boarding was scheduled for 11:55PM, 40 minutes before departure. So I was asked to just wait for a few minutes for boarding preparations.

At that point, I was walked across the apron to an elevator that goes between the ground floor and terminal level.

At the top of the elevator, I was greeted by the Starlux staff (including the station manager), and was escorted to the door of the aircraft, where I was the first onboard. It was an utterly seamless experience, and I was super impressed.

PS LAX service

Across the board, I found the staff at PS LAX to be exceptionally professional. They really operate at a different level than what you’ll generally find in the terminal. This was true of the person who greeted me and escorted me to the car service, it was true of the servers working in The Salon, and it was true of the person who drove me to the plane.

It’s clear the staff are really proud of working here, so it’s a very well executed experience.

Bottom line

The Salon at PS LAX is a great experience, and I’m delighted that it was included with my Starlux first class ticket. This is unlike any experience you’ll have within the terminal at an airport in the United States, in terms of how seamless everything is, combined with the quality of the food and beverages.

Admittedly the experience also comes at a hefty cost, so it’s definitely a splurge. For that matter, I don’t really buy the time saving argument, since you still have to show up two hours before departure if on an international flight with luggage to check.

But hey, this was a great experience, and I also think the price is fair for what’s being offered, in terms of the amount of coordination required, and what the cost of running this facility must be (which isn’t to say that I’d pay the retail cost, but I’m just saying, I couldn’t imagine it being much cheaper, while maintaining its exclusivity). Anyway, if you have the chance to visit a PS location, you’re in for an absolute treat!

What’s your take on The Salon at PS LAX?