Thai Airways Royal First Lounge and Royal Orchid Spa, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
After exiting baggage claim, we went up four levels of escalators in the huge, airy main terminal building and made our way all the way to the left past row A to the Royal First check-in lounge.
The bouncers at the door seemed surprised to see anybody approaching—I think most of Thai’s long-haul flights with first class depart late at night and it was just after noon—and doubly surprised to see us with hiking backpacks, but after a quick check of our names against the list, they warmly escorted us to some seats and brought us some bottled water and cold towels while printing our boarding passes and checking our bags. Quite the relaxing way to check in!
Security and departure controls had no lines and took no time at all and the person escorting us through brought us down the escalator to our buggy driver.
After the classic buggy ride through the business class lounge and out into the terminal, swerving around unsuspecting tourists at breakneck speeds (not really), we arrived at the Royal First lounge.
Last time we were here, the experience was markedly lackluster, but I had a feeling all along that they wouldn’t fail us twice.
Sure enough, instead of having only two empty seats directly in front of a noisy bar, the lounge was virtually empty and we had our pick of virtually anywhere to sit.
The bar was pretty quiet, too, though they happily brought us a couple of glasses of champagne.
I took a look around and noted the token buffet that seems redundant when anybody will bring you anything you want to eat at a moment’s notice.
There’s also a dining room where one could (I suppose) have a full meal. It was empty.
Feeling a bit hungry, we ordered some tom yum goong and some grilled pork with sticky rice. Both were delicious.
Another hour later, it was time to head across the hallway to the Royal Orchid Spa for our massages.
For the couple of minutes between our arrival and our rooms being ready, we sat in a waiting area with more cold towels and beverages.
We were then escorted separately to the Royal First Zone to our spa suites.
The suite was surprisingly large, and in addition to the massage table had a tub and a full bathroom with a shower. But I think those are for if you request a shower while in the lounge and not for while you’re getting a massage.
The massage itself was thorough and extremely firm and left me feeling loose for days. It was great.
Back to the Royal First Zone in the waiting area for some tea and some sweets while I waited for my wife’s massage to finish.
Back to the lounge for the last two hours before our flight. Even the restrooms, which were dirty and full of smoke on our last visit, were in great shape and (like the lounge itself) quite empty.
The lounge attendants gathered the first class passengers for our flight just in time to be the last to board, and we were off!
The review
Last time we visited this lounge, we left wondering if it was some sick joke. This time, we left convinced that it was indeed among the great lounges of the world. It’s not as private as, say, The Private Room in Singapore, and the staff aren’t quite as on their toes as at, say, the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. But I’d still put this in the top tier of first class lounges I’ve been to around the world.