PHOTOS of that very lounge.

If you plan on showering then def. the A lounge. if you don't then D is best. The D lounge offers the room showers as well, but the showers themselves aren't all that great, switching between hot and cold and not having great water pressure. A on the other hand has the waterfall shower and nicer/bigger facilities.

Yes, I second using the SFO BA lounge. CX has sharing privileges...it was very nice.

They all seem pretty much the same to me.

Cheers.

I am partial towards the A lounge myself. DFW used to be my home. I think the showers in A are worth it even if you don't need one. I have been known to come out of the A lounge in my pj's newly showed to board for LGW. Personally I didn't care who saw me in my pj's - but then again I was in seat 1A so I didn't care about much anything!

Anyways - I check into A no matter which gate/ terminal I'm going to.

I vastly prefer Terminal A. Seems less crowded, more spacious and quieter. The showers are amazing (I SO want one of those for the house) and the former FL area is a great place to hide away. In comparison, D seems like just another AC.

we have a real long day...
 

We are actually flying business on the QF portions of the flights and first on the AA portions. When we land in SFO from DFW, will we have to exit a domestic terminal and enter an international one and go through security again? I hope to put away my little bottles from my freedom baggie into my toletry kit once I clear security in Kansas City.

As we leave Kansas City around noon and don't leave SFO on QF until 10:30pm we will be really, really hungry!! I'm going to need sustenance between those times. May check out some eateries in both dallas and SFO. Hopefully the QF business dinner will be tasty and then it will be off to sleep.

Susie

Yes, you must clear security at the SFO International terminal. There is no airside transfer available from any terminal. QF feeds you quickly after takeoff (about an hour), plus there are some sandwiches and biscuits in the SFO lounge, so probably best to eat at DFW terminal D (the Irish pub there seems to have the best food amongst the various cafes). But you do get food on AA in F as well (probably on both sectors), which is a lot of food with little exercise. I always find with 3 connecting flights it is too much food in aggregate rather than too little, but to each their own.

As for the showerheads in the former FL at DFW, they are rather easily obtainable everywhere in the US for circa USD 50 -- quite a bargain. Often sold as Australian Rainshower or Rainforest showerheads, though there are many brands (all identical from what I can see). And yes, it is a mandatory home renovation from my viewpoint.

The problem is that the shower-head is the CHEAP part. Getting the head installed directly overhead with sufficient height can be rather more expensive. ;)

They also make a variation that replaces your existing shower head; not quite as good, but surprisingly effective. Still worth putting that on, even compared to a massage shower head (and this install is 2 minutes with almost no tools).

Don't forget about all the ones that spray you with water from all sides as well as the nice overhead shower head! The warm fluffy towels are nice too!

The "personal car wash" as some have called it :)

P.S. I've often found the "gym" at terminal A to be a "must" with all the additional food offerings I've shamelessly enjoyed on an international flight :)

So exactly what exercise machines and quantities do they have in the DFW A club?

And about the showers in DFW A, what amenities are provided? e.g. towel, shampoo, hairdryer - exactly what? How many showers are there? I'd hate to workout between flights and then not be able to take a shower because they are being used!

More Than You'll Ever Need To Know About The "Personal Car Wash"
 

At the desk upstairs, you'll ask for a key to a shower room. It has the really nice shower area in it, bathroom area, sink area, etc. Shower Rooms 1 and/or 2 (can't recall) have "wheelchair accessible" shower areas in the shower rooms, & these are smaller than the larger shower areas in the other shower rooms, but still with the "personal car wash" features. They'll have extra floor towels, since the curtain that separates it form the rest of the bathroom/shower room doesn't always keep the water from spilling out on the floor. In rooms 2 or 3 and up, the "shower area" is a marble-walled area in & of itself. (gosh, this is waaaay too much detail, huh?...I was JUST there, so it's all fresh in my mind still I guess) Since you've got the key, you can change into your gym stuff there, turn on the "towel heater", go across the hall & work out, & return.
Treadmill, bike, stair machine..all "LifeFitness" or "LifeCycle" brand. Perhaps not the "high tech" offerings you'd see at a nicer Westin, but similar to those in a lot of gyms, and better than the "el cheapo" crap that some hotels call a "fitness center." It's a small, office-sized room. They also have water & cups there. They have a wall-mounted TV there which, if you're either tall or up for standing on a chair, you can change the channel & adjust the volume on--or ask the AAgent. It's usually on CNN when I've come in. Out one door is the hallway where the shower rooms are. Out the other door is the old FL area.
I've NEVER had to wait for a shower there. Sometimes I've been given a key to either 1 or 2, and if so, I'll ask for 3 or higher. (I'm 6'6", so the "bigger" shower areas in those would be my take, but if I wasn't so tall, the hand. accessible ones in 1 or 2 would be just fine).
The shower rooms have shampoo/shower gel dispensers, and there's a blow-dryer at the sink.
Yes, you'll get a big towel, small towel, & bath mat towel, all hanging on a heated rack---you may have to turn on the rack, and you can adjust it to three settings, so it's good to go after you've finished your workout/shower. Sometimes the AAgents will give you a little travel kit (blue & clear plastic envelope with one-use toothpaste,razor, deo., shave-cream, comb) IF they have them. Sometimes they're out of the envelopes, but do have individual things from them.
Also, as others have said, the area by where the old Flagship Lounge used to be. A really, really nice quiet area to just relax, rest, or get work done in...I've NEVER seen anyone there. It's "behind" you as you walk up to the upstairs desk, with a sign that may still say "Arrivals Lounge" on it. Once you go thru the door, keep walking thru the area that will look like it was a "reception" area and you'll be then in "the sanctuary." This can also be accessed directly from the fitness room/shower room area.

The Terminal A A/C also has the "Bose Listening Area" with several large lounge chairs where you can just kick it listening to tunes on the Bose noise cancelling headphones (sometimes they're there, sometimes you check them out from the desk).