J Lounge DXB - Showers
 

Hello,

SWOBO and I are flying to AKL in December in J - red eye to DXB then another red eye to SYD then onto AKL.

Its not entirely clear whether there are showers available in DXB J Lounge - or they just part of the Spa but free? Also, since we have 3 hours in SYD while they clean/refuel the aircraft, do you have access to the Emirates lounge and again do they have showers available? I do like to be a clean smelling bunny hence the questions :D

TIA

Showers in J-T3-DXB are excellent: clean, sufficient in number and large and comfortable. Towels, shaving gear and tooth brush are all available.

As of today, the showers are not part of the SPA section of the lounge, but that could change by the time you will be there, as Emirates have a tendency to rebuild half their T3-lounge, every other week or so... (which in regard of some of the original structural problems when they first opened it, probably isn't such a bad idea anyway)

Can't help you out with info on SYD though. Maybe that by the time you fly to AKL you will have enough miles for an update to F on the A380??

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There are showers. However, at around 0630 there was a long line. Go to the old T1 lounge and there is no line :)

Cheers,

Wow. There were no amenities in the T3 F showers last week! I should have gone through to J :p

:confused:

Let me re-phrase that slightly - Showers in J-T3-DXB are cramped, shabby, in fact the whole thing is a dump, with nowhere to store your stuff, and your clothes will get soaked too.

You can choose between queueing interminably in the same place, or moving around from place to place playing Shower Roulette with other pax trying to find a free cubicle.

Whilst wandering the terminal, you will also intersect with other pax playing Toilet Roulette.

Sorry but the whole thing is a complete cock-up. But with an 8-hour connection and a bit of luck, you'll eventually get there and the water is hot and wet.

With all due respect, but I really beg to differ... I wonder what kind of royal standards you are used to, or what it is exactly that you expect from public showers in one of the largest airport lounges in the world.

1. Admittedly there used to be a huge problem with overcrowding (at the entire T3-Lounge) when EK first opened their new (massive) lounge about a year ago. In the meantime the situation has improved however, and I believe EK have been trying to remedy some of the most apparent structural problems with their new lounge, hence all the works/changes at the lounge over the last couple of months. Anyway: the last 2 times I used the showers they were NOT overcrowded (there were no lines at all!!), they were thoroughly CLEANED after each use, I always felt there was enough SPACE to leave my traveler + computer inside the changing room of the duplex shower unit, and I was provided with AMENITIES such as fresh towels, shaving gear, tooth gear...

2. I know - we all know - there is a huge problem with the toilets, and their use by some people, and the way they are cleaned by some of the staff, at DXB. This is an inherent problem that comes with the very diverse (internationally, socially and culturally) staff and customer base at DXB, and for sure they have been doing A VERY POOR JOB in this field, ever since their operations at T1. Unfortunately DXB's airport authorities have never been able to deal with this issue when they moved into T3 (I seriously doubt that they ever tried); and not even EK have been able to deal with it at their new lounge in T3. It is true that I stopped using the toilets (any toilets) at DXB a long long time ago!!! I just go inside the plane, which must cost them a lot more, or somewhere else outside the airport.

3. EK/DXB really need to appoint a "CTO" (Chief Toilet Officer). Someone who used to work with the UNHCR would probably be a good start. Also, appointing an Assistant-"CTPO" (Chief Toilet Paper Officer) might solve half their problems. I am not trying to be funny here: I seriously believe this might create a lot of value for the company (and for Dubai's travel and tourism industries).

4. It is true that quite some people at J-T3-DXB try to beat the system (deal with the toilet problem) by "dropping in" at the shower facilities, checking them out for toilets, and of course they are all being told to go somewhere else: I have noticed that too... Now, I wouldn't exactly call that a game of roulette, but I can see what you mean.

5. I believe it is absolutely unfair though, to confuse the (very poor) toilet facilities at DXB with the (imho excellent) shower facilities at the EK-J-T3 Lounge at DXB; at least when I have been using them in recent times.

The J-T3-DXB showers are clean and comfortable.

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Can’t comment on the showers at Dubai, haven’t had the courage to use them given some of the comments which I have read and have always had overnight accommodation provided by EK on my outward flight from Scotland and so was able to shower in the hotel. Toilets have varied from sparkling to disgusting. At the times I have been passing through the airport queues seem to be the norm. Others with more experience of DXB may be able to comment on whether that varies significantly with the time of day.

Are you sure about the 3 hour layover in Sydney? If you are on the 412 it is normally scheduled to land in Sydney at 07:05 and leave for Auckland at 08:50.

The lounge at Sydney is very nice with facilities which should please anyone wishing to be a clean smelling bunny although with the use of the A380 I believe the lounge may now be quite busy. When transiting through Sydney or Melbourne to Auckland no announcement was ever made on board the aircraft regarding access to the EK lounge however I have used the lounge on each occasion and it appeared that pax names were on the receptionists lists as I was “ticked off” and warmly welcomed. Unless there has been a major change recently Sydney has a single lounge for all premium passengers.

The standard that I compare to normally are the showers in the Red Carpet Club at NRT. Also the shower facilities in SIN and HKG. Compared to those, the facilities and amenities in T3 J-DXB fall far short, so I'm not surprised that people who travel through Asia would comment in this manner. To be honest, I was disappointed with the amenities and shower as well, especially because the outside portions of the new lounge are so well-designed and spacious. You almost expect the shower rooms to be that nice as well, and to not look like just another restroom.

I just experienced the T3-J showers not too long ago and found them not too bad.

-About a 5-7 minute wait line when I got out. When I got in, there was no line.
-1 shower attendant per 4 showers who did a good job cleaning but had an attitude problem
-plenty of towels
-limited shaving amenities etc there were maybe 10 packs - this would soon be gone
-the shower was hot with lukewarm pressure.
-the shower room was kind of small but I managed to keep all my stuff dry with minimal effort. There is a bench type thing to keep your stuff.

Cheers,

So are there like two showers in one room or what is meant by "duplex shower unit" ?

When you open the door to the shower room, there's a changing space before the actual shower cubicle which is roughly the same size as the shower itself. There's one hook on the wall, and a small bench in that first cubicle. Hence, I guess, the duplex comment?

Last time I used it, there was no attendant, the first portion was completely wet with towels on the ground, and nothing was wiped down. This was at 10am; there were no lines for the shower at that time, and the toilets were actually clean for once, which almost gave me a heart attack.

Back I always enjoy your posts so much, thank you :)

My expectations are well short of royalty, basically I want (a) reasonable shower availability, (b) privacy, (c) some sense of basic facility and/or queue management, all of which were painfully lacking in the EK lounge facilities.

Re point 1, I am talking 3 weeks ago.

Re point 2, I am not talking about culture, ablutions and so on; I am talking about There Not Being Enough Bogs.

Each to their own, this is my experience in the morning rush (the logical rush hour for such a facility I would think).

It might be me, but I just find the entire T3 J-lounge layout strangely bewildering. Somehow, nothing is where you expect it to be. You come round a corner, expecting a drinks station - but it's not there. Food ought to be here, but instead it's over there. It just doesn't seem very intuitive. Last week I noticed that self-serve drinks have been removed - you must queue up whilst matron pours you a glass of water. How odd.

Showers
 

I took a shower at DXB J Lounge yesterday and it was pretty good - a lot better than the temporary "campsite" showers that BA offers in T5 arrivals! God I hate those...!

I do agree on lounge layout though - it did feel rather odd... I guess its because its so big that things don't really fall where you expect... I did find myself walking a loooonng way to get my "issued" glass of water etc. I wonder if they've had problems of people over-hydrating??!

In terms of toilets - I found one available at every opportunity - heck, I even had a copy of an English newspaper in mine so I could "catch up" whilst doing "my bit" to save fuel on the DXB to PVG... :p