Ok,

I've been reading these forums for a while, and I've noticed that people like to shower at lounges.

Let's assume that the cost access is twenty five dollars. I fly Westjet a lot, and the lounges I access I simply pay at the desk each time I use them. They have internet access, clean bathrooms and so-so food. I don't have status or a fancy CC program.

However, I see that for some people, shower facilities are the big attraction.

That got me thinking, how much and why are you paying for showering? Is it that you leave home at 3AM and travel is a full day event? Can you not go for 24-36 hours without a proper shower? Or is it simply that you cannot appear at your destination smelling rather terrible and stale? Maybe you are working up a sweat? Maybe you simply want to change clothes and wash up?

Why is a shower at the lounge such a big deal? Does it take precedence over good food and drinks? Would you pay the 25 dollars if a shower wasn't possible? I'm never in a position where I would be really offensive odour wise, and I generally have access to a hotel or my home every day.

Or is it just a matter of, "I've got access to a shower, I'm going to use it"?

C.

The lounges I have access to that are equipped with showers don't charge extra for their use.

I use the shower if I'm arriving somewhere via a redeye and I need to feel awake and refreshed for the next leg of the journey, whether it's by plane, car, or not travel at all but a a day full of meetings. Whether I'm particularly aromatic or not isn't the issue; the act of showering is invigorating and is part of getting ready for a new day.

I often fly across the country, then have a connecting layover followed by a longhaul international flight.

By the time I arrive at my connection, I've been up for many hours. A shower completely refreshes me. I board my next flight feeling fresh and relaxed, my flight is more comfortable and that carries over to how I feel at my destination.

Domestically I've never used a lounge shower, unless connecting on to a long-haul. I often take the CX redeyes to HKG out of LAX or SFO and it's great being able to shower before boarding a midnight flight like that.

I often connect onwards on CX after a day in HKG�which is inevitably hot and sweaty�so I shower again at one of their lounges.

Later this year I'm flying DEN-SFO-HKG-AKL, with full days in both SFO and HKG, back-to-back redeyes. Door to door, that's about 48 hours. I'll definitely be taking some showers in-between.

With respect, I think your perspective is based on fairly short flights. As Dodge and Chollie suggest, the benefit has to do with long flights, possibly connecting to another (possibly long) flight. When I fly within Australia on 1 or 4 hour flights, a lounge with showers is unnecessary. But when I fly 14 hours to DXB and then connect to a 6 hour flight to Europe, (a) I want to change into clean clothes, which is much nicer if I can have a shower, and (b) it just makes me feel better after hours in a plane.

For the most part I've had lounge access via FF status which included showers. For a while I was transiting Singapore and paying about US$10 to use the showers in a pay lounge.

It is also about being presentable at your destination, especially if traveling for work. I commonly fly US east coast to Europe flights. They depart in the evening and arrive in the morning thought out these are shorter long haul flights I find showering after the flight to be necessary. At that point I was at work all day the day before going directly to the airport and it has been almost 24 hours without a shower. Also I can change into presentable business attire after the shower.

There is NOTHING that sets me up for a long flight...LAX-AKL say... better than boarding the aircraft refreshed and clean. Flights to OZ/NZ from the US all leave relatively late...so one has likely been active all day before the flight home....

Shower ...clean clothes.... board. Bliss.

Then at AKL... a wake up shower! I think it is the best benefit of lounge access....

As with others, showers are free as part of lounge access I pay for separately (either DL SkyClub or Centurion Lounges via AMEX Plat or AC via Citi Prestige until benefit disappears). I don't pay for it because of the showers but having access to them is an added benefit. For me the preferred order is shower and then food / drink but sometimes due to the wait for a shower it goes food / drink and then shower.

There are four situations where I consider showers a must:

1) Full day of work / play / touristing and going straight to the airport for a long-haul or transcon. Got to shower and get out of those work clothes or sweaty play clothes and into something comfortable

2) Post red eye of any sort whether connecting or terminating

3) Post long-haul before connecting to short-haul

4) Post transcon / medium-haul before connecting to long-haul (e.g., RDU - SFO - SYD) though this one is more of a nice to do if I have time and not a must do as with the prior 3

I always feel really grimy after a long flight. A shower in the lounge is awesome: if I know I'm going to have this available, I definitely keep a change of clothes in my carry-on. Totally worthwhile.

I have lounge access and thus it is 'free'. As has been said long haul flights it is awesome before boarding. However many times a year I fly a redeye from SFO or LAX to ATL. I use a lounge for the shower and a snack. I work outside as a motorsports photographer. Will have been up since 5-6am local time and outside sweating and working hard getting around a race track. I smell. I am sweaty.

Shower feels great. People around me appreciate it I am sure. And more important I get on fresh and clean and pass out.

That's really interesting. I figured most of us are businesspeople, but I see some of us have physically demanding jobs. I'm finishing some education which might be very spiritually lucrative, and it will likely be very physically demanding.

If it wasn't 'free' (status, CC perks, memberships) would you pay extra?

What are the things you look for in a lounge membership/access program? Does food come into it? I am looking at work which would involve regular intercontinental travel. It is something I'd seriously consider. I don't drink, and I'm okay with rubber chicken and tomato sauce, but why and what are you interested in when choosing a membership? Do you pick a membership because some lounges look nicer, or have better chairs, faster internet? Or is it as simple as they're a place for you to rest and recharge.

This will sound absolutely bizarre, but I sometimes like the privacy a lounge provides. It means that I get to sit there with my book and decompress.

C.

My lounge access is "free" by virtue of status, but I'd be more likely to pay for a shower than to pay for the mediocre food and drink offerings in most lounges. In Southeast Asia for example, where one sweats profusely after 5 minutes outside, a shower is a glorious thing. IMO it is most useful in the tropical climates.

I typically use them on arrival after a red-eye - either the arrival lounge at LHR if I have a work day ahead in London, or coming off a TLV - New York redeye with another connection to somewhere else in the USA or in some place like FRA after coming off a redeye from the USA before getting on my flight to TLV. It's refreshing, a good way to get over the jet lag, and nice to be clean.

I would have thought it's pretty obvious. If you want to have a shower and you have access to one, you have a shower. These can be pretty important before or after a long day or long flight. If you feel like it's worth paying for it, then so be it.

Well I drive from home to Udon Thani airport, 50 kms, outside temp around 35-40C, long walk from parking lot to check in.
Fly to BKK to catch international flight.
Sure I often want a shower in BKK before the next flight(s) 10k to 15k kms away. Same if I do a Middle-East stopover.