rewrite this title New Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse LAX: A Combo of Wellness and Glamour – NerdWallet

Instead of leaning into a beachy, laidback California aesthetic, Virgin Atlantic embraces old Hollywood glamour and the city’s rock ‘n’ roll history with its plush, velvety new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). It is the fourth U.S. location and the sixth Virgin Atlantic lounge in the world.

The lounge’s glitzy design, local food and focus on wellness make it more authentic to the city. And similar to the L.A. food and workout class scene, there’s also a touch of star power. It’s like a neon-lit Barry’s Bootcamp class where you might bump elbows with a minor reality TV star. So it seems right on brand that Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson himself filmed a video to welcome lounge guests to the Virgin Clubhouse’s Zen Room or that actor Alan Cumming recorded a “bedtime story” in the lounge’s Ruby Room.

I was invited to check out the lounge just before it opened to the public on March 28, 2025. Here’s what you need to know about it.

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is open to:

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LAX is on the sixth floor of the Tom Bradley International terminal, next to the Star Alliance lounge. You have to go up two escalators to get to it from the shopping area on the main floor of the terminal. If you’re having trouble, try to find the P.F. Chang’s restaurant in the Tom Bradley terminal and take the escalator up a floor.

The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is open from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily.

The lounge is small at only 4,400 square feet and has room for about 70 seated guests. But because access is limited to only Upper Class passengers, it shouldn’t have the same crowding issues as Priority Pass or credit card issuer lounges.

When you walk in, the main attraction is the lighting over the bar, which has a gorgeous ombre effect that is mesmerizing to watch change gradually. Eventually, this light will be timed with L.A.’s actual sunset to help regulate guests’ circadian rhythm and give them a connection to natural light, even though this lounge lacks windows.

The designers of this lounge know this is the hero feature, so they’ve extended the bar seating to the right to allow more people to bask under this soothing light.

Under the bar, there are convenient bag hooks and charging outlets.

To the right of the bar is the aptly named Ruby Room, which has a red carpet inviting guests to flow through the space. The red and gold color scheme gives this area a glitzy vibe.

There is a TV on the wall for entertainment and guests can use their own Bluetooth headphones to hear the soundtrack of what’s playing on the TV.

Opposite the TV is a set of shelves, where guests can peruse (and buy) Virgin Atlantic merchandise. There is a similar retail display at the flagship Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at the London-Heathrow airport.

And if you follow the red carpet, you’ll find a private booth with wall-to-wall red. This is called the Royal Box, and it’s reserved for VIPs and guests celebrating a special occasion.

The Royal Box also comes with a secret menu. If you sit in here, you can order chocolate-covered strawberries and a cocktail called The Drama Queen, which comes served with a giant bubble that gives off a “mixed berry” scent when you pop it.

To the left of the bar is an alley called The Wing. There is additional cocoon-like seating and three phone booths for taking calls or getting work done.

Of course, since it’s Virgin, the booths are called Studios because they are designed to look like music recording studios. In fact, each one is named for famous Virgin Records studios: The Manor, Olympic Studios and Sunset Sound.

As an audio lover (I co-host NerdWallet’s Smart Travel podcast), I was impressed with the design and functionality. It really did look like I could pull back the curtain and see a band playing on the other side of the glass. The soundproofing was legitimate, the chairs were comfier and cooler than your average workstation, and there were additional controls for air conditioning and lighting. Real Virgin Records memorabilia hangs above the desk.

Wellness or meditation rooms are popular amenities in newer airport lounges, but I’ve never seen one like this. This small narrow room has a vanity on one side and just enough room for one person to lay down.

Virgin Atlantic covered the far side in mirrors and turned it into a mini gym.

There is a custom Forme full-length mirror with a screen built into it. When you start the experience, you’ll see a welcome video from Branson. Then, you’ll have a menu of short classes from Forme Studio related to mind, body and spirit. On the left, an equipment rack has everything you might need for your class, including weights, a yoga mat and more.

The space is small, but a fan keeps it from feeling too stuffy. And it felt like such a treat to be present and alone for just a few minutes, especially if you are about to hop on a 10.5-hour flight to London.

For now, the Zen Room will be first come, first served, so no need to reserve it before your flight.

The bathrooms are on either side of the Zen Room. There are four bathroom stalls in total, including one large accessible toilet at the end that also has a shower.

The bathroom products are from L.A.-based Flamingo Estate.

Most of the food is served to you at your table. You can scan the QR code on the tables and order. The menu is a mix of healthy, California-inspired food and British classics: chicken tikka masala, a tuna poke bowl, a venison smash burger, fish and chips, tofu pho, Korean chicken wings, a fish taco and a California roll.

You can also grab some other snacks, like vegetables and hummus, fruit cups, and trail mix, at the brasserie to the left of the bar. It’s self-service.

For dessert, you can order dishes like miso donuts, the Clubhouse cookie (dark chocolate, pistachio and sea salt) or a British summer trifle, which is a layered cake with fruit and cream. The menu changes every six months to keep things fresh for lounge visitors.

For drinks, the bar serves an array of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. Some of the wellness-related beverages include Trip Mindful Blends, a sparkling water with ingredients like magnesium to promote relaxation.

Virgin is the hip, cool brand in travel, and seeing how the company does lounges differently is absolutely worth arriving at the airport a few hours early. It won’t take you long to see the Clubhouse since it’s not very big, but you’ll want time to try everything on the menu, interact with the Zen Room and maybe just marvel at that sky-like light atop the bar.

If you’re a Delta One customer, you get access to both the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse and the Delta One lounge at LAX. The Delta One lounge is much bigger, has more natural light (and even a Sky Deck), and the food was better, so it has a slight edge over the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse.

Still, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is an excellent addition to the lounge scene at LAX, and I’m trying to figure out my next opportunity to work from those Virgin Clubhouse phone booths.