My new favorite lounge at New York (JFK) is the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. The lounge may not be what it was prior to the pandemic, but it remains a top notch lounge with superb staff, food, and drinks.

This lounge is located in JFK Terminal 4. After clearing security, head downstairs and walk down the A-Concourse toward gates A4 and A5. There, you’ll find stairs or an elevator going upstairs. The lounge is next to lounges from Emirates and Air India.

Currently, the Clubhouse is open from 5:00am to 10:30am and 2:00pm to 10:30pm daily. The website indicates an 8:30am closing time, but the lounge is open later because it is used by EL-AL for its 11:00am departure to Tel Aviv.

It then closes and re-opens promptly at 2:00pm.

*when traveling on a Virgin Atlantic flight

The lounge is now managed by Plaza Premium, hence the access for AMEX and Capital One cardholders. Simply present your card and scan your boarding pass.

This is large and stylish lounge with a swanky seating area in the center of the lounge with a mix of chairs and end tables…plus a pool table.

Behind the bar is a dining area and then dozens of tables and chairs which line the windows.

On the other side is more seating, including chairs with small round tables and couches.

I spent a lot of time in this lounge and the most crowded it got was about 3:30pm, as passenger arrived for the evening services on Delta and Virgin Atlantic.

The Virgin Clubhouse at JFK lounge offers an extensive a la carte menu for breakfast and for lunch/dinner. Paper menus are available and you can order via a lounge staff member, or you can use a QR code menu and order from your phone. In either case, I found the meal service to be prompt and the food worth eating.

Here’s the breakfast menu:

I ordered eggs Benedict and a bowl of fruit for breakfast, with a flat white.

The lounge offers a nice selection of coffee drinks made by a barista.

During  my stay, I enjoyed several flat whites…

I had a long day of work and returned in the afternoon to see if the lounge experience was any different in the afternoon. It wasn’t. Here’s the lunch menu and drink menu:

I skipped the alcohol and stuck to coffee and water, but did enjoy a multi-course lunch, including a beet salad, pea and mint soup, and Mediterranean cod. All food was superb (I was skeptical when the cod arrived breaded, but it was a nice piece of fish).

I finished lunch with a cheese plate.

Note, there is no buffet in this lounge at JFK and even drinks are not self-serve, with the exception of small self-serve coffee and tea station near the lounge entrance.

Restrooms and showers are available in the rear of the lounge. Just look for the hallway with mood lighting which changes every few seconds to a new color.

Shower suites include body wash from Ren and shampoo plus conditioner from Aveda. Ask a shower attendant for a towel. While the showers were empty in the morning, there was a waiting list later in the day.

This lounge once offered a full-service spa with services ranging from massages to manicures to haircuts. Those days are probably over. That part of the lounge was closed off during the pandemic and I was told by one staff member that it is very likely to ever re-open. Currently, the area is just blocked off.

I found the service in this lounge outstanding in the morning…and less so in the afternoon. In the morning, Devina took care of me. What a pleasure she was to interact with. Kind, witty, and attentive, we had a nice conversation and I greatly appreciated her excellent service. Every time she noticed my coffee was getting low, she would make me another one!

In the afternoon, the lounge staff member who delivered food (I ordered off the app) really just put the food down without a word…no smile, no checking back to see how the food was or if she could bring anything else (as Devina had done).

If you’re staying for awhile, you can leave your luggage in a baggage storage area just past the lounge entrance.

In terms of clubhouse lounges, the Virgin lounge in London Heathrow is still my favorite. But the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse JFK remains a top notch airport lounge and I’m happy to report that the Plaza Premium management may have cut back some amenities, but it is still one of the few lounges worth showing up early for. I look forward to returning.

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Food looks good but a lot of the furniture looks uncomfortable as hell..

Reminds me of a W.

Really wanted to check this lounge out a few weeks ago when I was on a rare connection through JFK & I really enjoy the IAD clubhouse. Sadly, it was during their mid-morning closure so no dice. The menu looks close or the same as IAD & amenities as well. Furniture may look uncomfortable but isn’t, at least in IAD. Thanks Matthew

That’s funny — I’m not crazy about the IAD clubhouse — it is usually extremely crowded before the VS flights, the food isn’t great, and to my knowledge there are no showers. Much prefer UA polaris or the BA lounge next door when going transatlantic from IAD

Used to love it before pandemic but nowadays it’s too crowded (my flights have always been in the evening to LHR.)

There’s no way this lounge maintains this level of quality in the long run if Amex Plan gets you in.

Did not realize that about Amex Plat. Is that access limited to certain hours?

Singapore Airlines passengers flying in Suites class to FRA or beyond also granted access to the Clubhouse

Or even those flying J. Visited this lounge before our JFK-FRA flight in July – nice to be able to grab a shower and decent bite.

This lounge was being used by Etihad, while their lounge was closed. Is that still the case?

I did not see any signs indicating this, but it would make sense.

Just confirmed with their help desk. Still using this lounge for the time being. I’m not sure I want it to change back prior to my flight next month?

It’s a real solid lounge. I prefer it to even AMEX lounge.

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