The Changi Lounge is one of the more unique airport lounges in Changi Airport Singapore in the fact that it’s located in Jewel Changi and not the usual terminals.
Ever since the now world-famous mall opened its doors in 2019, I’ve always wanted to visit the lounge. However, I’ve always found myself immediately calling a Grab home once I’ve landed as that seemed like the most natural thing to do.
For our most recent trip to Langkawi and Koh Lipe, we arrived early in Singapore. As we had some time, we decided to head over to Jewel to check out the Changi Lounge.
This is a review of our experience of the Changi Lounge in Jewel Changi on an early Tuesday morning.
Basic Information
Opening hours: 8 am to 10 pm daily
| Access method |
|---|
| Priority Pass |
| LoungeKey |
| DragonPass |
| Paid entry with various packages |
There are 2 main methods to access the Changi Lounge — Lounge memberships and single-paid entries.
For paid entries, there are different packages you can choose to purchase. It ranges from S$25 to S$50. The “Lite” version comes with just the lounge access and the buffet bar, the “Classic” version includes a hot meal and a beer, and the “Premium” version includes access to the shower.
Changi Lounge accepts most major airport lounge memberships including Priority Pass and Lounge Key passes. Using lounge memberships grants you an equivalent of the “Premium” tier.
The best part about the Changi Lounge is that it accepts departing and arriving passengers. If you’ve just arrived in Singapore from your flight, you can hop into the lounge to grab a quick meal and shower here!
Location
The Changi Lounge is a unique airport lounge, in the sense that it’s located in Jewel Changi instead of the airport terminals. Because of this, it is located landside instead of the typical airside.
You can find the Changi Lounge near the connection between Jewel and Terminal 1.
Due to the circular design of Jewel, it can get confusing trying to find the lounge. During our visit, we went in the other direction and had to walk around the building to get to the lounge. Be sure to carefully check the lounge’s location before committing to walking in any direction.
Experience
General environment
The Changi Lounge has a very inviting and calming interior design. There is contemporary artwork decorating different corners of the lounge.
Once you pass through the front desk, you’ll be greeted by a large space full of comfortable sofas. This reminds me of a social club rather than an airport lounge. There are many “pockets” of areas for groups to hang out together.
When we visited the lounge on a Tuesday morning, it was almost empty and we had the whole lounge to ourselves.
I can imagine that there’ll be a lack of space for different groups of people on busy days or peak periods.
You can find the bar area in the corner of the lounge. This is you can order a hot meal if your lounge access comes with it. There are some standard tables and chairs beside the bar, making it possible for guests to have their hot meals after it’s ready.
Food and Drinks
There are 2 distinct food options available when you’re visiting the lounge – the free-flow snack bar and the hot food.
If you’re visiting the lounge with a lounge membership or you’ve purchased at least the “Classic” lounge package, you’ll get a hot meal with your access. There are multiple selections for the hot meal, and there’s even Chili Crab with Mantou!
The food selections in the snack bar are abysmal and limited. There were only a few types of pastries, nuts and fruits available. I guess the management was careful in naming it a “snack bar” rather than a “food bar”.
The beverage selection was fairly standard, with a coffee machine, tea bags and soft drinks available.
As for the hot meal, I got Chilli Crab with Mantou while M got a bowl of Laksa. The Chilli Crab tasted actually pretty decent although the mantou was a little too hard to bite.
Amenities
Shower Room
There are shower rooms available in this lounge. If you’re planning to use them, remember to make a reservation with the front desk when you’re checking in. It can take a really long wait (up to several hours) if guests are in front of you.
The shower rooms are located behind the food bar counter.
The bathroom is very spacious and it has a clearly separated dry and wet area.
Shower amenities are provided by Citron Fresh. I’ve never heard of this brand before, but it smelt really good when used.
There is a rain shower and handheld shower available. Perhaps due to the height of the rain shower, I found that the water pressure wasn’t too strong when it eventually reaches the ground. Therefore, I chose to use the handheld shower when I took my shower.
Conclusion
I was pleasantly surprised by my trip to the Changi Lounge. It has a beautifully designed interior and the hot meal options were pretty remarkable. The aptly named snack bar though leaves a lot more to be desired.
I don’t think I’ll be visiting the lounge for departure flights as it is located quite a distance from any departure gates. Those will be reserved for the likes of the SATS Premier Lounge or the SilverKris Lounge if I’m flying premium.
I’ll very much prefer airside lounges as it’s physically much closer to the gates and I do not have to clear immigration after my time at the lounge.
Despite that, I think the Changi Lounge is the perfect lounge for anyone looking to hang out in the world’s best airport after their flight. This can be a good place to relax and refresh yourself before spending the entire day shopping in Jewel Changi.
