First Look: Chase Sapphire Opens New Lounge at New York LaGuardia

Chase has cut the ribbon on its third airport lounge for cardholders, a lavish space in New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), offering a facial spa, games room, and bookable hotel-inspired hideaways.

The Chase Sapphire Lounge LaGuardia sprawls across two floors and 21,800 square feet of the airport’s brand-new Terminal B and is open to eligible guests daily between 4:30 AM and 9:30 PM.

Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge

The centerpiece is a 360-degree bar, serving cocktails and mocktails designed by the mixologists at buzzy New York cocktail bar Apotheke. These exclusive drinks pay homage to aviation and LaGuardia itself. Blackburn’s Sour is named after radio actress Arlene Blackburn, the first passenger to disembark from the first plane that landed at LaGuardia, and mixes two kinds of rum, blackberry, raspberry, açai, ginger, and lime and is garnished with pea shoots.

Red Eye, a twist on the espresso martini, may keep you up for your overnight flight, while Crosswind is a provocative whirlwind of flavors, including matcha and champagne.

Also on the menu is the Sapphire, the blue-hued signature cocktail of the lounge network, featuring Brooklyn Gin, blueberry, golden berry, lime, ginger, oregano, and five-spice powder, and sprinkled with bee pollen and pearl dust.

Photo: Sapphire Signature Cocktail. Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge

So you make your flight on time, the lounge also has an espresso bar, serving lattes, cold brew, and other barista-made beverages, with the beans from locals Joe Coffee.

Food is provided by West Village bistro Joseph Leonard, which has trained lounge chefs to make small plate adaptations of its signature dishes, including a brussels sprout hash, lentil ragout, and seared salmon. While some dishes are ready to eat and nabbed off a buffet, most are made to order. Guests can place their orders by scanning QR codes on their tables and have the dishes delivered directly to their seats.

Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge

Also on the menu are the Sapphire lounge specialties, already favorites at locations in Boston (BOS) and Hong Kong (HGK): the Sapphire Burger, with mustard aioli, tomato confit, arugula, and pickles, on a brioche bun, and the Sapphire Noodles.

Breakfast options include matcha oats, chickpea eggs, baked egg polenta, and vegan breakfast bowls. Self-serve beverage stations scattered throughout the lounge are stocked with soda, juice, and sparkling water.

Photo: Wellness Area. Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge

Cardmembers can also refresh at the lounge’s dedicated spa, where treatments from an on-site esthetician are bookable on a first-come, first-served basis. The pampering includes treatments from Face Haus, a woman-owned “facial bar.” Guests can also snatch a bit of zen in two meditation pods or take away a complimentary skincare travel kit from Face Haus.

There’s ample seating throughout the lounge, including some clustered around a water-vapor fireplace and free high-speed Wi-Fi.

Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge

Other amenities include a games room, styled like a retro arcade and boasting a vintage jukebox, a kid’s playroom, a nursing room, and a photo booth.

If that’s not enough, the lounge also boasts three Reserve Suites, a concept debuting at this lounge and available exclusively for Reserve cardmembers. These private rooms offer everything a five-star hotel would, including caviar service on arrival, a dedicated suite attendant, and a private en suite bathroom with a shower, Dyson hairdryer, and haircare products from Oribe. There’s also an exclusive menu, with dishes from Jeffrey’s Grocery, a neighborhood oyster bar and seafood restaurant in the West Village.

Photo: Reserve Suite. Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge

The suites are bookable in increments of three hours, but unlike the other goodies in this lounge, you’ll need to pay for the privilege: $2,200 for the smaller suite, accommodating up to four people, and $3,000 for one of the larger suites, fitting up to eight people. The suites can be reserved a year in advance and up to 72 hours before the visit. Bookings can be made through the Chase Mobile app.

“Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers are travelers by nature, and New York City is continuously topping the list of their travel destinations,” said Dana Pouwels, Head of Airport Lounge Benefits and Strategic Partnerships for Chase. “As such, we’re thrilled to expand our offering to serve New Yorkers and visitors, alike,” “With an expansive space, VIP touches, wellness amenities, locally sourced dining, and more, this new lounge at LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B reflects our dedication to enhancing cardmembers’ travels from beginning to end.”

The lounge is open to those with Priority Pass membership through the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. Cardmembers can visit an unlimited number of times with up to two guests. The same applies to the holders of the Ritz-Carlton credit card, which is now closed to applicants.

Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge

Those with Priority Pass membership through another means can visit any Chase Sapphire Lounge in the U.S. once per calendar year. Subsequent visits and any guests will incur a charge of $75.

Travelers without Priority Pass membership can buy access to the lounge for $100 per person per visit, depending on how full the lounge is.

Next week, Chase will also open a fourth lounge across town at JFK Airport, adding it to a portfolio that includes fully-fledged lounges in Boston and Hong Kong and an indoor-outdoor grab-and-go space, the Sapphire Terrace, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.