First Look: New Chase Sapphire Lounge Opens in San Diego
New space for Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders offers Californian bites, facials, and free locally-inspired cocktails
Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
Chase Sapphire this week cut the ribbon on its newest airport retreat, a sprawling lounge in San Diego International Airport (SAN) that delivers the Sapphire network’s trademark chic design and lavish menu, this time with a beachy Californian twist.
It’s hard to believe that Chase opened its first branded lounge just two years ago, given the name it’s already made for itself in airport terminals from Hong Kong (HKG) to Boston (BOS).
The bank has been opening new spaces for its jet-set credit card customers at breakneck speed. It unwrapped a lounge in Phoenix (PHX) just weeks ago and will open lounges in Philadelphia (PHL), Las Vegas (LAS), and Los Angeles (LAX) in the first half of 2025.
A Beachy Retreat in San Diego
But despite that speed, the new lounge in San Diego never feels rushed or identikit. Instead, Chase has carefully incorporated local touches in a way sure to delight both locals and tourists.
Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
Those San Diegan details include a mural painted across a rack of surfboards by hometown artist Hanna Daly and a digital wall displaying breathtaking drone footage of the nearby coastline.
The blue and gold color scheme and wood flooring make the lounge identifiably Chase, but palm trees and surf-inspired art help the space “hang ten.”
Wellness and Relaxation
A wellness area caters to California’s health-conscious residents, with bookable rest pods and on-demand digital meditations from “well-being educator & healer” (and Californian) Devi Brown.
Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
You can follow up all that personal growth with a 15-minute facial from Face Haus—after all, we’re only 100 miles from Hollywood. Treatments can be booked via a QR code on the lounge’s tables or at the front desk.
Flavorful Dining Options
The West Coast vibes continue on the menu. Don’t miss out on highlights from local restaurant Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, including chicken tostadas and Sonoran-style potato soup with shrimp, offered a la carte throughout the day.
The cocktail list similarly draws on local flavors and lore.
“The Queen of Rum Row” draws its name from a nickname of the Malahat, an infamous rum-running schooner that operated on the West Coast during Prohibition, and mixes locally-produced—and now legal—bourbon and gin with lime juice and ginger beer. The “Prickly and Sweet” tips its hat to the native agave plant, with a taste described as “sweet, smoky, and spicy.”
Photo: Sapphire Signature Cocktail. Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Lounge
Locally distilled spirits include You and Yours vodka, Liberty Call San Diego County gin, and Malahat Straight bourbon whiskey. All drinks are poured free of charge.
Chase lounge regulars will also find the Sapphire burger and Sapphire cocktail, staples of the network. The Sapphire burger is stacked with tomato confit and arugula and served on a brioche bun with pickle chips and fries, and the electric-blue cocktail mixes blueberry, goldenberry, lime, oregano, five-spice powder, bee pollen and pearl dust with a local gin or vodka.
Even those who don’t drink will be drawn to the lounge’s centerpiece bar, the largest Chase has installed yet, with inviting mood lighting and stools.
Amenities for Every Traveler
Other amenities in the lounge include a shower stocked with Byredo products and a glass-walled and sound-proofed children’s area. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide panoramic views of the tarmac, including from the well-appointed restrooms.
Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire
If you prefer to get to work rather than relax, you’ll also find free high-speed Wi-Fi, ample power outlets and USB-C and USB-A ports, and organic, fair-trade java from California’s Groundwork Coffee.
Location and Access
The lounge is located in Terminal 2. You’ll find a door between gates 47 and 48, and from there, take an elevator or stairs to the official entrance, in blue-frosted glass, on the mezzanine level.
The space is open between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day. It welcomes all travelers with Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards, provided they’ve taken out the complimentary Priority Pass membership that comes with the card. Chase also rolls out the blue carpet for those holding the J.P. Morgan Reserve card or the Ritz-Carlton Credit Card, the latter of which is now closed for applicants.
Other Priority Pass members can visit Chase Sapphire lounges once per calendar year or return for a fee of $75.
