Following a brief visit to the Business Class section of the Singapore Airlines Lounge, it was finally time to check out the airline’s exclusive First Class Lounge! A private section of the Singapore Airlines Lounge, the First Class Lounge is best described as a lounge within a lounge, within a lounge. To make things interesting, the lounge is also rather secretive, as the facility isn’t even advertised on the airline’s websites or any of its channels!

Lounge Access Requirements

As its name suggests, the Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge welcomes the airline’s own First Class customers and a guest. Furthermore, Solitaire members of the airline’s exclusive PPS Club are likewise welcomed at the lounge. Note that the Star Alliance’s standard lounge policy does not apply here. As such, First Class and Solitaire PPS Club members travelling on non-Singapore Airlines Star Alliance passengers are not permitted entry.

Location

The Singapore Airlines Lounge is located in the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge near Gate 7. Present your boarding pass to the agents at the reception. They will grant you entry to the lounge and direct you to the special Singapore Airlines Lounge.

Turn left and head inside towards the Plaza Premium Lounge’s main section, which other airlines also use. Once inside turn right and walk towards the far end.

There you’ll find a door with the Singapore Airlines logo on a television screen and signs pointing to the Singapore Airlines Lounge. Enter the lounge and you’ll find the entrance to the Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge at the far end in the distance.

Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge

While the door to the First Class Lounge appears to be locked, a wave-motion sensor actually opens the portal to this ‘haven’ of sorts. Once inside, you’ll find yet another reception desk manned by an agent stationed to First Class. You’ll have to get your boarding pass verified yet again to enter; I get that this feels exclusive though aren’t three boarding pass checks a bit of an overkill? As I was flying Singapore Airlines First Class, I was promptly admitted.

Seating

Just like the main section of the Singapore Airlines Lounge, the seating consists chiefly of armchairs and sofas alternating between a living room-style arrangement and a more traditional lounge set-up. Despite the similar type of furniture, the lounge does have a plusher feel to it – perhaps thanks to the prevalent carpeting and dim lighting.

In particular, you’ll find pairs of sofa chairs arranged in rows facing each other running along the interior wall and in the centre section of the lounge. Between each seat is a console table, complete with built-in power outlets. Some seats also have a small moveable table across it, useful as a laptop table surface.

Conversely, by the windows, you’ll find a row of pod-style loungers complete with, an ottoman. These are perhaps the best seats in the house given how private they are. Regardless, I imagine that privacy shouldn’t be a concern given how few passengers have access to this space!

Behind those, you’ll also find a row of trendy-looking sofa chairs and a sofa. As they are awkwardly arranged in one row facing the window, I couldn’t seem to figure out the intent of this arrangement. For one, the seats aren’t positioned in such a way that looks social, but they are also too exposed to be meant for solo travellers.

Overall, while nicely furnished, there are not a lot of special qualities to the lounge. Absent are various frills you’d expect from a First Class lounge, such as massage chairs or day beds. At the end of the day, however, the lounge remains a relatively nice sitting room given that it is after all located in an outstation.

Dining

The lounge features a dining area containing no less than nine tables – a tad too many tables, in fact! Given how each flight has four First Class seats at most, in addition to the relatively few Solitaire PPS Club members, all these tables will never be used simultaneously.

While the chances of you being seated next to an occupied table is very low, I was still surprised by how closely arranged the tables are. This hence makes the dining area feel rather tight. Surely they could move the tables to be slightly further apart?

At the very least, there are a couple of dining tables set aside along the windows at the opposite end of the lounge. These two tables are perhaps the most ‘private’ relative to those in the dining area.

Food

Much like the offering at The Private Room in Singapore, dining at the lounge consists solely of an à la carte service. This is quite impressive if it weren’t for the fact that much of the food is essentially plated up buffet offerings. Expectedly, the food is prepared by Saphire Plaza Premium. While there are special cook-to-order options, they aren’t especially great either. But something is better than nothing, right? For your reference, below is the menu for the lounge. 

For the sake of this review, I decided to order a basket of dim sum as well as the healthy breakfast set, consisting of avocado toast with poached eggs, yoghurt, and a salad. Both were mediocre at best.

Drinks

Behind the dining area, you’ll find a small nook housing the beverage station. Again, this is nothing special and is relatively identical to the beverage selections you’ll find at the main Singapore Airlines Lounge and the Plaza Premium Lounge sections.

For one, you’ll find a run-of-the-mill coffee machine, in addition to a selection of Twinings Tea on one side. This is also complemented by a built-in hot and cold water dispenser.

On the adjacent side, you’ll find a selection of cold drinks housed in a chiller. Among others, the selection includes the likes of Coca-Cola, Sprite, Schweppes tonic water, club soda, a sparkling herbal drink, and bottled water. There are also two kinds of beer – Anker and Carlsberg.

In addition, there are also single examples of red wine and white wine, both of which Luis Felipe Edwards branded. Along with the beer, these are the extent of alcoholic beverages served at the lounge. Despite the weak selection, this is about what you’d expect from any airline lounge in Indonesia.

Finally, there is also a selection of dried snacks in jars, including coated peanuts and taro crisps.

WiFi

A password-protected WiFi network is available, shared with the rest of the Plaza Premium Lounge. While not especially fast, the network is good enough for day-to-day browsing.

Other facilities

Toilets are unfortunately not available at the First Class Lounge (how decidedly, un-First Class!). Instead, you’ll have to use the ones in the main Singapore Airlines Lounge. Likewise, shower facilities are also available, although you’ll have to head to the main section of the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge for that.

Overall

While not itself an alternative to the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge, the Singapore Airlines Lounge provides a small pocket of solace compared to the busyness of the main facility. I’ll admit that the space is a lot less plush than a SilverKris Lounge and its mediocre food and beverage selection isn’t one to impress. However, to have access to what is essentially an exclusive sitting area within the Saphire Plaza Premium Lounge is always a plus. As such, despite its small size, I’m happy that the airline has invested in such a facility for its commercially important Jakarta outstation.

Read more from this trip here!