Housed within Singapore Airlines’ massive 6,100 sqm SilverKris Lounge cluster in Terminal 3, the SilverKris First Class Lounge is the airline’s largest and best ‘First Class’ lounge. Being the airline’s main lounge, it is supplemented by the SilverKris First Class Lounge in Terminal 2, which I’ve reviewed in a previous instalment. Opened in May 2022, the lounge replaces the ageing Terminal 3 facility following an extensive refurbishment by Hirsch Berdner Associates. Complementary to the First Class lounge is The Private Room, which is the airline’s exclusive facility for its own First Class and Suites passengers.

Lounge Access Requirements

Despite its moniker, the SilverKris First Class lounges do not primarily serve Singapore Airlines’ First Class and Suites passengers – that would instead be the job of The Private Room. Instead, the First Class lounges are reserved for the airline’s most frequent flyers – members of the Solitaire PPS Club and Star Alliance First Class passengers. In tune with the Star Alliance lounge policy, First Class passengers may also bring one guest to this lounge.

Location

The SilverKris Lounges at Terminal 3 is located on Level 3, just above the terminal’s central shopping arcade. After clearing immigration, head towards the direction of Gates A1 – A8 and stop in front of the Bacha Coffee retail pavilion. There, you’ll find a pair of escalators that lead up to the SilverKris Lounges on Level 3, which is clearly distinguished by a batik-motif glass art facade. The SilverKris Lounge itself is separated into three sections – The Private Room, SilverKris First Class, and SilverKris Business Class – all of which I have reviewed.

SilverKris Lounge First Class

After briefly visiting the SilverKris Lounge First Class Terminal 2, I headed to Terminal 3 on the SkyTrain. As soon as I arrived at the SilverKris Lounge, I was greeted by a roaming lounge agent standing by the entrance. After presenting my Suites boarding pass, I was invited to use the SilverKris Lounge First Class and The Private Room – the latter of which I’ve reviewed in a separate instalment.

The Private Room and the SilverKris Lounge First Class shares a common entrance – though The Private Room customers are channelled into the exclusive facility through a chrome-clad corridor. The First Class section instead opens directly into the lounge’s beautiful bar.

Bar

Right by the entrance is the lounge’s beautifully decorated bar, adorned with 119 illuminated Lalique crystal sculptures depicting aquatic ginger flowers. Seating eight, the bar is tended between 06.00 to 10.00 and 15.00 to 21.00, during which you can request either barista-made coffee or mixed drinks at each respective time. Beyond that, you’ll have to make do with the selection of self-poured drinks which, in fairness, is quite nice (more below).

Running alongside the bar, you’ll also find a handful of informal seating on the entrance corridor. With their sofas and accent chairs, the setting is notably a lot more casual compared to the rest of the lounge – perhaps deliberate so. Considering its proximity to the bar, it is the perfect space for a more social stay at the lounge.

Dining

Past the bar area is the lounge’s dedicated dining area, which features restaurant-style seating next to a comprehensive food spread. Most of the area is composed of small dining tables that seat two, arranged closely to each other.

In addition to these tables, there are also four booth tables, which can accommodate up to five people each. With the batik-motif walls behind, I think these booths are an especially elegant addition to the otherwise barren-looking dining room.

Food

Like the Terminal 2 First Class lounge, dining is mostly composed of a buffet selection. The buffet is accompanied by a live kitchen in the background, whose chefs also regularly top up the selection. This ultimately allows for a beautifully presented buffet with food that not only looks fresh but also tastes great.

Hot buffet

First and foremost was the selection of hot dishes, which is featured on a long buffet spread accompanied by many condiments. On offer was a wide variety comprising dishes from Singaporean, Chinese, Indian and Western cuisines. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Chef’s Station

I’ll also note that there is also a number of made-to-order options supplementing the buffet. While not a great replacement for à la carte dining, it is certainly a better alternative to a mere buffet. In particular, there were eight dishes available for order, four of which were locally inspired. On my visit, this included fried carrot cake, Iberico pork burger, Hawaiian pizza, Taiwanese peanut candy popiah, crispy seafood noodles, chicken satay, and roti prata, as well as their signature laksa.

The Pantry

Behind the main spread is a pantry with a small selection of pastries, cakes, and cold foods like sandwiches, cheeses, yoghurt, and fresh fruits. In addition to the more common options, I liked that they have provided a few locally-inspired options.

This includes several sweet glutinous rice steamed cakes called kueh and Milo, a popular malt chocolate beverage. Mövenpick ice cream was also available, alongside a chilled selection that included imported cheeses, yoghurt, dried fruits, and sandwiches.

Drinks

At the pantry, cans of Heineken and local Tiger Beer were available, complementing the array of soft drinks in the chiller. Specifically, there were Schweppes soda water, tonic water, ginger ale, and bitter lemon; Coca-Cola classic, light, and zero; Sprite; Marigold apple and orange juice, Kagome tomato juice; as well as bottles of Evian and canned Perrier sparkling water.

There is also a large selection of Singapore’s own TWG tea, both in bagged and loose-leaf form. Accompanying this is a Boncafé branded coffee machine that complements the barista-made coffee you can get at the bar. Furthermore, there is a machine that dispenses freshly squeezed orange juice on demand at the alternative beverage stations in the lounge. In addition, fresh coconuts are available at the buffet spread (yes please!).

Finally, there is also a selection of self-poured alcoholic drinks behind the pantry, supplementing to the selection available at the bar. Among others, available were Belvedere Vodka, Bombay Saphire Gin, Bacardi Rum, Hennesy Cognac, Jack Daniels Black Label, The Ardmore Single Malt, Dow’s 20 Year Old Tawny Port, and Asahi beer machines. However, nothing stood more than the bottle of Piper Heidsieck Rare Millésime 2007. This is the same excellent champagne served in First Class on board.

Seating

Right behind the dining area is the main sitting area, where the majority of seats consist of grey leather-upholstered swivel chairs. Expectedly, the space isn’t large, meaning that most of these seats are arranged quite closely to each other. Furthermore, at this point, you might see that the lounge does not have any windows, which leaves it feeling a bit stuffy. Regardless of the lack of sunlight and while the dark grey chairs were drabber than I would have liked, the space still felt quite elegant.

A further set of seats is available to the side of the sitting area, right across the lounge’s children’s playroom. While similarly leather-clad, the upright posture promoted by these chairs make them noticeably less relaxed. Anyhow, these can be quite suitable for work given its proximity to power outlets on the walls.

Best of all, however, are the traditional lounge seating arranged at the front and back of the lounge. These chairs are arranged in pair clusters facing each other and feature a cleverly designed, built-in side console. With the console’s protruding wings, it is easier to work and possibly have a light snack. The tabletop also features a wireless charging pad, in addition to the individual power outlets allocated to each seat.

Communal desks

In addition to the traditional lounge seating, there is also a solitary communal desk with four seats. The desk is equipped with built-in power outlets, thus adding to the lounge’s steady number of seating spaces suitable for light work.

Productivity pods

Scattered around the edges of the sitting area, you’ll find the lounge’s cleverly designed productivity pods. When in use, these booths cleverly doubles both as a dining space and a work desk. These semi-private, high-walled cubicles feature seating with a built-in lamp, power supply, and table surface.

In recent years, these pods have become a signature of SilverKris Lounges since their introduction as part of the ‘Home Away From Home’ refurbishment project. Between its high grey walls and the curved chair, the pod’s general shape looks reminiscent of the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER First Class. It also reminds me a lot of the excellent Solo chair at the Cathay Pacific Lounges.

Amenities

Children’s playroom

Located next to the nook in the main sitting area is a glass-enclosed children’s playroom. The room features no more than a wall-mounted television in addition to two small bean bag chairs. Given the lack of any playthings, parents travelling with young children might want to bring a toy to keep their children entertained.

Day rooms

Close to the entrance, you’ll find a small chandeliered alcove with an icon of a reclined person. Placed here are the lounge’s four day rooms – as the airline calls them – each featuring a single bed or a Poltrona Frau reclining chair. Each day room can be reserved at the reception in two-hour blocks, which can be extended subject to availability.

In addition to the bed or chair, the room is equipped with a small desk and chair. While its lights can be individually controlled, I’ll point out that the door has a narrow window which allows in light from the lounge. Furthermore, owing to its size, each day room can only accommodate one person at any given time.

Meeting room

Located by the entrance corridor is a meeting room, which features six office chairs centred around a conference table. There is wall-hung television, which I imagine can be used to display presentations when needed. As it is enclosed, the meeting room provides a great place to work away from the noise of the lounge.

Phone booth

Located outside the shower and washroom corridor is a single phone booth with a swivelling barstool and a table counter. The booth is similar to the ones you’d find in Japanese lounges, like those in the JAL First Class Lounge for example. Being enclosed, it is evidently purposed to limit noise disturbance when taking calls.

Showers

Located at the rear, behind the main sitting area are the shower facilities. There are six shower suites at the SilverKris Lounge First Class. Its use can requested at the shower reception at the common shower and washroom corridor. While each shower suite is spacious, I did not like the marble-patterned porcelain tile walls. This I think truly cheapened the look of this entire area of the lounge.

At least, the showers include an ensuite toilet and sink, which is a nice improvement to the ones at the Terminal 2 lounge. Additionally, the walk-in shower has both handheld and rain showerheads. Sadly, the shower is only equipped with the same cheap-looking non-descript body wash and shampoo. Again, this seems to be a glaring missed marketing opportunity to partner with a local skincare brand. Regardless, Lalique-branded eau de toilette and body lotion are as always provided on the sink top.

Washrooms

Like the showers, the washrooms are located at the back of the lounge and are gender-segregated. While the facility shares the shower’s shoddy marble-print porcelain tile look, I was happy to see that it was brightly lit and regularly cleaned.

Furthermore, I’ll note that the toilets are equipped with a smart bidet function similar to the excellent Toto Neorest toilets you’ll find in high-end hotels and lounges. This is in addition to the standard handheld bidets common in Southeast Asia. While this appears to constitute some sort of marketing partnership, it is a very nice addition nevertheless.

WiFi

The SilverKris Lounge has a relatively fast WiFi network separate from the terminal’s otherwise great WiFi connectivity. While the network is password protected, the password is conveniently displayed on placards throughout the lounge.

Overall

The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge First Class at Terminal 3 falls short of its regional rivals and for good reason. As The Private Room is the airline’s true lounge for its First Class customers, SilverKris First Class is not much more than an exclusive section for über elite frequent flyers – and a very good one at that. With its comfortable seating and great food and drinks, coupled with its nice day rooms and showers, the elegant facility is nothing short of pleasant. While its lack of daylight will put off some, I think the SilverKris Lounge First Class is well worth your time at the world’s best airport.

Read more from this trip here!