Review: the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2

This is my review of the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 2.

This is part of our series of reviews of airport lounges across the UK. You see all of the reviews here.

Regular HfP readers might recall my visit to the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounges at Heathrow Terminal 4 and Terminal 3 a few weeks ago.

The Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at T4 (click for review) opened earlier this year and the Arrivals Lounge at T3 (click for review), in the old Delta space, had only been open for a couple of weeks when I was saw it.

As I had some spare time after seeing those two lounges, I also asked to see the older Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 2.  Three years ago Rob was invited to the opening party and he wrote a brief review then, but we hadn’t covered it since.

The Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 is located next to the exit from the customs area.  It is far easier to reach than the Terminal 4 (up the lift or escalator to the mezzanine) and Terminal 3 (outside the terminal) lounges.

What’s interesting is that Plaza Premium seems to have a different focus for each one of their Heathrow arrivals lounges.  Whereas the lounge at Terminal 3 focuses on showers and a quick breakfast and the lounge at Terminal 4 concentrates on dining, the arrivals lounge at Terminal 2 is focused more on relaxation with a huge spa area.

The lounge area seems very small with a bar and just a couple of tables.

However, there is more on offer than it first appears – the bar serves a good selection of food to order as well as the expected soft and alcoholic drinks.

The spa area is located behind the bar and can be accessed through a door next to the reception.

There are 8 shower rooms and several treatment rooms which can also be used as day sleeping rooms.  A 30 minutes massage for costs £45 whilst using the resting suite for 3 hours costs £60.

The lounge is open from 5am until 10pm and access for 1 hour costs £25 (2 hours costs £35).  You can pre-book via the Plaza Premium website here.

It can also be accessed using Priority Pass or a Lounge Club card.  You can also get in by showing your American Express Platinum card due to their deal with Plaza Premium, even if you have forgotten your Priority Pass.  One off visits can be pre-booked via the Lounge Pass website.  You can also use the lounge purely to take a shower for £15.

Conclusion

The Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge at Heathrow T2 looks worth a visit when flying into Terminal 2.  The lounge is not the largest, but has a good food and drink selection as well as impressive-looking spa facilities.

It is also potentially an option if you are picking someone up from the airport, especially if you have a Priority Pass, although the lounge has been asking to see a boarding pass at busy periods.  This is not the case with the Terminal 4 or Terminal 3 arrivals lounges.

After seeing all three Plaza Premium arrivals lounges, I’m now keen to see what they can rustle up for the – opening in just a few weeks – departure lounge in Terminal 5.

You can find out more on the Plaza Premium website’s Heathrow page here.

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How to get FREE airport lounge access via UK credit cards (September 2024)

Here are the four options to get FREE airport lounge access via a UK credit card.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with two free Priority Pass cards, one for you and one for a supplementary cardholder. Each card admits two so a family of four gets in free. You get access to all 1,500 lounges in the Priority Pass network – search it here.

You also get access to Eurostar, Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines lounges.  Our American Express Platinum review is here. You can apply here.

If you have a small business, consider American Express Business Platinum instead.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for the first year. It comes with a Priority Pass card loaded with four free visits to any Priority Pass lounge – see the list here.

Additional lounge visits are charged at £24.  You get four more free visits for every year you keep the card.  

There is no annual fee for Amex Gold in Year 1 and you get a 20,000 points sign-up bonus.  Full details are in our American Express Preferred Rewards Gold review here.

HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard gets you get a free Priority Pass card, allowing you access to the Priority Pass network.  Guests are charged at £24 although it may be cheaper to pay £60 for a supplementary credit card for your partner.

The card has a fee of £290 and there are strict financial requirements to become a HSBC Premier customer.  Full details are in my HSBC Premier World Elite Mastercard review.

PS. You can find all of HfP’s UK airport lounge reviews – and we’ve been to most of them – indexed here.