I often take Japan Airlines to my destinations in Asia and I always look forward to freshening up and relaxing at their Business Class Lounge in Narita Airport.  The Japan Airlines Business Class lounge is called the “Sakura Lounge”.  The lounge has a great mixture of western and eastern amenities.  Both Business Class and Premium Economy members have access to the lounge which can prove to be crowded at certain times.

Location

The Sakura Lounge is located at the T2 Main Building on the second floor after passing through security for connecting flights.

For Japan Airlines Premium Economy customers, make sure to go to customer service located right after security to get lounge access pass if it was not given during the initial flight check in.

Layout

The lounge is split into two floors.  The first floor (same floor as the entrance) is busier and has the main food area of the lounge.  The bottom floor is accessible by descending down the grand staircase.  On the bottom of the staircase are storage lockers for small items and places to store larger carry-ons.  The bottom floor has multiple seating arrangements that will suit even the most picky travelers.  This floor has a shower facility, spa, massage chairs, nap rooms (w/single bed), relaxation rooms (w/lounge chairs), children play area, a snack bar, and business center.  Smokers also have a separate area on this floor.

Hours

The lounge is open at 7:30am to the last flight each day.

Amenities

• Showers: There are several private shower rooms with high-end spa like features.

• Spa Service: Travelers get a complementary choice of a 10 minute body care service that includes:
  1. Upper Body Care: Pressure point massage focusing on neck, shoulders, upper and lower back
  2. Foot Care: Foot reflexology
  3. Scalp Care: Acupressure head message

The massage is acupressure based and might not suit a western traveler’s massage preference.  I prefer this method to relieve my headaches and neck pain from the long flights.

• Massage Chairs Area: There are 6 state of the art massage chairs that provide “head to toe” massages. I fell asleep in one of these chairs while waiting for the shower room to be available.  It was incredibly difficult to leave the massage chair once I was in it.  It is my must to do at the lounge!

• Nap Rooms: There are 2 nap rooms with 1 single bed in each room. They are useful if you need to take a nap in a private room with a bed.  One note is that the 2 rooms have no doors on them but they are tucked away in the corner of the lounge.

• Relaxation Rooms: There are 2 rooms with loungers in them.  The set up and location is next to the nap room.

• Children Play Area: Nice play area for small children filled with books and toys.

• Business Center: General set up for conference calls, printers, faxes, etc…

 

• Smoker Area: A small section that is closed off and dedicated to smokers.

• Food and Drink Variety (Snack Bar/Main Eating Area): The lounge has a good selection of Western and Japanese selections to choose from.  I was there for breakfast and the choices are plentiful and tasty.  There are a wide variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic selections including Japanese beers on tap.  There is also an espresso and cappuccino machine for coffee lovers.  However, it does get very crowded and hard to find seats at peak times.

Overall:  4/5

Japan Airlines Sakura Lounge sets the bar high for the business lounge category.  The abundance of amenities and the effort that goes into making each traveler’s visit as comfortable as possible makes it hard to beat!  You can spend several hours at the lounge and not have the inclination to move on to the next leg of your flight.

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Author: Thai-Anh Hoang

Featured photo:  www.flickr.com by Flick Wick