Getting a Shower at London’s Heathrow Airport – Travel Insider Tip

Long haul travel can really take its toll on the traveler. Transiting multiple continents can be a grind and the airlines don’t make it any easier for travelers – even their most loyal frequent flyers. Yes, there are some tips for making flights easier, but they are still…well…long. And when you get to the other side, all you really want to do is relax. Here is our definitive guide to London Heathrow showers.

London’s Heathrow airport is one of the busiest transit hubs in the world and we recently flew through there en route to South Africa. We also really needed a shower. This guide was borne out of our own feverish web searches on, “Are there showers at Heathrow airport?” The answer is absolutely yes, if you know where to look.

Assuming you don’t want to explore London on your Heathrow layover, you can relax at the terminal. There are a number of excellent restaurants at Heathrow and plenty of opportunities for duty free shopping. But, if you are travelling for 48-72 hours, sometimes all you really want is a shower!

Getting a shower at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 is not as obvious as one might expect. The other terminals seem equally confusing. All the Heathrow showers cost money or require membership.

Unless you have status with one of the airlines, your best bet for shower access is to pay for access to one of the many Plaza Premium Lounges. You can pre-book your lounge access here for a discount.

However, if you are a Priority Pass member, you also have access to Plaza Premium Lounges. In some cases, it may make sense to buy a Priority Pass membership, especially if you plan to spend multiple hours in the lounge or you plan to visit on both legs of your trip (coming and going). Or if you plan to take other trips, either domestically or internationally. You can get the latest Priority Pass membership discounts here.

Below, we give a terminal-by-terminal breakdown on showers at Heathrow, plus an in-depth look at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 (including the luxurious spa in the adjacent hotel!).

Terminal 2

• Aer Lingus Gold Circle Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Plaza Premium Lounge (arrivals area, public side). 1 hour pass costs £30. 2 hour pass costs £40. Shower use an additional £15. (You can pre-book and save here or use your Priority Pass membership.)
• Plaza Premium Lounge (departures area, passenger side). 2 hour pass costs £40. (You can pre-book and save here or use your Priority Pass membership.)
• Star Alliance Arrivals Lounge (arrivals area, public side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• United Club Lounge (Business class)/United Global First Lounge hybrid (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.

Terminal 3

• American Airlines Arrivals Lounge (arrivals area, public side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Cathay Pacific Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Emirates Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• No. 1 Traveller Lounge (departures area, passenger side)
• Plaza Premium Lounge (arrivals area, public side). 1 hour pass costs £30. 2 hour pass costs £40. Shower use an additional £15. (You can pre-book and save here or use your Priority Pass membership.)
• Qantas Lounge(departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.

Terminal 4

• Etihad Airways First & Business Class Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Plaza Premium Lounge (departures area, passenger side). 2 hour pass costs £40. Shower use an additional £15. (You can pre-book and save here or use your Priority Pass membership.)
• Plaza Premium Lounge (arrivals area, public side). 1 hour pass costs £30. 2 hour pass costs £40. Shower use an additional £15. (You can pre-book and save here or use your Priority Pass membership.)
• Qatar Airways Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Skyteam Lounge (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.

Terminal 5

• Aspire Lounge and Spa (departures area, passenger side)
• British Airways Arrivals Lounge, now called the Elemis Travel Spa (arrivals area, public side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• British Airways Galleries Lounge North (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• British Airways Galleries Lounge South (departures area, passenger side). Membership or category of travel requirements in place.
• Note: The Plaza Premium Lounge in Terminal 5 (departures area, passenger side) does not have shower facilities.

If you are coming on an international flight, you’re probably in Terminal 5. Based on our experience, there were really only three viable options available for a London Heathrow Terminal 5 shower—

First, within the transit area, the British Airways Galleries Lounge North has shower cabinets. Depending on your long haul arrival, you might need to re-clear security to get to the departures area. At the time of this writing, these are not actually listed on the OneWorld website, but we can assure you they are there.

We were a bit surprised to find out these Heathrow showers existed and are free for OneWorld members (Sapphire status or better), plus one guest. The shower cabinets are pretty standard – sink, toilet and shower. It’s pretty basic, but gets the job done.

Second, for those leaving the airport, on the land-side, there are showers at the British Airways Arrivals Lounge (now rebranded to be called the Elemis Travel Spa) on the second floor. This requires you are traveling in First Class or Club World on British Airways, are a Gold Executive Club Member of British Airways arriving on a BA long-haul flight, or are a OneWorld Emerald member. Please note, unlike other lounges, no guests are allowed.

Finally, you can freshen up at Sofitel Heathrow hotel, which is connected to the terminal by a short covered walkway. The Sofitel offers both a day pass for their spa as well as the opportunity to rent a day room if you want to sleep. While this is the most expensive option, it is also the most luxurious. The Sofitel spa gives you the opportunity to take a dip in a whirlpool, sweat it out in the sauna, enjoy a cold beverage and get a massage. Sofitel Heathrow spa day passes are £30.00 per person. (Read reviews of the Sofitel Heathrow Hotel here.)

It turns out that it was easier for us to freshen up than we might imagine (in the BA Galleries Lounge North), however, out of date websites left a certain amount of ambiguity to the process. If you’re researching the Heathrow showers situation like we did, the good news is that you have several options to freshen up before hitting the town or connecting to your next long haul flight.

Bonus reading: There are some long-haul flight tips that will make your experience less painful. We won’t go so far as to say truly enjoyable, but it will be tolerable.