What to do when you have a six hour layover at London Gatwick Airport and are flying British Airways? Take a shower at Gatwick! Unfortunately, London Gatwick doesn’t have an Arrivals Lounge like London Heathrow so I made my way to the British Airways (BA) Departure lounge, in the South Terminal, which was renovated last year and found the shower suites. You can access the BA departure lounge if you are flying in a qualified service of class on BA or have elite status with BA or OneWorld. When I arrived in the lounge, I went to the Shower Room (which is on the right a few steps after the lobby check in). A staff member welcomed me, signed me in and then assigned me a Shower Suite/Cabana.
Take a Shower at Gatwick in the BA Lounge
The newly renovated lounge has five shower cabanas – each has a toilet, sink, seating area and walk in shower with Elemis products in environmentally friendly refillable containers in the shower. I was given Elemis conditioner, a toothbrush/toothpaste combo pack and a bundle of towels sealed in plastic. A washcloth is not provided so if you absolutely need one, pack your own.
The design was a massive step up from the Heathrow showers which are quite dated and sterile in design and feel. This contemporary shower had both a handheld option as well as the overhead rain shower feature. It was easy to toggle between the two settings. Water pressure was good, temperature easy to set and no time limit on my stay, which after a long flight was perfect not to be rushed. The hairdryer is not my favorite as my hair takes forever to dry so I did my best to be presentable (which means hair still somewhat wet after 10 minutes with the hairdryer, up in a ponytail) as I was going to forage for breakfast in the main terminal (the lounge had food but nothing I was hungry for at the time).
BA Lounge at Gatwick Shower Amenities
The Elemis products provided are wonderful. Sadly, the recently renovated (last year) Gatwick BA lounge does not have an Elemis Spa on site like Heathrow and JFK which would have bookended my shower nicely. Elemis products are no longer offered on the in-flight amenity kits – Club World has The White Company and First Class has amenities by Aromatherapy Associates in the Liberty London kits. What this means is that I couldn’t take any Elemis toiletries with me from the shower suite.
Final Thoughts – Shower at Gatwick Airport (South Terminal)
I used to think “eww, yuck, who uses those showers at the airport” but now I am a convert! I use those showers at the airport and am happy they are an option in the British Airways lounges especially for overnight flights when you can’t get into your hotel room early or, like me, are connecting to continue the long journey to my destination. So if you need to Shower at Gatwick Airport and have access to the British Airways Lounge in South Terminal – go for it! Relax and Enjoy!
Your Thoughts on Showers at the Airport? Have you used one? Would you?