Review: Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)

During my Four Seasons Yacht via Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia adventure, I flew Lufthansa’s Boeing 787 Allegris business class from Austin (AUS) to Frankfurt (FRA). I had an extended layover in Frankfurt before my Turkmenistan Airlines flight to Ashgabat (ASB), so I decided to spend some time in the Lufthansa Welcome Lounge, which is Lufthansa’s arrivals lounge at its hub airport.While nothing overly shiny or exciting, I find the Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt to be a pleasant facility. The lounge is quite large, with modern design, excellent showers, and a tasty breakfast selection. Best of all, it tends to not be crowded, in contrast to Lufthansa’s other lounges.This is among my favorite arrivals lounges in Europe, as it compares quite favorably to the ones operated by Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Virgin Atlantic (though I think I slightly prefer the one operated by SWISS, particularly for the proper bedrooms). Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt locationLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt hoursLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt entry requirementsLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt seating & layoutLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt food & drinksLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt bathrooms & showersBottom line The Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt is located landside in Terminal 1, after you clear immigration and collect your checked bags. Once in the arrivals hall, follow the signage toward the Arrivals Area B. There’s also plenty of signage for the lounge throughout the terminal.Frankfurt Airport arrivals hallFrankfurt Airport arrivals hallThe Lufthansa Welcome Lounge is hard to miss, as it has a bright yellow exterior.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt exteriorLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt hoursCurrently the Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt is open daily from 5:15AM until 12:30PM. The lounge opens around the same time as the first long haul arrival at the airport, and it remains open until early afternoon. It’s normal for arrivals lounges to close at that point, since the intent is that these are designed so you have somewhere to freshen up before a meeting, or to hang out before you can check into your hotel. Though quite honestly, it seems like the most common use for the lounge is those who have a big of time to kill before a train connection.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt entry requirementsThe Lufthansa Welcome Lounge is open to premium Lufthansa passengers arriving on intercontinental flights (with flight numbers LH401-799). This includes:Lufthansa first class passengersLufthansa business class passengersLufthansa Miles & More HON Circle members arriving on Lufthansa, SWISS, or AustrianUnited Global Services members arriving on UnitedLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt seating & layoutThe Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt spans two floors, and covers an area of around 13,000 square feet, so it’s quite a large arrivals lounge. Right by reception are some lockers, should you want to store your bags during your stay in the lounge.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt lockersAs mentioned above, the lounge has two levels, with the main level (where you enter) having most of the seating and dining, while the lower level has most of the showers. The furniture in the lounge should feel pretty familiar for any frequent Lufthansa flyer, as it matches what you’ll find in other Lufthansa lounges (at least before the Allegris lounge upgrades).Inside the entrance to the lounge and to the right is an area with rows of leather chairs facing one another, as well as a couple of TVs.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt seatingLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt seatingNext to that (inside the entrance and to the left) is the bistro area, consisting of around a dozen tables that each seat two to four people, as well as some communal high-top tables.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt cafe areaLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt cafe areaLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt cafe areaLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt seatingBehind the bistro area is the business center, which has some communal and semi-private workstations. There are also PCs and printers available, for those who need them.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt business centerLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt business centerLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt business centerIt’s easy to miss, but back near the business center you’ll also find a rest area, with four semi-reclined seats. It’s nice to have somewhere to rest, though don’t expect much in the way of privacy, and there’s no bedding.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt rest areaThere’s also a small smoking room opposite that.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt smoking roomThe lounge feels pretty fresh and wasn’t ever close to capacity during my extended stay, so that’s quite nice. There’s also fast and free Wi-Fi available throughout the lounge.There are two just two downsides to the lounge. First of all, there are no windows and there’s no natural light, which is fair enough, given the location of the lounge. Second of all, every few minutes there’s a really loud noise and vibration in the lounge, as if there’s a train going right over your head. I’m not sure what exactly that is, but it’s noticeable. Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt food & drinksThe Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt has an extensive selection of food and drinks, which rivals what you’ll find in most of Lufthansa’s airside lounges.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetFood options included all kinds of sweets, cakes, bread, and pastries, cold cuts and cheese, several jars with yogurt and parfaits, fresh fruit, and a few hot options, including quiche, scrambled eggs, hardboiled eggs, and sausage.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt buffetIn terms of drinks, the lounge had an espresso machine, water, juice, soft drinks, beer, and wine.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt coffee machineLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt drinksLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt drinksGiven that I was in Germany, I couldn’t help but indulging in one of the tasty pretzels. Mmmm…Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt pretzelLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt bathrooms & showersThe Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt has 28 shower suites, most of which are on the lower level, and can be accessed either by stairs or an elevator.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt elevator & stairs to showersThere’s a reception area on the lower level, and even some seating in case you need to wait, but I can’t imagine the showers are frequently at capacity.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt shower reception areaLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt shower reception seatingLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt showersThe shower suites in this lounge are honestly very nice and spacious, each with a sink, toilet, and a huge walk-in shower.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt shower suiteLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt shower suiteLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt shower suiteLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt shower suiteToiletries were from L’Occitane, and I found the water pressure and airflow in the shower suite to be quite good.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt shower suite toiletriesIn addition to the showers on the lower level, the upper level of the lounge also has bathrooms, as well as a couple of shower suites (though I don’t think they’re generally used).Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt bathroomsLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt bathroomsThe men’s room has three sinks, three urinals, and three stalls.Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt bathroomsLufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt bathroomsBottom lineThe Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt is an excellent arrivals lounge. It’s spacious, with comfortable seating, a good selection of food and drinks, and nicely appointed shower suites. If you’re arriving on a long haul Lufthansa flight in Frankfurt and are terminating there, I’d absolutely recommend checking out this lounge. It can be an especially good place to spend some time before a train connection.What do you make of the Lufthansa Welcome Lounge Frankfurt?