Review: No1 Lounge, London Heathrow T2 (LHR)

In December 2024, No1 Lounges opened a lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2. No1 Lounges operates 17 lounges across the UK, including five at Heathrow (Terminal 2 and 5 have one each, and Terminal 3 has three). These lounges all tend to be part of the major credit card lounge networks, including Priority Pass and LoungeKey. I took the opportunity to visit the No1 Lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 before my flight on Loganair, which departed out of the terminal.

While No1 lounges are nothing special and definitely not worth arriving early for, there does seem to be a bit of effort put into the decor and facilities, and I appreciate that. I reviewed the No1 Lounge at Gatwick’s South Terminal back in 2022, and felt similarly about that lounge.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Access and Opening Hours

The No1 Lounge at London Heathrow is open from 5 AM until 9 PM, covering most departures at the airport. The lounge is open to:

• Priority Pass members
• LoungeKey members
• Dragon Pass cardholders
• Alternatively, you can pay £42 to access the lounge

Priority Pass, LoungeKey, and Dragon Pass members are able to pre-reserve a spot at the lounge for £6, as access is availability-dependent. I’d only pre-reserve a space here for very limited reasons – it’s not a very pleasant place to stay when the lounge is at capacity anyway.

All of the above members are given three hours of complimentary access to the lounge. I had access on behalf of my AmEx Gold Card, which gives me four free Priority Pass lounge passes a year, and discounted access thereafter at £24 per visit.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Location

The No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 isn’t particularly easy to find. The lounge is lounge A4, located near to the “A” gates (near security). Once you pass through security, head down to the lower floor, and follow the signs to gate A4.

Heathrow Terminal 2 Signage to No1 Lounge

By gate A18, you’ll find two lifts. The signage will unhelpfully invite you down to gates A1-A5, though the only way to get to the lounge is via lift. The lounge is located on Level 2 – gate A18 is located by level 4, and level 0 will take you out by gate A4, where Heathrow’s bus gates are (conveniently where my flight was departing).

Heathrow Terminal 2 Lifts to No1 Lounge

My boarding pass was scanned by a friendly lounge agent in the lift lobby hallway, and I was promptly admitted to the lounge.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Entrance

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating and Atmosphere

The No1 Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 2 is one fairly small room, with a few more exclusive nooks carved out by the far end of the lounge. To No1’s credit, this is one of the most aesthetically pleasing contract lounges I’ve seen, with muted, earthy tones and soft shapes. The lounge reminded me of the lobby of a boutique hotel, which is not what I’d say about most contract lounges I’ve seen before.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2

While the lounge was completely devoid of natural light, I appreciated the warm yet bright lighting. Near the entrance was a large curved sofa, as well as some armchairs.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating

Near the far end of the lounge was a chandelier, along with more cushioned seating and more armchairs. While I wouldn’t say there was an abundance of power ports, at least they seemed to be part of the lounge’s thought process, as they were dotted throughout the lounge. The armchair station you see in the picture below on the left is the closest you’ll get to a proper work setup at this lounge, though, unless you’re happy to use one of the circular tables.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating

Apart from armchairs, there were also long, continuous booths. Seating felt quite comfortably padded throughout the lounge.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Seating

There were two recessed areas near the back of the lounge, which featured a mixture of sofas and armchairs. These areas featured darker coloured walls, and presumably was designed for those with longer stays.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Recessed Areas Seating

WiFi throughout the lounge was good, measuring 79.6 Mbps down and 98.1 Mbps up.

Overall this is as nice as spaces get for contract lounges. However, I’ll note a couple of things. Firstly, I took these photos around the lounge’s opening time, and the lounge quickly filled up – I went to the neighbouring Plaza Premium lounge to review it, and came back to this lounge at 6 AM to almost every non-reserved seat being taken.

This brings me to my second point. Annoyingly, contract lounges in the UK usually have lots of “reserved” seating, and it’s marked as reserved quite far ahead of when people actually show up. This lounge was no exception – the only empty seats in this lounge happened to be the reserved ones, and at points people even removed the “reserved” tags to sit there, without consequence.

Lastly, I didn’t appreciate the lack of proper work seating – apart from the few chairs at the back, there just wasn’t a very sensible space to work with a laptop. All of the tables were round, and apart from the dining area and the small section at the back, there wasn’t much in the way of proper tabletops that were a good height for working.

I do think that the Plaza Premium lounge a few minutes away has a lot more empty seating (as it’s much bigger), so would recommend you go there instead if you’re looking for a tranquil place to work. However, I imagine this lounge can be quite comfortable to spend a bit of time in if you bag one of the recessed areas during your visit.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Food Spread

Breakfast is the least exciting meal at any airline lounge (especially when it’s a buffet), and in this case I suppose my low expectations were met.

Hot options included eggs, a breakfast hash with sausage, and a tomato and cheddar cheese croissant.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Breakfast

There was a pastries corner, which to be fair was quite varied. Options included croissants, pain au chocolat, and multiple other sweet options.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Breakfast Pastries

As you’d expect at a perhaps mid-tier business chain hotel breakfast buffet in a tertiary English city, there was also cornflakes, some fruit and granola, porridge, and a parfait bar on offer. There were smoothies served in small bottles, though these weren’t great – they were quite foamy, and after sitting out for a bit, the “liquid” only filled less than halfway through the bottle.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Breakfast Spread

The infused water on offer was probably the most unique bit of the spread.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Breakfast Infused Water

There’s no barista coffee here, despite the presence of a bar – instead, there are three coffee machines. To be fair, the coffee from the machines was not that bad.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Coffee Machines

While the above sounds like I’m berating the lounge’s breakfast spread, realistically this isn’t much worse than what you’d get at a British Airways hub lounge. Based on reviews I’ve read, there aren’t even hot options over lunch and dinner – couscous and quiche seems to be the way to go here, apparently due to the small size of the lounge’s kitchen.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Bar and Beverages

The No1 Lounge features a manned bar, which is located right by the entrance.

No1 Lounge Heathrow Bar

Draught beer and spirits are free, though champagne goes for a surplus charge per glass. The bartender will make simple cocktails such as a gin and tonic, though don’t expect a specialty cocktail list here.

No1 Lounge Heathrow Bar Paid Beverages

There is one signature cocktail, the No1 Signature Spritz. This spritz featured elderflower, sparkling wine, soda water, and mint and cucumber to finish. Even though it was 7 AM, I figured I’d be rude to not try the lounge’s single signature cocktail – it tasted a bit like elderflower cordial with a little bit of sparkling wine mixed in, though wasn’t bad otherwise.

No1 Lounge Heathrow Bar – No1 Signature Spritz

I do think that the bar is well-stocked as far as contract lounges go, and appreciated the expanded range of complimentary options. It’s worth noting that the Plaza Premium lounge doesn’t have any complimentary cocktails.

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Lavatories

The No1 Lounge features lavatories, but not showers. Lavatories are all in individual cubicles, located by the entrance. Toiletries were supplied by Rituals.

No1 Lounge Heathrow Lavatories

No1 Lounge Heathrow T2 Private Rooms

In terms of other facilities provided at the No1 Lounge at Heathrow’s T2, there are two private rooms located by the lift lobby. One of them was left open (presumably for an ultra-high value credit card holder or VIP), and the other one was repurposed as a lounge attendant office. While I wouldn’t hedge my bets, you might be able to use one of these rooms as a call booth if you ask nicely.

No1 Lounge Heathrow Private Rooms

Conclusion: No1 Lounge Heathrow T2

The No1 Lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2 is a very aesthetically pleasing space, though it does get crowded easily. In terms of seating, I have a preference for the Plaza Premium lounge at the table, also open to Priority Pass cardholders – mainly, it’s much larger, and there’s more sensible seating for working. Neither lounge features a great food spread, though I think that the addition of a signature cocktail here is a nice touch.

Heathrow’s Terminal 2 contract lounges aren’t somewhere I’d come early to spend any time, and I reckon any of the Star Alliance lounges would be better if you have access, especially by the B gates. However, if you’ve got unlimited lounge passes for this lounge and/or have a long connection with no airline lounge access, this can be a decent place to spend some time.

Have you been to the No1 lounge at Heathrow’s Terminal 2?