If you’ve ever been to Washington Dulles, you’ll surprisingly find that it is adorned with plenty of airline lounge options for both domestic and international passengers. It’s connectivity via walkways and the underground terminal train makes it easy to visit a lounge before your flight. The crown jewel among these lounges, however, is probably the United Polaris Lounge. This is United’s flagship lounge offering, reserved only for its Polaris Business Class passengers and any long-haul Star Alliance business and first class flyers. Today, I had access thanks to my Lufthansa Business Class flight to Munich, and am excited to visit my third ever Polaris Lounge, having visited the ones in Houston and San Francisco previously. Here is my United Polaris Lounge IAD review.

Quick Take: United Polaris Lounge Dulles Review

Category	Rating (Out of 10)
Atmosphere & Design	✅  9/10
Food & Beverage	✅  9/10
Seating & Layout	✅  9/10
Wi-Fi & Connectivity	✅  10/10
Cleanliness & Comfort	✅  10/10
Value for Access	✅  10/10

Solid lounge with ample seating and a great food selection. Has premium finishes expected in flagship lounges, with great amenities.

Lounge Info

• Lounge Name: United Polaris Lounge Dulles
• Location: Near Gate C17, Midfield Terminal, Concourse C
• Operating Hours: 6:00AM – 10:00PM daily

Access Policy

• Entry process: You must present an eligible boarding pass for access
• Who can enter: United Polaris Business Class and Long-haul Star Alliance Business or First Class passengers
• Guest policy: No guests for Polaris or Star Alliance Business Class; One guest for Star Alliance First Class
• Credit cards or memberships accepted: No

Atmosphere & Seating

The Polaris Lounge is tastefully designed, with plenty of marble finishes, neutral tones, and comfortable, chic seating. It is a pretty quiet environment, and is well laid out.

There are several privacy dividers, to give patrons a better sense of seclusion from fellow guests.

There were also more open seating options.

And of course plenty of the signature Polaris seating “suites.”

United Polaris Lounge Dulles Food & Beverage

Every United Polaris Lounge has an extensive food buffet,that offers premium hot and cold dishes throughout the day. In the mornings, they offer typical breakfast fare, and switch close to midday to lunch and dinner options.

Having arrived at around 5PM, dinner fare was being served.

There were plenty of hot options.

Sandwiches and salads were offered.

With salad bar options.

Cold cuts and cheeses.

Can’t forget breads and crackers for your cold cuts.

And there was this absolutely delicious poblano soup.

Of course, you can’t forget the desserts.

There is also a central bar where you can get a variety of alcoholic drinks.

There are also drink stations, where you can find non-alcoholic options, coffee, hot water, etc.

Polaris Dining Room

Every United Polaris Lounge also has an a la carte dining room, where you can expect restaurant-style service.

You must wait to be seated, but you can also take the opportunity to take a quick scan of the menu to see what piques your interest.

The Dining Room is tastefully lit, with seating options that become scarce at peak times. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case for me.

Once seated, you will have silverware placed for you, and be given a labeled menu.

They will also offer to take your drink order. I opted for water, ginger ale, and a red wine, which was fantastic.

As I was flying with my partner, we decided to get multiple dishes and split them, giving us an opportunity to get a taste of everything.

I got the soup, while my partner opted for the seared scallops. The soup was very tasteful.

The scallops were also very good, but a tad overcooked.

Next up were our mains. She ordered the lemon herb chicken, which was good.

And I ordered the Polaris Burger, because of course you can’t leave without trying it.

The lovely Dining Room staff also insisted we get all the desserts, which was truly too much, but when in Rome!

They were all delicious, but we’d probably just split the cookie or tart next time. After such a heavy meal, we went to explore the other amenities the lounge offered.

Amenities

The Polaris Lounge offers amenities you’d never find at a United Club, elevating the experience for their most premium passengers. These include Quiet “Rooms,” Shower Suites, and private restrooms, which are regularly cleaned. To reserve a Quiet Room or Shower Suite, you can see an attendent in the and schedule a reservation with them.

The Quiet Room has multiple daybeds divided by a partition or wall, and is adorned with a ergonomically-uncomfortable daybed, a Polaris pillow and branded throw blanket, with a white-noise speaker, earplugs, an eyemask, and tissues. Here at the Dulles Polaris Lounge, there are only two daybeds, which is absolutely a joke considering the amount of visitors they get on a daily basis.

The shower suite features a walk-in shower, a commode, and a towel pack.

Restrooms are fully enclosed and private, with the same premium handsoap and lotion you’d find onboard a Polaris flight.

The lounge also has “Phone Booths,” which are really nice suites that have a desk to focus on work.

I personally think they are excellent for blocking out distractions and hunkering down on tasks.

United Polaris Lounge Dulles Review Verdict

My overall experience at the United Polaris Lounge was absolutely lovely. This was my third Polaris Lounge, having visited the ones in Houston and San Francisco previously. I loved just about every aspect of the lounge, and honestly would go out of my way to get here earlier next time I have access. It is miles ahead of any United Club, and is hands-down the best lounge at Dulles.

• Is it worth arriving early to visit this lounge? Yes. The dining experience alone can be worth arriving early, if you’d prefer to sleep on your overnight flight. For non-regular flyers, arriving early and relaxing before your flight is part of the overall Polaris/premium experience United wants you to feel, and its definitely worth getting to the airport early if its not a norm for you.
• What sets it apart? The Dining Room is something special that other lounges at Dulles do not offer. While the Etihad/Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge in Terminal A offers made-to-order meals, it doesn’t offer an overall dining experience that elevates your stay at the lounge. Furthermore, the Quiet Room is a nice amenity that I personally love, as it gives me a chance to take a quick nap after landing or before taking off.
• What does it do right/wrong? The lounge has just about everything a premium traveler may need/expect. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Expanding the amount of daybeds is needed, but that’s just a personal preference.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

What are your thoughts? Have you been to the United Polaris Lounge at Dulles? Let me know in the comments!

As always, Live Life One Trip at a Time!

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