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Before my flight to Japan, I was able to visit the Soho lounge in JFK Terminal 8 thanks to my American Airlines Platinum Pro status. Given that I had been to the nearby Greenwich lounge several times before, I wasn’t too sure what to expect of the Soho lounge, but I was pretty pleased with what I experienced—fantastic aesthetics, decent food, and great amenities.
How To Access The Soho Lounge In JFK Terminal 8
This lounge is a little bit trickier to access than the Greenwich lounge, but is still heaps easier to access than the Chelsea lounge.
The Soho lounge is open to the following guests:
- Concierge Key: Access whenever flying on a flight marketed and operated by a Oneworld airline
- Qualifying AAdvantage and Mileage Plan members: Access whenever flying on a qualifying same-day international flight marketed and operated by a Oneworld airline (AA Executive Platinum, AA Platinum Pro, MVP Gold 75k)
- Oneworld First Class: Access whenever flying in First on any oneworld airline
- Other Oneworld Emerald: Access if you’re a non AA or Alaska Airlines Oneworld Emerald member flying on any Oneworld flight
Notably, the entry requirements are a bit tighter for those with AA/Alaska status since there are a significant number of those folks flying in/out of JFK. If you have British Airlines Gold status, you’ll get Oneworld Emerald, which will allow you to always access the Soho lounge if you’re traveling domestically within the US via JFK.
Additionally, AA/Alaska members have to also be flying one of the following routes:
Flagship® International: Seats ticketed as Flagship® between the U.S. and:
- Asia
- Australia
- Europe
- Middle East
- New Zealand
- South America (excluding Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela)
Oneworld long-haul: Any flight marketed and operated by a oneworld® airline between the U.S. and:
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia
- Europe
- Middle East
- New Zealand
- South America
In my case, since I am an AA Platinum Pro flying an international long haul flight, I qualify for access.
If you want to also access this lounge, you can book a qualifying international flight using your Oneworld points/miles via Roame.
Where Is The Soho Lounge In JFK Terminal 8?
JFK’s Terminal 8 is home for pretty much all Oneworld airlines, making it a very large terminal. Right after security, you can find the major lounges located to the left and right of the first intersection. The Soho lounge is located right before Gate 14, just to the right after you exit the security checkout.
Soho lounge sign
Soho lounge entrance
What Are The Soho Lounge’s Hours?
The Soho lounge is open from 4:15 am to 11:30 pm. If you need more time in the lounges, the Greenwich lounge closes at 1:15 am.
My Impressions Of The Soho Lounge: Beautifully Designed
When you go up the elevator to the check in desk, you’re immediately greeted with a very beautiful array of patterned grays and whites. This has a much nicer feel than most other check in areas I’ve seen before.
Soho lounge check-in
The desk agent quickly scanned my boarding pass and verified my ID using my passport. She then directed me to the entrance to the Soho lounge. The moment I walked into the general area, I raised an eyebrow. The entire space was also very well put together and clean, with many complementary colors coming together. I really liked the color scheme used here for some reason (albeit basic).
Soho lounge main room
On one side, there was a hot buffet. I had come into the lounge right before 11 am, and they were switching from the breakfast to lunch menu at that point.
"Breakfast" sandwiches (pre 11 am)
More breakfast (pre 11 am)
Once you walked past the main area, there were there some additional rooms, one of which had a massive fireplace right in the middle of it with several private seating areas and a large table.
Fireplace room table
Comfortable private seating
The lounge also had its fair share of unique amenities, such as a row of private phone booths and a relaxation area where you could lie down and even take a quick nap before your next flight.
Phone booth
Relaxation room
There was also a full service bar alongside even more seating areas near the initial entrance.
More seating
Bar area
The bathrooms did not fall short either. Although they used the same DS&D URGA brand as seen in the Greenwich lounge, this bathroom was significantly nicer and cleaner than its Greenwich counterpart. The faucet was particularly unique looking; took me a second to figure out how to use it.
Bathroom
DS&D URGA toiletries
The Food At The Soho Lounge: Hot Buffet & A La Carte, But A Mysterious Order System
Once the staff started populating the lounge with lunch, I immediately noticed it was the same food as the Greenwich lounge! Not necessarily a bad thing, since the Greenwich lounge food is pretty good, but I was a little disappointed since I thought the Soho lounge would have a more exclusive hot buffet.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed a small plate of the chili shrimp and chicken thigh alongside the stuffed tortellini.
Shrimp + chicken
Salad bar
When I sat down on my table, I then realized there were little QR codes you could scan. This made me realize that you could actually order a la carte from the kitchen... and this menu was far more interesting than the typical foods I saw at the Greenwich lounge.
There were several options here, including an all day menu, a special chef menu, a drinks menu, and a dessert menu. From the all day menu, I ordered a sticky Chinese pork belly.
A la carte online QR code menu
From the special chef menu, I ordered a lamb and beef kofta. I also ordered an affogato for experimental purposes.
A la carte online QR code menu
As you can see, there’s a little timer for each order. Once I clicked submit in my cart, I got a little confirmation with a note that the kitchen was preparing my food. So I patiently waited for 15 minutes... then those 15 minutes become 30 minutes...
I slowly realized no one around me was getting their food either. So I went to ask a representative directly if she could check on my table’s order. When she came out, even though I had given her my table number, she still wandered around a bit trying to find my table. This a la carte system was not off to a great start, as it was clear to me that orders were not being delivered for some reason after significant waiting.
However, the food was pretty good. The pork belly was definitely a little bit on the sweeter side while the kofta was a bit dry. Nonetheless, was yummy overall.
Sticky pork belly
Lamb & beef kofta
Btw: my affogato never came, after 45 minutes of waiting. I had to go at that point, so I never got to try the elusive affogato.
There was also a drinks station, where you could make yourself a coffee or pour yourself some water. To the immediate left were some bottles of champagne, but these were mostly for display.
Wine display
Coffee station
The Showers At The Soho Lounge: Quite Nice
Given I had a pretty long flight coming up and that I had just run a few miles in the morning before hauling myself to JFK, I decided to take a quick shower. The process to use the shower was pretty standard: go to the front desk and sign my name on a shower list. I’ve never really understood why all the lounges require folks to do this, but I guess it helps with resource management.
After a few minutes, the shower was ready. I think I was told that I had about 30 minutes to use the shower suite. Overall, the shower rooms are very nice and clean. You’re given a fresh set of towels and have access to a multi functional shower with an overhead rain shower head.
Shower
More shower
Although I had no idea what shampoo, body wash, or conditioner brand I was using, the water pressure and water temperature were both great and customizable.
My Overall Rating Of The Soho Lounge JFK Terminal 8: A Close 9/10
I rate lounges based on a few general criteria:
- Food Quality & Variety: 8/10
- Cleanliness: 10/10
- Interior Design: 9/10
- Unique Amenities: 8/10
While this lounge is extremely clean and beautifully designed, I still think it falls short of that of the Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge, especially when comparing against the food and amenities. I knocked off a point here since the Soho Lounge uses the same food as the Greenwich lounge, and while the a la carte concept is awesome, it is a bit hit or miss it seems on whether or not they’ll deliver on it.
Nonetheless, the showers and bathrooms were incredibility nice for a US based lounge, with incredible views of the tarmac and a great aesthetic. Having a little room for naps is a great touch as well. Notably, given this is a more exclusive lounge, it definitely is a lot easier to keep clean.
