After a long light from Hong Kong, I found myself with a long layover at LAX. With time to kill, I decided to check out the oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). I had access to the more upscale Qantas First Lounge in the same terminal but I wanted to sample something new. Access to the oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX access is permitted to oneworld elites with Sapphire or Emerald status or those traveling in Business or First on a oneworld carrier.

After clearing customs in lightning speed in TBIT, I re-entered security through Terminal 4 as TSA PreCheck is a breeze rather than the painful experience of the TBIT security checkpoint. I then took the airside walkway from Terminal 4 to TBIT. The oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX is located on fifth floor of TBIT near the Star Alliance Business Class Lounge.  It’s a short walk from the terminal connector to the lounge area of TBIT. The front desk staff was very jovial and I was checked in quickly. I was ticketed on two separate oneworld itineraries but the staff just asked to see both of my boarding passes and I was good to go.

It was a Sunday evening and I was arriving during peak transatlantic departure hours so I expected quite a crowd. The lounge was not terribly crowded but this is a very dark lounge. There is no natural lighting and there are no exterior windows. This made it also very difficult to take photos of the lounge. In need of a shower, I wanted to freshen up from my long flight first. I checked in with the shower attendant and was told there was about a 15 minute wait. I was given a pager to let me know when my shower would be ready and took some time to check a few emails.

About 10 minutes later, I got the page for my shower suite. The staff showed me to the suite down the hall. The suite itself was fairly spacious but not nearly as luxurious as the the shower suites in the Qantas First Lounge down the hall. I appreciated the ASPAR soaps and lotion but there were no additional items like toothbrushes offered. The shower was spacious and easy to use but I feel like the shower suite could have been cleaner.

I wrapped up getting dressed and headed back out into the main lounge. There are a variety of seating options including armchairs, sofas, cafe tables, and high bar seating. I camped out at one of the high bar tables and grabbed a bit to eat. There are plenty of power outlets spread throughout the lounge and the WiFi connection consistent and moderately fast.

There’s a large buffet area near the center of the lounge along with a few snack areas spread throughout the lounge. The main buffet area was a bit messy and the presentation of the food wasn’t great. But I tried some tikka chicken and rice which actually was pretty tasty.There is a full service bar near the front of the lounge but there is also self service wine and beer at the various snack counters. I had originally arrived in the lounge at about 10 PM. As the evening passed on, the lounge got much quieter and fairly empty. By 11 pm there was hardly anyone left in the lounge.

Overall, the oneworld Business Class Lounge LAX is a decent lounge for grab a bite to eat, relax, and catch up on some emails. The shower suites weren’t impressive and the lounge is a bit too dark. I much prefer natural light and windows with a tarmac view. But while I always like trying new lounges, if I’m in TBIT, I will always prefer the Qantas First Lounge just down the hall.