Chase Sapphire Lounge San Diego: A First Look at an Amenity-Filled Escape

The first Chase lounge on the West Coast has finally arrived. The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club at San Diego International Airport (SAN) opens its doors Dec. 6, 2024, making it the only credit card issuer-branded lounge at this airport. There’s no Centurion Lounge or Capital One lounge at SAN.

If you have this card, you can receive complimentary access to Chase Sapphire Lounges for yourself and up to two guests.

The lounge spans more than 10,000 square feet with space for 176 people. It’s not the biggest Chase lounge (that distinction belongs to the Chase lounge at New York’s LaGuardia Airport), but its high-end amenities make it a must-visit. It features a buffet and bar (plus table service for certain menu items), a shower, a treatment room for complimentary facials, a phone booth room and a family room.

NerdWallet was able to visit the new lounge during a press preview before its opening day. Here’s what to know.

The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club is located in Terminal 2 – West between gates 47 and 48. You’ll have to take an elevator to the entrance. The lounge is open from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily.

The San Diego lounge has the same luxe feel and blue and gold color scheme as the Chase lounges at other airports, but with a beachy vibe that is distinctly Southern Californian.

The painted rack of surfboards near the entrance of the lounge is a good example. Hanna Daly, a local San Diego muralist, painted two abstract art pieces on canvas and digitized the art to display on the surfboards. If you view the surfboards from one direction, the colors evoke a sunrise on the ocean. In the opposite direction, you’ll see a sunset.

Large windows overlook the runway. Nearby, there’s a water vapor fireplace, a signature feature of Chase Sapphire lounges, which uses steam and lights to create the appearance of flames.

There’s a good variety of seating options. You can pull out a laptop and sit at a booth or settle into an armchair with a complimentary drink.

The San Diego Chase lounge has two coffee bars, a buffet and a bar that serves alcoholic beverages.

The coffee bars have coffee from Groundwork, an espresso machine and cold brew on tap, as well as a variety of non-alcoholic beverages.

The buffet features menu items from San Diego restaurant Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, such as chicken tostadas and Sonoran-style potato soup with grilled shrimp.

You can also order off an a la carte menu for items like a burger, noodles or a kids’ chicken tender meal. Scan a QR code at your seat and submit your order by phone, and a waiter will bring the food to your table.

The bar serves locally inspired cocktails and a signature Sapphire cocktail, which is made with muddled blueberries and goldenberry and a local gin or vodka.

One of the amenities you won’t find at every lounge is the treatment room. Travelers can book 15-minute facials by L.A.-based Face Haus through the QR codes on the tables throughout the lounge or at the front desk. There’s only one treatment room, so you’ll want to book as soon as you can.

Each reservation with an esthetician is 15 minutes (as opposed to the 30-minute sessions at the LGA Chase Sapphire Lounge), but it doesn’t feel rushed. You also leave with a small skincare set after your session.

If you don’t end up scoring a facial reservation, you can relax in the wellness room, which has armchairs with a bit more privacy to get some quiet time.

You can also reserve a shower time. Again, there’s only one shower room, but it’s big and has extra amenities like a shave kit.

For kids, there’s a small playroom with toys and books.

For nursing moms, there’s a private nursing room with an armchair, changing table, sink and other amenities like extra baby wipes and diapers.

Lastly, if you need a place to take a call, there’s a phone room. It’s bigger than your standard phone booth, and it’s first-come, first-served.