Where can I get a shower at Heathrow airport? How much will it cost?

Showers: the holy grail after an overnight flight

Nothing sets you up for the day – or your next flight – like a shower. However, they can be hard to find at airports, and there are often rules and regulations around accessing them. Having flown into Heathrow more times than I can remember and experienced the joy of a shower, here’s my guide to finding a shower.

Where can you find showers at Heathrow?

There are two options for you if you want a shower: airport hotels, either built into the terminal or those that are very close, and airport lounges. Let’s look at the lounge options first.

Lounges with showers at Heathrow

Below is a long list of lounges across all the terminals, with details on how you can gain access.

Showers if you’re flying economy and have no airline status

• If you don’t have status or you’re sat in an economy seat, there are no arrivals lounge options at LHR. The three arrivals lounges listed below do not have paid entry options. Historically, the Plaza Premium brand did offer arrivals lounges, but they closed a number of years ago. Many are still mentioned online as options for taking a shower, but the Plaza Premium brand is just for post-security lounges at LHR now.
  
  • If you’re connecting to another flight at LHR, there are paid-for lounge options with showers across all the terminals after security. You’ll be able to access lounges in the terminal your next flight departs from, and there are paid-for options with showers in each terminal.
    
  • In T2, that means the Plaza Premium, T3 is Club Aspire or the Plaza Premium, T4 is the Plaza Premium, T5 is the Club Aspire
    

• If you have flown in on a business or first class ticket, or you have airline status, there are arrivals lounges you can access depending on your airline. You will have to go through customs and passport control to access them. If you have a connecting flight, then you will have to check in again, as all the arrivals lounges are past customs.
  • There’s also an array of lounges that have showers in each terminal that don’t require you to pass through security. For most connecting travellers it will be much easier to miss out on the arrivals lounges, even if you have to change terminals.
  • However, if you’re leaving the terminal to head into London, then the arrivals lounges are your best option (assuming you are able to access them).

All lounges with showers at Heathrow

Heathrow hotels with showers

Hotels inside or connected to the airport

As the UK’s biggest airport, Heathrow has a ton of hotels. Most of those are a taxi or a shuttle bus away, meaning grabbing a quick shower becomes more costly and time-consuming.

However, there are some great hotel options that are either built into the terminal or accessed via a walkway. That means no taxi or transport is needed, just a few steps (or, in the case of the Hilton at T4, a few hundred).

Which hotel at Heathrow wins for ultra-short stays?

I would suggest that price is the determining factor if you want to use a hotel for a few hours.

As you’d expect, the rates via the specialist “hotels by the hour” websites are not cheap as Heathrow is a transit airport.

With that in mind, the Holiday Inn Express wins. At less than a hundred points for an overnight stay or a day stay. This hotel is accessible via a covered walkway in Terminal 4. I took that same walkway recently when we stayed at the Hilton. I would equally recommend that hotel, although it’s more expensive.

I’ve stayed in HE Express hotels many times and find them to be a good budget option. This particular one has good reviews but does not have a gym. The dining options are fairly limited as well, although there’s nothing stopping you from heading along the walkway to the restaurants at the Hilton or the Crowne Plaza. All three are located next to each other.

I’ve included two pricing options in the table above, and it’s worth thinking about check-in times and when you need a shower. The pricing for an overnight stay can sometimes be cheaper for a day-rate, but check-in will start at 1pm or 2pm. Great for inbound flights from the US west coast, but flights from NYC or the Middle East tend to land in the early hours.

Hotels or Lounges, which is best for a shower?

The answer to this comes down to what you need, and how much time you have.

Lounges are great for connecting flights, plus there’s food and drink. However, lounges at Heathrow are not known for having places to sleep. The only one I can think of that has a good sleeping option is the Concorde Room, with it’s cabanas. These are not guaranteed, but they do have showers and a small bed to sleep in.

Hotels give you that opportunity to sleep, plus some much-needed privacy. The cheapest hotel options won’t be fancy, but if you’re coming off an overnight long haul, that probably doesn’t matter. Depending on which hotel you choose, it may have an on-site gym (and most day-rates include access to this).

Having transited through Heathrow many times, we have never chosen the hotel option, but that’s only because we’ve never had a layover more than four hours.

Heathrow Arrivals Lounges – Quick Overviews

Heathrow T2 Arrivals Lounges

There’s a little-known arrivals lounge at T2.

Until I started researching lounges for this article, I hadn’t heard of it. It’s not even listed on the Star Alliance website. On the United website, it exists in isolation and is called the “LHR Arrivals Lounge”. This is a lounge shared with Air Canada, which calls it just the “Arrivals Lounge”. Unlike other United lounges, you cannot buy access to this.

To access this lounge, you have to fly into Heathrow on Air Canada and sit in business class, have come in with United in their business class, or be a Super Elite 100k member arriving on an international flight. If you’re firing in via United, you have to arrive before noon.

There’s scant information on the lounge online, but what is shown is a bright and modern lounge that’s fairly small but does have shower facilities.

Heathrow T3 Arrivals Lounges

The Virgin Atlantic arrivals lounge is located after you pass customs and passport control. It’s accessible to premium passengers on Virgin and Delta flights, plus those with high status (Virgin Gold, Delta Diamond Medallion, Platinum Medallion).

It’s been a long time since I travelled through this arrivals lounge. It was the first one I used at Heathrow, and I found it to be pleasant but quite small. We struggled to get seats, but it was relatively easy to get a shower. The spa that we used is long gone. If you’re looking for a quick shower before heading into London or onto a connecting flight, this is a decent option.

The American Airlines Arrivals Lounge is my favourite at Heathrow. It’s accessible by first or business-class passengers on AA, or BA. There are a small number of BA long-haul flights that use T3. If you’re oneworld Emerald or BA Premier, you can use this lounge, or if you have AA Concierge Key status and you flew in on an AA flight.

I’ve been through this lounge three times, and it’s always been quiet – and I mean two or three other people in there. There’s plenty of showers, so I’ve never had to wait. The food and drink is decent, with some options available via a menu and the rest from a self-service buffet. It’s not a fancy lounge, but it absolutely delivers.

The lounge is open from 5am to 2pm, which covers almost all of the BA and AA inbound overnight flights, including those from the West Coast.

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Heathrow T5 Arrivals Lounges

The BA Arrivals Lounge is the largest arrivals lounge at Heathrow, although it might not seem it. Beyond the basic but comfortable seating area are 94 showers. That means there’s no waiting around if you need one.

There was once a spa here, but that did not survive the pandemic. There is a First Class area (Concorde Breakfast Room) that looks almost exactly the same as the Concorde Room in T5, and the first dining room is in T3. If you’re flying in First Class, then you can access the cabanas and have a bath in an airport rather than just a shower.

Entry is for inbound business class and first class passengers, BA Gold Card holders who have arrived on a long haul flight, or AA customers who have Emerald status and who have arrived on a BA or AA flight.

The lounge is open from 5am to 2pm, although the full English breakfast stops at noon.