Review: STARLUX Galactic Lounge TPE Terminal 2

On arrival in Taipei, I had a 5-hour layover before my connecting flight to San Francisco. 

This gave me plenty of time to explore the STARLUX Galactic Lounge in Terminal 2, which is probably the most unique airport lounge I’ve ever visited. In many ways, it felt like being in a Disney ride queue, and I mean that in the best possible way— this is a lounge that knows what it wants to be, and goodness me, do they do the theming right.

On the flip side, I felt the F&B quality was rather mediocre, given the excellence STARLUX delivers in the air, and the lounge felt cramped and somewhat claustrophobic.

Opening Hours & Access

STARLUX operates two lounges at Taipei International Airport: one in Terminal 1, and one in Terminal 2.

The lounge at T1 handles regional flights, and is a tiny facility without its own toilets or showers. Long-haul flights to the USA depart from T2, and the lounge here offers much better amenities including a separate First Class section (which unfortunately I wasn’t able to view).

The T2 lounge is located near the D7 boarding gate.

Operating hours are 5 a.m to 11.30 p.m daily, which makes it suitable for all departures as STARLUX does not have round-the-clock operations.

Access is available to:

• First or Business Class passengers departing on a STARLUX-operated flight
• COSMILE Explorer and Insighter passengers departing on a STARLUX-operated flight

COSMILE Explorer and Insighter members can bring one and two guests respectively, travelling on the same flight.

Lounge Overview

While the Galactic Lounge at T2 is certainly bigger than its T1 counterpart, it’s not large by any means. The total floor space is a mere 2,400 square feet, spread across two floors of roughly equal size.

The lounge can accommodate 116 Business Class and 17 First Class passengers. Since STARLUX isn’t part of any alliance (yet) and only accepts passengers on its own flights, the lounge is relatively uncrowded. 

There were four evening departures to the USA on the day I visited, two of which boarded at 7.40 p.m, and the last two around 11.30 p.m (which is when the lounge shuts for the night). After the two earlier flights departed, I pretty much had the lounge to myself for an hour before the passengers for the later flights showed up. 

Now, if you’ve ever watched STARLUX’s safety videos, you’ll know that the airline has a space theme going on.

That extends to the ground experience too, with the entire lounge styled to look like a Star Trek spaceship. Think steel grey interiors, sleek matte walls, and whooshing automatic doors lining industrial minimalist corridors. In fact, I don’t recall seeing a single downlight or pendant light the whole time I was here. Instead, LED lights are built into the walls and ceilings, giving the place a Tron-ish vibe.

The theming isn’t just limited to the lounge; even the staff members are clad in jumpsuits like spaceport crew. If you want to get in on the cosplay, or if you just find the lounge too chilly, STARLUX bomber jackets are available for sale at reception; you can take one home for NT$8,880 (S$390). 

“Spaceship” is an unlikely theme for an airline lounge, but colour me impressed with STARLUX’s attempt. It really reminded me of being in a ride queue at Disneyland, with the interiors, ambiance and uniforms all carefully crafted to build a sense of immersion.

As for the lounge, the layout is fairly simple, basically two floors of rectangular rooms segmented into different areas.

Adjacent to the entrance are storage lockers that can store a small-sized carry-on, complimentary for all guests to use.

There was also a literature rack with newspapers and magazines. Offering physical reading materials is a nice touch in an age where so many lounges have “enhanced” them away.

On the opposite side of the lockers and literature racks was the buffet area, one of two in the lounge. 

Further in was a Stargate-looking arch, which houses the main dining area. Both booth and table seating were available. 

At the very rear of the lounge was a small corridor leading to toilets and a nursing room. STARLUX has a marketing tie-up with Peanuts, hence the Snoopy cut-out.

A stairway near the lockers takes you to the lower floor (I don’t recall elevator access, so that’s something to keep in mind if you have limited mobility), which has a smaller buffet area, together two shower suites and more seating.

The quietest parts of the lounge could be found at either end of the lower floor, isolated from the activity and busyness of the terminal. Above the seating annexes were circular tray ceilings with cove lighting, reminiscent of the lunar surface. 

So full marks to this lounge for design, but I do wish they had been able to dedicate some areas to working or sleeping.  With all the creative talent on display here, I’m sure they could have added some productivity pods or nap (hibernation?) pods that could blend in with the overall theme.

I also got the feeling that the seating layout was rather dense, which is probably a necessity given the limited space of the lounge.

Food & Beverage

The Galactic Lounge at T2 has two buffet areas: one on the entry floor, and another on the lower level. It’s subjective I know, but I wasn’t particularly blown away by the selection or the quality of the food. I felt it was more in line with what you’d get at a contract lounge, as opposed to the flagship lounge of a luxury carrier.

The buffet on the entry floor is the larger of the two, and can be found just after entering the lounge. 

Cold options included a salad bar, cold cuts, sandwiches, various cakes and desserts including Ninao gelato, which has something of a cult following in Taiwan. 

Hot items included hot dogs, dim sum, and cooked items in food warmers such as tofu, lotus root and mixed vegetables, and a very unappetising-looking chicken dish.

Additional food items can be ordered through a QR code menu, and delivered anywhere in the lounge.

Breakfast items are served from 5 a.m to 11 a.m. The lunch and dinner menu is identical, and served from 11 a.m to 11 p.m. Service was pretty speedy; I got my items within 5-10 minutes of ordering. 

Don’t expect dining quality on par with the Qatar Premium Lounge, but hot food was a welcome comfort in the freezing cold Taipei airport. I thought the lu rou fan (braised pork rice) was not bad, though that could mainly be because I’m a sucker for Taiwanese pearl rice.

As for drinks, there was a digital coffee machine, self-pouring beer tap, and a hot and cold water dispenser.

The fridges were well-stocked with various beverages including Evian and San Pellegrino water, local teas and juices (though nothing can beat STARLUX’s onboard drinks selection).

Self-pour spirits included Kavalan whisky, Jim Beam bourbon, Bombay Sapphire gin, and Jose Cuervo tequila. Surprisingly for an airline which keeps harping on the premium aspect, there was no champagne in the lounge (that said, I don’t believe EVA or China Airlines offer champagne in their lounges either). In fact, there was just a choice of one red and one white, and neither particularly great. I also found it amiss that there was no bartender service, given STARLUX’s excellent onboard cocktails. 

The setup on the lower floor is a condensed version with fewer options, though you can still find hot food here. Most guests start on the upper floor, then relocate downstairs for some peace and quiet after dining, occasionally visiting the smaller buffet to nibble. 

Given the high quality catering that STARLUX offers in the air, there was definitely room for improvement in the lounge. Nothing really warranted a second serving, and I decided to save my stomach for the flight.

Power & Productivity

The lounge’s Wi-Fi network clocked in at 15 Mbps down and 26 Mbps up, which was rather middling considering the usually excellent speeds you’ll get in most Taipei hotels. 

Universal power plugs were widely available throughout the lounge, together with USB-A and USB-C ports.

Bathrooms & Showers

Unlike its counterpart in T1, the Galactic Lounge in T2 has its own toilets and shower suites. The toilets were kept spotlessly clean the entire time I was there, and had Toto electric washlets.

There were also shower suites, though the compact footprint of the lounge limits it to two. Wait times can be very long during peak periods, so I’d recommend leaving your name as soon as you enter the lounge. 

Showers were located on the lower level, and required a key card from the front desk to access. They weren’t huge, but they were still well-equipped with everything you could need, including a separate dressing table and an electric bidet toilet.

The shower had good water pressure (though nothing can beat the showers at the EVA Air Taipei lounge- those are next level!) from both the overhead and handheld shower.

Small bottles of Thann brand shampoo, shower gel and conditioner were provided, which was a bit strange given that the hand soap and body lotion were in bulk-sized dispensers.

Bath towels were placed in a wicker basket on the dressing table. It’s a small thing, but I’m slightly uncomfortable when I don’t see lounge towels wrapped in plastic, since that’s the same towel you’re going to wipe your face with.

Inside the drawers were additional amenities like a toothbrush kit, razor, shower cap and comb. A hairdryer was also provided.

Next to the dressing table was a full-height wardrobe where you could hang your clothes while taking a bath. At first, I thought it was one of those “two-way closets” with a door opening into the corridor, where you press a button and someone comes to collect your clothes for ironing. But no such feature here!

The most awesome thing about the toilets here is, would you believe it, the toilet paper. It’s got a runway design printed on it, which makes you feel like pulling out more to see just how long it goes.

Conclusion

If we’re strictly talking design, then the STARLUX Galactic Lounge at Taipei Terminal 2 is one of the most memorable lounges you’ll ever visit. With its unflinching dedication to theming, it certainly stands out from the sea of drab and dreary Business Class lounges.

However, the lounge’s small size means that compromises have to be made. There isn’t a lot of seating variety, nor are there dedicated areas for working or napping. Only two shower suites are available, which can result in prolonged waits. And the quality of the catering, given STARLUX’s inflight excellence, was something of a letdown.

It’s probably not the kind of lounge that necessitates coming to the airport early, but definitely worth a visit nonetheless.