Escape Lounge PHX (Terminal 3) review: the food is almost worth the squeeze

ByScott

The Escape Lounge at PHX (the one located in Terminal 3) just might be the smallest airport lounge I’ve ever been in.

I consider it too small to be comfortable, but it is nice. The food is pretty good, and it’s extremely well designed. 

The TLDR of this entire review: It’s worth visiting to grab a quick bite to eat (and perhaps to enjoy a stiff drink). But certainly not to lounge.

Overall Size of Lounge:1.5 star rating
Variety of Food:3 star rating
Quality of Food:3.5 star rating
Selection of Alcohol:4 star rating
Quietness / Privacy:1.5 star rating
Overall Rating:3 star rating

Location

The Terminal 3 Escape Lounge at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport can be found in the central corridor with all of the other shops and restaurants (nowhere near any of the airline gates). It’s very near to the entrance to the Sky Train.

Location of escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
They say a good escape is hard to find, and they ain’t lyin’. Just look at how puny the sign is!
Exterior of the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
If the goal was to make it as ambiguous as possible, they succeeded magnificently. It looks good though.
escape lounge terminal 3 PHX main entrance
Honestly? I would pay good money to find out why they chose not to put any signage near the main entrance. Maybe they knew I was coming (and they weren’t in the mood to put up with any of my bullsh*t).

How to get in

Escape lounges are fully independent (not partnered with any particular airline). They have partnered up with American Express though – which is good news for Amex cardholders such as myself.

There are basically two ways to get in:

  1. Flash your American Express Platinum Card (or your American Express Delta Sky Miles Reserve Card) for complementary access.
  2. Pay the entrance fee (which, at the time of this writing, seems to be $65). You can even make a reservation online to avoid the possibility of having to wait in line.

Layout

The PHX Terminal 3 Escape Lounge is approximately 1/3 the size of the FLL Escape Lounge. It’s tiny. And by “tiny” I mean uncomfortably cozy.

The entire space is broken up into three main sections: the lounging area, the bar, and the food area. The lounging area is the largest.

escape lounge terminal 3 PHX reception desk
You know that you’ve just stepped into a really small lounge when 1). you see that the reception desk is just a podium, and 2). said podium is vacant (and it looks like it hasn’t been occupied all day).
Seating area inside of the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
The lack of signage on the outside is starting to make sense now. I guess there’s no point in trying to draw people in when you’ve got nowhere for them to sit.
escape lounge terminal 3 PHX food station
This is what it looks like on the other side. Yes, that is food over there, and I’ll show you what it looks like in a second…
Fully staffed bar in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Sandwiched between the two sections that I just showed you is the bar. It’s basically the glue that holds this entire lounge together.
Layout of the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Zooming out a bit to show you the entire space. The podium still vacant by the way, and I saw multiple people just strolling in without even being checked. It was basically a free-for-all all up in here today.
Escape lounge terminal 3 PHX windows and view to the outside
Good news: there are plenty of large windows! Bad news: it’s a pretty awesome view of nothing.
Large tables for working
Overall layout showing high ceilings
Design and decor with wood and glass

Food and drinks

Don’t expect much when it comes to food and drinks. They do serve hot food in this lounge, but there isn’t very much of it. It’s decently tasty stuff though, so beggars can’t be choosers I guess.

Food station escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
There’s not a whole lot of food in this lounge, but what they have looks pretty decent. I didn’t come here to eat salad though, so let’s keep going…
Hot food items in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
That’s more like it. All of this was a lot more delicious than it looks by the way. Don’t be afraid!
Cookies and cake (and other desert items) in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Sure, go ahead. Gorge yourself on cookies and cake if you want. There was nobody here enforcing you to eat a full plate of vegetables and chicken first.
Beverages and drinks in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
The selection of beverages seemed OK. If you want alcohol, you’re gonna have to mosey on over to the bar.
Water, juice, and tea in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
That green stuff was otherworldly by the way. I can neither confirm nor deny that was lemonade, but whatever it was had me going back for more (multiple times).
Selection of alcohol in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Here’s a better shot of the selection of alcohol. Unless you’re super duper picky, they’ve probably got what you need to take the edge off the anxiety you’re feeling from your fear of flying.
Plates, bowls, and napkins in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Self serve food bar escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Healthy food items in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Hot plate of food in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
I told you I didn’t come here to eat salad. This chicken and rice dish was pretty good IMHO – though a bit too salty for my tastes.
Scott eating lunch in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
“Maybe the reason for the lack of signage out front was because they were ashamed that they over salted the food today and they didn’t want to draw too much attention to it?”

Bathrooms

Considering the overall size of the lounge, I wasn’t expecting the bathrooms to be so big. They didn’t seem to be doing a very good job of keeping them clean and tidy however – so use them at your own risk.

Bathroom in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
See the toilet? You could flush a cinderblock in that mofo!
Toilet in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX
Men's room in the escape lounge terminal 3 PHX

It’s also worth noting that there are no showers in this lounge. This place is for eating, drinking, and pooping only.

Pros and cons

Due to its limited size, it’s hard for me to recommend the T3 PHX Escape Lounge to anyone looking for a comfortable place to hang out between flights. It’s a perfectly fine place to grab a quick bite to eat, but I’d rather hang out in the main terminal instead.

Pros

  • The food is pretty good actually. It’s just as good as anything you’d pay $20 for out in the main terminal.
  • The design and decor is really nice.
  • Lots of natural light!

Cons

  • It’s cozy to the point of being claustrophobic.
  • It’s a very long walk from any airline gate.
  • The variety of food is somewhat limited.

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