This review goes back quite a while ago… Our trip to Madrid, Spain, occurred in early November 2021, I detailed how to get cheaper Iberia business class upgrades in this article on my outbound flight - then with a last minute trip to Thailand on the horizon I completely forgot to write the articles on the outbound flight and lounges. This was my second visit to the lounge, the first being on a tier point run two years prior, and it’s one of the better lounges in Europe.

Location

The Iberia Velázquez Premium Lounge is located in Terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas Airport - home to Iberia and most of its oneworld partners including British Airways. It is only accessible to passengers departing from T4 S, the Satellite terminal, which is where all non-Schengen flights depart from. Getting across to the lounge requires you to take an airport train after security between the main and Satellite portions of the terminal, followed by a walk through border control and then the Duty Free shops. The entrance to the lounge is found within the Duty Free shop after border control - which is a little confusing and non-descript.

Entry admission

Like most business class lounges in the oneworld alliance, the Velázquez Premium Lounge has similar admittance requirements. First, you will be able to enter if you have a Business or First Class ticket on Iberia or their oneworld partner airlines. Second, if you have oneworld Emerald or Sapphire status you too will be able to enter the lounge. The lounge is open from 6am to 1am.

Design and seating

The Velázquez Premium Lounge is a long and open plan lounge that feels modern embracing accents of Iberia’s signature red colour. Prior to the pandemic, the two halves of the lounge effectively mirrored one another - offering buffet food service at both ends as well as a decent selection of drinks. On the right end of the lounge, you can find a premium bar and a la carte restaurant while the left end only features the buffet section as well as self-serve drinks.

Throughout the lounge, a selection of seats can be found consisting of a lot of lounger style seats, dining tables and chairs, long tables for office-style working and some uncomfortable looking booth style chairs. At the time of our visit, the lounge was still implementing social distancing rules such as ‘blocked’ seating and one way directional routes - which were little followed.

My favourite aspect of this lounge is how open it is and the large windows which give a great view of the runway as well as apron towards the terminal - this was even better thanks to the fantastic mid-November weather.

Food and drinks

By the time of our visit, hot buffet food service had restarted - which contrasts with some lounges which still are not returning to pre-pandemic levels. The setup was a little strange but effectively there is one server who would put the food you have asked for onto a plate. The quality of the food was so-so - certainly not notable but best described as edible comfort food. Takeaway items, including packaged crisps, sandwiches, and salads, were available on the opposite side which is quite nice particularly if you need to quickly go in the lounge before your scheduled departure.

A number of foods were available - I particularly liked the meatballs and pasta dishes which made for a decent pre-flight meal prior to our flight back to London.

I am pleased to say that coffee on offer was also of a good quality - despite being dispensed from self-serve machines but with Illy coffee beans. Several of the machines can be found throughout the lounge - I certainly needed it after a very late night out on the prior Saturday evening.

I previously mentioned that there is an à la carte restaurant and premium bar available at the right end of the lounge. These do not appear to have completely reopened - while you can sit in the respective spaces, there is no à la carte menu, likewise while the bar is open and you can self-serve drinks, there is no member of staff on offer to serve drinks to you. At the time we visited, which was between 5-7pm on a Sunday evening, one would expect there to be a member of staff to serve drinks in this area. Compared to their sister airline British Airways, the display of the alcohol is quite classy and modern - I like it and as described on the Iberia website it does create a more premium feeling for this section. Beer and wine lovers (not me) will love the selection of local and international refreshments available.

Amenities

It’s extremely easy to find your way around the Iberia lounge thanks to excellent signage. The most notable amenities available in the lounge are the sleeping room and showers. Unfortunately, the former was closed during our visit to the lounge due to Covid-19 regulations. From memory, this area is darkened for a decent sleeping experience with low lounger beds. Surprisingly, considering Spain’s relatively strict Covid-19 rules at the time, the showers were open - in contrast to Singapore Airline’s lounge at London Heathrow.

Shower rooms can be requested at the front desk where they can provide some items, such as toothbrush and toothpaste, on request. With only around six shower suites, expect a wait if the rest of the lounge is busy - I would give it a miss if you only have a short time in the lounge.

Iberia’s shower suites are surprisingly nice and modern considering the hospital style of the British Airways lounges at London Heathrow. With soft cream tiles and wood accents, the shower suites are a pleasing and bright space to refresh in - either between connecting flights or prior to your direct flight. A detachable and overhead shower can be found with excellent pressure and temperate gauge.

A select number of amenities are available from the brand ‘RE’, which I’ve never heard of, as well as a decent number of items such as a razor and toothbrush/toothpaste despite also being handed the same from the front reception desk. Plastic wrapped towels appear to be a Covid-19 prevention measure.

Toilets can be found around the central area of the lounge nearby to the entrance - these are in a similar style to the shower suites above.

Conclusion

The Iberia Velázquez Premium Lounge at Madrid Barajas Airport should be on your radar if you are travelling on the oneworld alliance. While it is certainly not the best and in spite of Covid-19 restrictions, Iberia have made a real effort to provide a continuation of service to a high standard which is commendable. I would love to review this lounge again when the premium dining area reopens fully - that would be a great time to fully see the value of this lounge. And if you wanted to see what happened after my lounge visit, take a look at my snapshot review of British Airways Club World seat from Madrid to London on the massive Airbus A380.