Complete Review: Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge (Part Two)

Continuing my review at Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge, I will go over more facilities that are available to passengers in the lounge.

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Family Area

Down the large hallway, there is an off-section dedicated entirely to families and children.

Walking past the family area, there is an open kitchen station with crêpe griddles and ice cream containers. And opposite the kitchen, a long sideboard with fruits, pastries and beverages is offered. I have not seen any chefs yet throughout my visit who was actually present at the station and are there to assist.

Entering the dimmed area, it features seven large private cubicles without doors that are furnished with sofas, lounge armchairs and a TV. The family area also has separate male and female bathrooms.

Although it is used for large group families, when there are no private rooms available, I would recommend you use this area for a nap as it is rarely used and offers extra silence.

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Parent & Nanny’s Room

On the right-hand side of the entryway to the family rooms, there are these rooms called Parent’s and Nanny rooms. The parent’s room is used for families with infants as there are a couple of seats and a sink to clean infants’ milk bottles and other related things.

On the other hand, while it is rare in other countries, the nanny room is where nannies or babysitters stay. Most families in the middle east travel in large groups and nannies who take care of the children usually follow along. But until now, I have never seen this room occupied as most nannies are following where their boss goes.

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Game Room

The Al Safwa First Lounge also invested quite some money to be a child-friendly lounge. Further down the hallway from the parent’s and nanny’s room, there is a large children’s area, divided into three rooms.

There are two rooms facing each other along the way to the game room with table soccer, a bookshelf with children’s storybooks and many more. Small tables and chairs along with a kid’s sofa are also placed inside the room.

Now in the game room, there are a lot of gaming devices installed ranging from Xbox to Playstations to Nintendo Wiis. There is also a replica of the F1 racing vehicle that is used to play racing games. I have visited the gaming room frequently but the gaming machines are always powered off most of the time and the area seems to be rarely used by children.

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Quiet Rooms

Now, it comes to one of my favorite facilities at the Al Safwa First Lounge: The Quiet Rooms. Leaving the family room and walking down the main hallway, there is another section on the right with a literature counter in the center with six seats around and reception behind it.

The Al Safwa lounge has 12 private rooms equivalent to a standard hotel room. Of the 12 rooms, four of the rooms feature 2 beds for double occupancy and the remaining eight have 1 bed for single occupancy.

The rooms are based on a first-come, first-served basis for anyone whose layover duration is more than four hours and are able to use up to six hours. Exceeding six hours, you would need to pay an extra 450QAR or US$123 for an additional six hours.

To use the room, you need to approach the reception and show your boarding pass if you have a long layover. Then the staff member will assist you to your assigned room.

On my visit, I was assigned to room number 8, which is located at the end of the Quiet room area. Rooms are accessible by a keycard given at the reception and to turn on the power of the room simply insert the card into the keycard slot.

The size of the room is similar to the standard rooms in regular hotels. I am not sure about the exact dimension but it should be around 16sqm or 172sqft in size. The room features an open wardrobe, a glass work desk with a lamp, a single bed and a bathroom.

The bed has a really comfortable topper and a warm blanket. On top of the blanket has a burgundy-colored cover which you can find on business or first class. Beside the bed, there is a round table with remote controls, a reading lamp, and a power outlet. The lights and air condition is controlled by touch-typing wall switches.

Opposite the bed, a work desk with a table lamp and a TV is set. Another set of power outlets is fixed on the wall but make sure you bring your universal power adapter as Qatar uses the 3-pin type-G sockets.

The only problem with the room was there was a light by the entrance that couldn’t be turned off. It acted as emergency lighting and it was bright enough to shine toward the bed. I’ve heard from my friends that in some of the rooms, the light directly shines in front of the bed which made it hard to get proper sleep.

The bathroom features a walk-in shower with both standard and rainforest heads. A sink by the entrance and overall it is similar to the shower rooms at the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge except it is more luxurious with marble finishes.

Diptyque branded shower amenities and other items are all provided in a basket inside the bathroom.

Despite some inconveniences with the lighting, the quiet room is a perfect haven to get a full rest before the flight and it is even better for those who have an overnight flight.

The quiet room will be full during peak hours: From 11 PM to 2 AM and 5 AM to 8 AM. So my advice is that, as soon as you visit the lounge, directly proceed to the reception to get a room first then enjoy the rest of the lounge facilities.

Sometimes, the generous lounge staff will let you pre-book the room and you can start your six-hours countdown as soon as you get to the room.

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Qspa

Opposite the quiet room, male and female spa facilities are located. The lounge spa is named Qspa and is one of the exclusive features at the Al Safwa First lounge.

Following the narrow corridor, there are a locker room, five treatment rooms, a relaxation room and last but not least the jacuzzi.

The lounge does not offer free spa treatments, unlike Air France’s La Première lounge. Treatments generally start at about US$50 for a 10-minute massage which is quite expensive. You can check out the Qspa menus here.

Unlike the paid treatments, the jacuzzi is free of charge to use on a first come first serve basis. To use the jacuzzi, you can request the reception to fill up the water. There is no time published time limit to use the jacuzzi but I think 90 minutes like the Cathay Pacific’s cabanas should be more than enough to relax.

Note that it takes up to 40 minutes to fill up the water in the jacuzzi so if you want to use the jacuzzi, always request ahead of time to prevent being late for the flight as I did😁.

Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge Restrooms & Showers

At the lounge, there is one large restroom behind the water fountain, just before the dining area. Then the other smaller one is located inside the family area. But both restrooms do not feature shower rooms, instead shower rooms are either inside the quiet room or the treatment rooms including the jacuzzi.

Summary

There are many amazing first-class lounges around the world but the Al Safwa lounge, with its enormous and minimalistic, museum-like design, makes this lounge par with one of the best in the world.

I have spend 10 hours of overnight layover at Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge and it was fantastic. From sleeping six hours straight in the quiet room to relaxing in the jacuzzi, this enormous lounge has a lot of amazing facilities satisfying passengers’ needs.

I did not have a full dining opportunity due to the timing of my arrival and departure, but next time I’ll come back and try different dishes if I can.

There is no other lounge like the Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge that removes you from the hustle and bustle of the airport. As a matter of fact, it offers peace and relaxation before your next flight.