Last week, Simple Flying flew to Spain as a guest of Iberia to see the new cabins on its Airbus A350 Next aircraft, the first of its kind. The roundtrip was booked in business class, and on the way home, I visited Iberia's Premium Lounge Velázquez in Terminal 4 Satellite at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

Overview

Iberia has two lounges for business class customers at Madrid-Barajas Airport. Because flights to São Paulo's Aeroporto Internacional de Guarulhos depart from the satellite terminal, my visit was to the Premium Lounge Velazquez. According to Iberia's website, the Velazquez lounge is open from 06:00-01:00 daily. I visited on Thursday, and around 23:00, the staff began putting away the food. Though the food was put away almost two hours before closing, surely some snack and drink options remained available to go until closing time.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Access to this lounge depends on the ticket fare or a passenger's frequent flyer status with the airline, a oneworld partner airline, or oneworld Alliance status. Passengers must be over 18 to access the lounge, and an adult must accompany anyone under 18.

Services

Iberia's Premium Lounge Velázquez is near the top of the list of lounges that I have visited. The lounge is very large and may as well be two lounges in one, as there are two buffets in the lounge with practically the same floor plan on both sides. When I arrived almost three hours before my flight, the lounge was empty and quiet, and later it began to fill.

The following services are offered at this lounge:

• Private work areas
• Conference room
• Relaxation rooms

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

• Restaurant (exclusive for customers with higher elite statuses)
• Bar
• Wine cellar
• Coffee bar

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

• Accessible toilets
• Showers
• Television
• Children's play area

Lounge experience

As I arrived at the lounge, I was greeted by Iberia's staff, who asked for my boarding pass, and once it was scanned, I was allowed to enter the lounge. As I entered, I could not help but notice the elegant touches of red and gold and the beautiful lighting at the entrance.

To the right of the front desk, Iberia had a luggage storage room with individual lockers with clear doors. I needed my belongings, so I continued to the rest of the lounge.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

The lounge offers plenty of seating space that is nicely spread out. Iberia has everything from lounge chairs to tables with desks to dining tables with benches and chairs to couches. Near the right corner of the lounge is where I found the buffet (before knowing there was one on the opposite end of the lounge).

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

The two buffet tables offered plenty of variety, with hot items and desserts on one side and vegetables, salads, and fruits on the other. Near the drinks, there was Creamy Asparagus Soup, which was what I chose to commence my dining experience.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

The soup was delicious and gave me high hopes for the remaining things I would try. A short time after having the soup, I returned to the buffet and grabbed rice, cod, and pork cooked in a cranberry sauce, a mix of vegetables, and some orange juice. (Those of you who have read my previous flight reviews know how much I enjoy orange juice. Additionally, I do not drink alcohol.)

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

After eating, I left the lounge to take care of my VAT refund, which is available for passengers that do not reside in the European Union. The refund is a tax refund on products purchased in Europe and is given in cash. After getting my refund, I returned to the lounge to capture footage for this review before taking a shower and heading to my gate to fly back to São Paulo.

Showers at the lounge are kept under lock with a keypad and are available upon request at the front desk. Fortunately, a shower was available when I requested it as I had a short amount of time before boarding began for my flight. The bathroom was spacious and came with soaps, shampoo, conditioner, a shaving kit, a hair kit, and slippers. The airline has a cleaning crew on hand to clean every bathroom as passengers exit.

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Overall experience

I thoroughly enjoyed Iberia's lounge at the satellite terminal 4. The food was great, the staff were friendly and attentive, facilities were clean and offered everything needed.