Sometimes it’s the extra features that make a lounge enjoyable, which is the case with the Whisky Club at the SWISS Senator Lounge E ZRH.

View other posts in this series:

• Trip Introduction: Cheese and Chocolate in Western Europe
• United Club LAX: Better Than Your Average United Lounge
• A Great Stay Outside the City Center: The Thompson Chicago
• The Beautiful Air France Lounge ORD
• The Best Inflight Service: KLM 787-10 World Business Class ORD-AMS
• Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht: A Great Stay But Now Pricey
• Perfect Dutch Comfort Food at The Pantry Amsterdam
• Smelt It and Loved It: Restaurant Smelt Amsterdam
• Amsterdam with Kids: Plenty of History, Cheese, and Sweets
• Zaanse Schans: You Must See This Idyllic Spot Near Amsterdam
• NS Lounge Amsterdam Centraal: Sadly, Not Much Here
• Eurostar Premier: Better Than Economy But Still Pretty Basic
• Hilton Brussels Grand Place: A Great Location in Central Brussels
• Le Clan des Belges: One of Our Favorite Meals Ever
• Fin de Siècle: Great Food But Can Have Long Lines
• Mini‑Europe in Brussels: Top Highlights From Our Experience
• Belgian Beer World Experience: Surprisingly Fun for the Family
• Brussels with Kids: History, Chocolate, Fries, and Fun
• Winter Wonders: The Wonderful Brussels Christmas Market
• Brussels Airlines The Loft Lounge: Plenty of Drinks and Smurfs
• A Bit Too Simple: Brussels Airlines A319 Business Class (Intra-Europe)
• Great for Whisky Lovers: SWISS Senator Lounge E ZRH (this post)
• SWISS 777-300ER Business Class: A Comfy Seat and Good Service

Location of the SWISS Senator Lounge E ZRH

Terminal E is for all non-Schengen Area departures. To access the terminal, you’ll need to clear exit immigration and security. If you’re coming in from a Schengen Area connection, there’s a good chance you’ll find a lengthy line to get over to Terminal E. While there are lounges in the Schengen Area that you could use, we’d recommend not going to those on connections. Risking a missed flight because immigration lines are long isn’t something you want to do.

Once you’re in Terminal E, you’ll find both the Senator and Business lounges next to each other one level up from the main area. You can either take the stairs or elevator up to the area where the lounge agents will check your credentials. The closest gate to the entrance of the lounge is E37.

Access rules

One thing to know right off the top, Senator lounges are more exclusive than business class lounges. That means that if you’re simply flying business class, you won’t be allowed in a Senator lounge.

The following guests have access to Senator lounges:

• First class on SWISS or Lufthansa (access for passenger + 2 guests + children under 18)
• First class on another Star Alliance flight (access for passenger + 1 guest)
• Lufthansa Miles & More elite members:
  • HON Circle members get access for the member + spouse + companion + children under 18
  • Senator members get access for the member + companion + children under 18
  • HON Circle and Senator members also have access with a boarding pass for an arriving flight on that day
• Star Alliance Gold members on a Star Alliance flight (access for member + 1 guest)
• American Express Platinum cardholders flying in business class on Lufthansa, SWISS, or Austrian

This lounge is open from 6AM to 10PM daily.

In general, the Miles & More program takes care of its own members a bit better than they do with other Star Alliance guests. Senators are also Star Alliance Gold members, but they get access for the whole family while regular Star Alliance Gold members only get one guest. The same holds true if you’re flying in first class on SWISS or Lufthansa vs a regular Star Alliance first class flight.

We got in thanks to my Senator status, which I got via a daisy chain of status matches (Delta > British Airways > ITA > Miles & More). Once the agent scanned my ticket, she welcomed all of us to the Senator lounge.

Seating at the SWISS Senator Lounge E ZRH

We’ll start off with a map of the lounge itself, which helps show off the different zones.

In terms of seating, there are plenty of places where you can stretch out. We found that since business class passengers are separated from Star Alliance Gold members, there wasn’t any overcrowding. We generally hung out the most in this area with the comfy individual chairs.

Or, if you’re eating, it’s most convenient to be at the tables by the food.

They also have a work area next to the dining room if you need a private area to take a call or get stuff done.

There’s also a “relax area” in the back of the lounge with some calming white drapes. I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the chairs, but think of it like a place where you can lay down. You’ll have an enclosed area so you’re out of sight of others but that’s about the extent of the privacy you get.

There’s also an outdoor area if you want to go get some fresh air. It can be a little challenging to find the actual door because it blends into the windows so well.

Once out here, you’ll find a long walkway and not much else. Really, I think this is just so you can get a walk in. You’re not supposed to smoke out here on the terrace, but we wouldn’t be surprised if someone defied rules and lit up. The kids still enjoyed coming out here and hanging out in the brisk late November air.

The food

This Senator lounge gives you two options for food: freshly-made dishes from a chef or items from the buffet. We weren’t hungry enough to order a meal from the chef, but we did take a picture of the available options that day:

• Green vegetable curry: coconut curry sauce, falafel, snow peas, broccoli, baby spinach, Thai basil, jasmine rice
• Meat patties: potato mousseline, leek and pea vegetables
• Poulet Zurich style: mushroom cream sauce, bacon, rösti 
• Chickpea pumpkin tajine
• Swiss alpine macaroni: apple sauce, braised shallots, fresh herbs

If you want to order from the chef, you’ll find it in the corner of the dining area, next to the bread display below.

As for the buffet itself, it’s not bad. I think the better option is almost always to go with the chef items, but this also works in a pinch or if you want something small or simple. We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Yes, the kids were all about the gummy candy they have here. But they were also interested in the giant displays of Ricola scattered about. It still feels weird that this is intended for sore throats in the US but in Europe it’s more of a breath freshener. I guess it’s whatever you want it to be.

Drinks

The SWISS Senator Lounge E has plenty of options for you if you’re interested in grabbing a drink. Options range from the standard, like this coffee station in the middle of the buffet…

…to juices and bottled beverages in the enclosed display…

…to a wall of self-serve alcoholic beverages and a classy soda dispenser.

There were two options of draft beer (both lagers): Calanda and Eichhof.

Showers

Full disclosure: I didn’t get a shower on this visit. On top of that, I didn’t have a chance to even check out the showers to see what they’re like. Apologies, but my primary responsibility is to take care of the kids and family and the length of time we had on this layover (~30 minutes) meant I had to keep the visit brief. Perhaps I will be able to update this post at some point should we return.

If you would like to use the showers, you’ll need to head all the way back to the check in desk to get one reserved.

Whisky Club 28/10

Here is the real star of the show for the SWISS Senator Lounge E at Zurich: the Whisky Club 28/10. You’ll pass right by it when you first enter the lounge, so you can’t miss it. SWISS even says that it’s available to First Class passengers, but it seems a bit out of the way from where the First Class lounge is at.

What makes this part of the lounge awesome? They’ve got 200 bottles of whisky (or whiskey) available to try from all over the world.

To help you with your selection, there are tablets with information on each option. While there is no functionality to search based on price (if only they would make this obvious!), you could filter on other criteria. Me? I just used the “Surprise Me” button to get a drink at random. You could also chat with an AI bot to identify something you might like.

I had a chance to drink a couple during my stay. You get small pours, but it’s included with your admission to the lounge. And with the pours so small, it encourages you to try a few. On top of that, the bartender here was very friendly–arguably the best service in the lounge–so I’m tempted to say this is the place to hang out. And before you ask, yes, the kids are fine hanging out in this area of the lounge. The main downside for the younger ones is that it’s farther away from all the food (and gummy candy).

Odds and ends

Wi-Fi is free in the lounge, but you’ll need to scan your boarding pass to get a voucher printed. With your voucher in hand, you can then use the printed access code to log into the Wi-Fi. I suppose that’s one way to restrict Wi-Fi access to those specifically in the lounge. But it’s a little annoying having to first track down a machine.

As seems to be the trend in European lounges, this one has a display promoting Breitling, the luxury watch maker. I could be mistaken, but I’m not aware of any discount for those accessing the lounge. I’d love to be wrong though!

Some of the watches they had on display are from Breitling’s Superocean Heritage collection. With prices ranging from $6,000 to $10,000 per watch, it’s a bit out of my own price range.

Recommendation: Worth it even on a short visit

Can I admit that sometimes on a quick layover that I feel like going to a lounge can be a bit out of the way? But with the SWISS Senator Lounge E at Zurich, I’d actually not have a problem with a quick visit. They must know what people want because the Whisky Club 28/10 is right next to the entrance. Just stop in, have a quick drink or two, and continue on your merry way. For me, the Whisky Club is the real reason to pay attention to this lounge.

But the rest of the features are pretty good too. While we didn’t eat much food, we did enjoy what we sampled and having a chef available to prepare dishes is always a great add-on. Crowding didn’t seem to be an issue with business class passengers ending up in a separate lounge. It might be missing something more fun for the kids, especially since Miles & More elites will likely bring the whole family here, but that’s really the only downside of coming here.

Have you been to a Senator lounge before?

Suggested reading:

• The Best Options for Airport Lounges for Families
• Star Alliance: Rules, Elite Status, and Lounge Access
• Why You Need to Collect Lufthansa Miles & More Miles