Escape Lounge Offers Fancy Drinks, Privacy At MSP
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If you're planning a warm getaway this winter, you may want to check out a newer private lounge at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The Escape Lounge at Terminal 1 has been open for about a year, but many still don't know about it.
"Comfortable, quiet, excellent food and drinks," said Dick Lundeen, of Biwabiki.
Lundeen and his wife left their home in the Iron Range Wednesday to head to sunny California. For their layover in the Twin Cities, there was only one stop they planned to make.
"This is the nicest time we've ever spent in an airport," he said.
The Escape Lounge was the first of its kind in U.S. airports, offering a common-use lounge to travelers looking for food, drinks, and a bit more privacy for a fee of $45 for the day.
The lounge recently hired the chef behind St. Paul's Strip Club Meat and Fish and Saint Dinette to create a locally-infused menu.
"Especially if you have a longer delay or a layover, it is complimentary liquor included so anyone can go to the bar and we'll make any drink that we can," said Alex Sokolsky, the lounge supervisor.
Or, visitors can just enjoy the view.
Travelers get a panoramic look of the airfield and the Minneapolis skyline. They can also enjoy the always-stocked cookie bar.
The pass to get into the Escape Lounge lasts a full day.
Travelers can sign up ahead of time online for a $5 discount. Priority pass members get in free.
You can find the lounge on the mezzanine level above the entrance to Concourse E.