When United Airlines debuted its first Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in 2016, it didn’t just raise the bar; it reinvented what a business-class lounge could be. At the time, it was the first lounge designed exclusively for long-haul business-class travelers by any U.S. airline (since then, Delta Air Lines has unveiled its Delta One concept, and American Airlines launched its Flagship lounges iteration). Now, after a sweeping renovation, the original Polaris lounge is back—sleeker and more spacious than before.
Double the footprint of its predecessor, the sprawling 25,000-square-foot space is large enough to accommodate up to 350 guests and offers elevated seated dining, a dedicated wellness area, and a speakeasy-style bar with premium wine and champagne.
United has been bullish about opening new lounges and revamping older ones recently. The airline has held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for nine airport lounge sites since 2022.
Later this year, United will open a new dining room in the United Polaris Lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and a renovated and expanded United Club lounge is coming to Denver’s B West Terminal (a sister lounge to the previously renovated and expanded Club lounge in the B East Terminal). In 2026, United plans to open a new United Club lounge in San Francisco and its largest-ever United Club space in Houston.
Here’s what it’s like inside the refreshed United Polaris Lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
One of two bar areas in the United Polaris Lounge at O’Hare is this speakeasy space.
Photo by Andrew Glatt Photography
Food and drink
Don’t fill up on stroopwafels or other in-flight snacks before visiting the new Polaris lounge—the dining options are worth coming in hungry for.
Travelers with a short layover may want to consider hitting the self-service buffet, where they will find a mix of hot and cold dishes, ranging from mezzes and salads to entrees like miso-glazed salmon and balsamic braised chicken.
However, for those with some time to kill, find a spot in the 50-seat dining room, where meals are ordered à la carte from a server. The breakfast menu (served until 11 a.m.) includes a dill and smoked salmon flatbread, lemon raspberry mascarpone pancakes, or a made-to-order omelet, among other dishes. Lunch and dinner share a menu, which is served as a three-course affair. Think a cheese plate or a prosciutto parmigiano crostini as a starter; a shrimp, scallop, and spring vegetable risotto or a beef short rib burger with Wisconsin brick cheese as an entree; and a chocolate chip skillet cookie or an Aperol Spritz Cake with prosecco-poached rhubarb for dessert.
The lounge boasts two full-service bars. Though the wine and beer lists largely overlap, each bar features its own distinct cocktail menu. The main bar, located in the same spot it was before, offers a wide selection of spirits and signature beverages, including its Chicago-style Bloody Mary, which combines giardiniera-infused vodka with ancho reyes chili liqueur, tomato, lemon, lime, Worcestershire, soy sauce, miso, horseradish, celery salt, dijon mustard, cilantro, and Tabasco sauce. There are also some creative nonalcoholic cocktails available, including The Ruth Law, a take on an Aperol Spritz, with Mionetto alcohol-free prosecco, Giffard Aperitif Syrup, strawberry, and lemon.
The other watering hole has more of a speakeasy vibe and offers top-tier bubbles, such as Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee Brut, as well as a smaller list of Chicago-inspired cocktails, including the Second City Sour, a mix of Rittenhouse rye, Malort, lemon, egg white, and Lingua Franca pinot noir.
While the wine list calls upon global vintners, the beer list skews local. Currently, there are brews from Chicago-based outfits like Dovetail Brewery, Right Bee Cider, and Maplewood Brewery.
The reopened lounge’s 50-person dining room offers a seated, three-course lunch and dinner menu.
Photo by Andrew Glatt Photography
Design and amenities
While it’s become increasingly popular for airport lounges to tap local artists to create paintings, collages, print photographs, and sculptures for their spaces (this lounge showcases works from nine Chicagoland artists, for example), using a local dinnerware and decor company isn’t as common. For the Polaris lounge at O’Hare, United worked with Chicago-based Crate & Barrel for everything from the glassware and plates to the furnishings and salt and pepper shakers.
The expanded lounge also features a wellness and relaxation wing, with zero-gravity chairs, marble-clad shower suites, and a variety of Therabody massagers, including the RecoveryAir JetBoots (a compression boot designed for muscle recovery and circulation enhancement). Another perk for business travelers is the phone rooms, which provide a private, quiet area to make calls or finish a project before their flight. However, arguably the best amenity for aviation nerds is the view of the runway.
For this project, United partnered with Chicago-based Crate & Barrel on all the decor and design details, down to the salt and pepper shakers in the dining room.
Photo by Andrew Glatt Photography
How to access the United Polaris Lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport
The United Polaris Lounge at Chicago O’Hare is located in Terminal 1 near gate C18. It’s open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Access is fairly restrictive: Only those flying in a United Polaris business-class cabin or an equivalent (or higher) class of service on a Star Alliance partner airline can enter. Those flying United business, but not Polaris, do not have access, and guests are not allowed unless you’re flying first class on a partner airline. Neither a United Club membership nor any level of elite status in United’s MileagePlus program grants entry.
