Best OneWorld lounge for a shower at London Heathrow Terminal 3 (LHR)?

Question

On an upcoming trip, I'll be flying into London Heathrow on a flight with one OneWorld airline, then continuing on from Terminal 3 with another OneWorld flight. Coming off an overnight flight, I'm going to want a shower.

I currently hold OneWorld Emerald frequent flier status, so I should have access to any of the OneWorld lounges airside in T3, of which there are 6!

Based on this very handy sticky post maintained in the FlyerTalk BA forum, I can see that the BA lounges have showers, as does the AA Flagship Lounge, and the Cathay First Lounge.

I've travelled enough to know that not all showers are created equal, and certainly not all lounge showers are of the same standard.... (Varying from wonderful condition with great water pressure, nice fittings, plenty of space etc, through to dirty with strange smells, not enough space, leaks etc)

I'd rather not trek between all the lounges and try to look at their showers before deciding, especially not when half asleep just off an overnight flight. That leads me to ask - which OneWorld lounge in Heathrow T3 has the best showers?

(Where best is defined here as having little/no queue, showers in good condition, nice fittings, no strange leaks / smells / sounds, space to change in, and little risk of having all my belongings soaked during the process!)

Answer 1

Based on advice from FlyerTalk, which suggested AA then CX then BA, I decided to try out the first two. (I know the BA ones from T5). It's a tough job, but those showers won't review themselves...

The short answer - AA, by a nose

The American Airlines lounges showers seem to be located between the two lounges, and I think everyone can have access. (Those in the Flagship lounge get a special keycard to get back in). The room is large and square, with hangers, a decent sized bench off the floor, and a large shower raised up with a door. Looks functional but well done, and no risk of getting your stuff wet! Good water pressure and decent temperature range

The Cathay Pacific (CX) showers are located on the corridor between the lounges, key from reception. The room is large and rectangular, with the walk-in shower at one end, and a nice stone-motif wall. Maybe a tiny bit bigger than the AA one. However, it's a walk-in shower with a partial glass screen, slightly recessed into the floor, so the area and floor near the shower can get wet. Mind you put your clothes nearest the door! Decent water pressure, and a choice of handheld or rainfall shower heads, but the water wouldn't go quite as hot as I'd like. Little bit snazzier than AA, but slightly less functional.

As mentioned in these two threads from FlyerTalk, the BA showers are in the Elemis spa area between the lounges, and are the same model as those in T5, but in better condition (not hard!). The T5 showers were OK but not amazing when new, with good water pressure and jet options, but a risk of water on the floor, and very strange gurgles / noises. These days, the T5 showers are in a shocking condition, with no news on when they'll be refurbished. Even if the T3 ones were almost brand new, they wouldn't be quite so good as the CX or AA ones, and with them being somewhat old (but less worn than T5) they'd be less good.

(No photos as I didn't have a camera that worked well in a space that size)

So, if you want the "best" by my definition, use the American Airlines ones, but if you like a slightly swisher look with a small risk of things getting wet, go for Cathay!