Newark is United's hub, and its lounges follow suit: United runs four of them across Terminals A and C. The international airlines that are not United share Terminal B, where the lounges open in the afternoon for the evening flights to Europe. Priority Pass is thin here. Below is every lounge a passenger can get into, with who is admitted and the hours as the airport and the operators state them.
The short answer
Flying United long-haul in business, the Polaris lounge near gate C120 is the best room at the airport; otherwise the big United Club near C123, with showers, is the one to aim for. In Terminal B, your airline decides: British Airways, Lufthansa or SAS, and Lufthansa sells entry at the desk when it has space. With only Priority Pass, your options are an hour in Minute Suites in Terminal C or a treatment at the Be Relax spa in Terminal A.
Airside, near gates A26 and A27
United Club members and eligible United and Star Alliance passengers, including Air Canada's eligible passengers in Terminal A
Hours: 05:00–21:15
A modern club in the new terminal, handy for United's Terminal A departures.
Best for United members flying from Terminal A.
Airside, near gate A8
Within 3 hours of a same-day Delta or partner flight, by membership, ticket or eligible card; Delta no longer sells single-visit passes
A calm room in the new terminal for Delta flyers; Delta says hours vary, so check its app.
Best for Delta passengers flying from Terminal A.
Airside, near gate A8
Admirals Club members and eligible American Airlines and oneworld passengers
Hours: 04:00–19:15
Opens early and closes early, so it suits morning American departures.
Best for American passengers on a morning flight.
After security, near gate A7; domestic flights only
Priority Pass members use one visit for one treatment: a 15-minute massage with oxygen, a 30-minute massage or a polish change with hand massage (each a $38 value), or 10 minutes on a foot lounger with oxygen (a $44 value). Others pay the spa's prices
Hours: 09:00–21:00
Not a lounge, but the only Priority Pass option in Terminal A; it may be full at busy times.
Best for Priority Pass members with half an hour to spare.
Airside, near gate B51
British Airways Club World and First passengers, and eligible oneworld status
Hours: 15:00–22:45
Timed for the evening London departures, with food and drinks.
Best for British Airways Club World passengers to Heathrow.
Airside, near gate B60
SAS and eligible Star Alliance passengers
Hours: 13:00–23:00
Quiet and Scandinavian, open the longest in Terminal B.
Best for SAS passengers before a long-haul flight.
Airside, near gate B68
Lufthansa Group and Star Alliance premium passengers; Star Alliance Gold members in the Senator Lounge; paid entry at the desk, subject to space
Hours: 14:45–21:00
The one Terminal B lounge that sells entry at the door.
Best for Anyone in Terminal B without lounge access who will pay on the day.
Airside, near gate C120
United Polaris business class and eligible partner premium cabins on long-haul international flights
Hours: 05:00–22:30
The best lounge at Newark, with à la carte dining, if your ticket includes it.
Best for United Polaris passengers on a long-haul departure.
Airside, near gate C74
United Club members and eligible United and Star Alliance passengers
Hours: 05:00–22:30
Convenient for the lower-numbered C gates.
Best for United flyers departing from the C70s and C80s.
Airside, near gate C123
United Club members and eligible United and Star Alliance passengers
About 30,000 sq ft with shower suites and wellness rooms: the one to head for on a long wait.
Best for A long connection or a shower before a transatlantic flight.
Airside, near gate C125
Any ticketed passenger, by the hour (one-hour minimum, then 15-minute steps). Priority Pass covers the first hour, then $40 an hour; snacks, drinks and showers cost extra
Hours: 24 hours
A private room with a daybed and a door that shuts; overnight stays are offered too.
Best for A red-eye connection or a dawn departure from Terminal C.
Yes, in three ways. United Club members, and eligible United and Star Alliance passengers, use the United Clubs in Terminals A and C. In Terminal B, the Lufthansa lounge sells entry at the desk when it has room. And anyone with a boarding pass can book a Minute Suite near gate C125 by the hour. Delta's Sky Club no longer sells single visits.
Which terminal matters: United's airside shuttle links the three terminals for United and Star Alliance connections, but most travellers will use the lounges in their own terminal.
Newark has no Priority Pass lounge as such. Priority Pass covers an hour in Minute Suites in Terminal C, with snacks, drinks and showers extra, and a treatment at the Be Relax spa near gate A7 in Terminal A. The airport lists the Art & Lounge in Terminal B, a Priority Pass lounge, as temporarily closed. There is no Amex Centurion Lounge here; the nearest are at JFK and LaGuardia.
Showers at Newark are in the United Polaris lounge, the United Club near C123 and Minute Suites, all in Terminal C. Minute Suites is open 24 hours and offers overnight stays as well as hourly rooms. Terminal A also has a quiet business centre after security, for working rather than resting.
A Minute Suite gives a family a private room with a daybed that sleeps two, which is often calmer than a busy club. Terminal A has children's play areas near gates A6, A19 and A29 and Terminal B one on the way to gates B40–B49, all free and outside the lounges.
Questions people ask
Terminal C, with the United Polaris lounge near C120 and the large United Club near C123, which has showers.
Not a lounge as such: Priority Pass covers an hour in Minute Suites in Terminal C and a treatment at the Be Relax spa in Terminal A. The Art & Lounge in Terminal B is temporarily closed.
The Lufthansa lounge near gate B68 sells entry at the desk, subject to space, and Minute Suites in Terminal C rents rooms by the hour.
Terminal B, near gate B51, open 15:00–22:45 for the evening London flights.
No. The nearest Centurion Lounges are at JFK Terminal 4 and LaGuardia Terminal B.
Minute Suites near gate C125 in Terminal C is open 24 hours, with overnight stays as well as hourly rooms.
Image credits: Famartin (CC BY-SA 4.0)