This would be my final first class lounge of the trip and it did not disappoint. When I got to Abu Dhabi airport, I was able to quickly go through the exit immigration kiosk and the special first class security lane. There was quite a long walk across the center of the terminal to get to the First Class Lounge which is on the other side of the terminal building.

The Departure level is on the 3rd floor. The lounge complex consists of the Business Class Lounge on the 5th floor and the First Class Lounge on the 6th floor.

I made my way up to the 6th floor and entered the lounge. This terminal (and therefore the lounge) is fairly new and it shows. When I first entered the lounge around 11pm, I was asked if I wanted to make a complimentary 15-minute spa appointment. I booked for midnight so I could eat first.

I made my way into the lounge and saw the dining area where I was then seated at a table. There was a small buffet on the side with appetizers, sandwiches and desserts.

I checked out the a la carte menu.

I was in the mood for a whiskey so I ordered a Dalmore Trio as I like that distillery. It was very good and served with a big rock of ice as it should be.

To start, I ordered the scallops and they were perfectly cooked and delicious.

Speaking of perfectly cooked, my steak came out medium rare and the accompaniments were also great.

Dessert was the Chocolate Budino, which I first had to look up and saw it was an Italian chocolate pudding. Yes please!

From start to finish, this might have been the best overall meal of the trip. I also tried the Glenlivet Rare Cask and enjoyed that to cap off the meal.

As I moved over to a nearby lounge chair, my waiter followed me over and asked if I wanted to try another whiskey that was off-menu, the Macallan Enigma. It was excellent and should be as it’s priced at well over $300 a bottle, in the range of the Dalmore King Alexander III served by Emirates.

I explored the lounge a bit and grabbed some more pictures. It really is a beautiful space.

It was time for my massage. I was escorted down to the 5th floor where the Be Relax spa was located within the Business Class Lounge. I was given a menu to choose my complimentary treatment where you could of course add on paid treatments as well. I chose a head and neck massage.

Here’s where the spa experience fell short. The room where I had the massage was a private room, but instead of a wall between in and the terminal, it had some sort of slats that provided privacy, but not noise dampening. I could hear every crying baby, person on their phone and airport announcement as if I was standing in the terminal. The massage therapist apologized and said she wondered why it was designed this way.

After my massage, I headed back to the First Class Lounge for an hour or so before it was time to board my flight. Because I was flying to Toronto and not the US, I did not have to go through US CBP Preclearance at Abu Dhabi and spend the last hour before my flight at the Preclearance lounge which I understand to be not nearly as nice.

Overall, despite the lack of soundproofing in the spa, the Etihad First Class Lounge was an excellent experience. It’s not huge like the Emirates Lounges or featuring museum art like the Al Safwa Lounge, but it has great food and drinks, comfortable and stylish seating and great service.

Now it was time to wrap up the first class flights by getting to fly in the famous Etihad A380 Apartments.

Up Next: Etihad A380 Apartments AUH-YYZ Review

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