Review | Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge Changi Terminal 3

I'm still back in Malaysia for the summer season and just returned from a two week-long summer trip to Japan with my wife and in-laws. I initially booked this trip a few months ago but was surprised at the difficulty of securing a Cathay Pacific flight with a realistic layover time, which I attribute to route rescheduling thanks to the ongoing Iran conflict.

At the same time, my wife has been nagging me about wanting to fly Singapore Airlines Business Class, and since it had been a long time since I flew SQ, I thought why not?

Spoiler alert though: There wasn't anything particularly special about my business class flight on Singapore Airlines B787, so I won't be writing about that anytime soon.

Nevertheless, thanks to that, I finally got to revisit the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 3 and write about it for you guys, which remains Singapore Airlines’ flagship Business Class lounge for now.

Lounge Access Requirements

Access to the SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 3 is relatively straightforward, but there is one important distinction to understand. This is not the lounge for every Star Alliance Gold member flying Economy or Premium Economy out of Singapore.

If you are flying Singapore Airlines or a Star Alliance partner in Business Class, you get access to the Business Class SilverKris Lounge. PPS Club members also get access even when flying in lower cabins on Singapore Airlines.

However, if you are a KrisFlyer Elite Gold or Star Alliance Gold member travelling in Economy or Premium Economy, you are generally directed to the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge instead. This matters because the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge is a notable step down from the SilverKris Lounge, especially in terms of ambience and overall premium feel.

Walk straight past DBS Private Access and the SATS Premier Lounge to reach the SilverKris lounges

First Class and Suites passengers are directed to the First Class SilverKris Lounge or The Private Room, depending on eligibility. In other words, Singapore Airlines does segment its lounge experience quite deliberately at Changi, which is exactly what a premium airline should be doing.

The SilverKris Lounge itself is located at Terminal 3, Level 3, nearer to the A gates. Once you clear immigration, head up the escalator and you will find the shared entrance for the Singapore Airlines lounge complex.

Lounge Space

The Terminal 3 SilverKris Lounge is a large space, and you feel that almost immediately upon entering. It is not some token outstation lounge with a few armchairs, a sad buffet, and a coffee machine that looks like it has survived three recessions. This is very clearly Singapore Airlines’ home-ground Business Class lounge.

The lounge is broadly split into different zones, with a mix of dining areas, lounge seating, high-top work counters, semi-private productivity-style seats, and quieter resting areas.

This is where I think Singapore Airlines has done well. The lounge does not force every passenger into the same type of seating. If you want to eat, work, sit with family, or hide from humanity before a flight, there is probably a corner that works for you.

The design is very Singapore Airlines: polished, warm, and corporate without being too sterile. Expect plenty of wood tones, leather seating, and soft lighting. It is not as dramatic as Qatar Airways’ lounges, nor as charming as Cathay Pacific’s best lounges in Hong Kong, but it is cohesive and premium enough.

There is also a proper bar area, which gives the lounge a more flagship feel. It was a little more quiet during my visit, and I had no problems getting a few drinks immediately.

More importantly, the SilverKris Lounge serves this spectacular Courvoisier XO cognac, which was sublime! I vividly recall having these in the earlier days of my Business Class flights on SQ, and it's a great find to stumble upon it again.

The space at the side of the bar is a little more quiet than the main seating areas closer to the dining area, and is where I'd actually recommend spending most of your time in the lounge, especially given the proximity to the bar and the wonderful natural light as you'll see below.

There are semi-private rest cubicles with recliner-style seating, which are useful if you have a longer layover. These are not full nap rooms, so do not expect the privacy of something like Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan Garden or Cathay Pacific’s relaxation areas. Still, for a Business Class lounge, it is a practical and thoughtful inclusion.

Overall, the lounge space is strong. It feels premium, it has enough variety, and most importantly, it feels like a lounge designed by people who understand how passengers actually use lounges.

Food & Beverage

The food and beverage setup is probably the strongest part of the SilverKris Lounge experience.

While the lounge has multiple buffet areas, the spread at the main dining area is genuinely substantial by Business Class lounge standards. You will usually find a mix of Singaporean, Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Western options, which makes sense given Singapore Airlines’ home base and international passenger profile.

This is exactly the type of buffet that makes Singapore Airlines look good. There is enough variety for a proper meal, but it does not feel unnecessarily overdone. Depending on timing, you can expect hot dishes, dim sum, noodles, rice dishes, pastries, fruit, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and other light bites.

The noodle bar and live cooking station is a particularly nice touch. In a world where many lounges still think “premium dining” means dry scrambled eggs and sausages that look emotionally defeated, it is refreshing to see proper Asian comfort food being treated as the main event.

Of course, I couldn't help myself but to order a bowl of their Signature Laksa which hit the sweet spot! The made-to-order pasta wasn't too bad either.

Is this the best Business Class lounge dining in the world? Well, not exactly. Many would argue the Qatar Airways Premium Lounge in Singapore probably still offers a more polished dining experience, but in my opinion Cathay Pacific’s best lounges have a stronger sense of personality.

I felt myself missing the Cathay Pacific lounges already as I spent 45 minutes in here. But for a large Business Class lounge handling significant passenger volumes, the SilverKris Lounge does a very good job.

The drinks selection is also solid. Expect soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea, beer, wine, champagne, and spirits. There are also self-serve stations throughout the lounge, which makes it easy to grab something without walking across the entire space like you’re completing a fitness challenge before boarding.

As far as Business Class lounge beverage setups go, this is comfortably excellent and you won't be going thirsty anytime soon.

As for the seating situation at the main dining area, you're practically spoilt for choice, although I'd recommend finding a seat closer to the main buffet area for ease of access.

The giant arched doorway in the picture above separates the main lounging area and the dining area.

Washrooms and Showers

The washrooms and shower suites are modern, clean, and generally well maintained. This is one of those areas where Singapore Airlines’ operational discipline shows.

The shower suites are properly equipped and feel premium enough for a Business Class lounge. You get a private shower space, toilet, sink, basic amenities, and enough room to freshen up comfortably before a flight. After a long connection or before a red-eye, this is exactly the type of facility that makes a lounge genuinely useful rather than just decorative.

The finishes are modern, the lighting is pleasant, and the overall cleanliness was very good during my visit. It is not quite “spa-like luxury”, but it does the job extremely well.

If I were nitpicking, the toilet situation could be more exciting. While the pictures show a Japanese toilet, I was pretty surprised to find out that it was turned off and only a handheld bidet could be used, LOL.

This is hardly a dealbreaker, but when you position yourself as one of the world’s best airlines, people naturally start judging the small details too. Either way, I guess I can't complain given that Cathay Pacific's own lounges don't have bidets themselves!

Still, the washrooms and showers are a major positive. They are clean, practical, and polished, which is really all most passengers need before a long-haul flight.

A Brief Look into the SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 2

I also had the chance to briefly visit the SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 2, which is still going through its phased renovation.

A portion of the renovated lounge has already opened, and you can definitely see the design direction Singapore Airlines is heading towards. The refreshed space borrows a lot from the Terminal 3 lounge: warmer finishes, better seating, more modern bathrooms, and an overall look that feels much more current than the older Terminal 2 lounge.

That said, because the renovation is still ongoing, the experience currently feels incomplete.

During my visit, the lounge felt noticeably more claustrophobic than Terminal 3. This is not necessarily because the design is bad, but because the lounge is still operating within a partial footprint. When only part of the final space is open, the flow naturally suffers. Seating feels tighter, the atmosphere feels busier, and the whole place lacks the breathing room that makes the Terminal 3 lounge more pleasant.

In fairness, I do think the completed Terminal 2 lounge has the potential to be very good. The refreshed elements are promising, and the renovation should eventually bring it much closer to Terminal 3 standards.

For now, though, if I had the choice and sufficient time, I would still pick the Terminal 3 SilverKris Lounge without hesitation. The T2 lounge is functional, but the T3 lounge still feels like the more complete and polished experience.

Final Thoughts

The Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 3 is a very strong Business Class lounge, and honestly, that sums up Singapore Airlines quite well as a genuinely consistent 5-star airline.

Everything is polished, efficient, and well thought out. The lounge is large, the seating is varied, the food is genuinely good, the showers are excellent, and the entire experience feels professionally managed. It is exactly the kind of lounge you would expect from Singapore Airlines at its home airport.

That being said, both my wife and I felt that it does not necessarily have the wow factor of the world’s very best lounges anymore, although we could be just too damn spoiled by the kind of experience we'd get at The Pier First or The Bridge in Hong Kong!

It truly does not have the soul of Cathay Pacific’s best lounges in Hong Kong, although I would confidently say that I'd prefer the SilverKris lounges over Qatar's Premium Lounge just because my Asian tastebuds prefer the food on offer.

For most passengers, this is exactly what you want before a flight. A calm environment, proper food, clean showers, decent drinks, and enough space to relax or work.

As part of the broader Singapore Airlines premium experience, the SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 3 does its job extremely well. It is not the most exciting lounge in the world, but it is one of the most dependably good Business Class lounges you can visit in Asia.

And sometimes, dependably good is exactly what you want before stepping onto a long-haul flight. In my case, all I wanted was to enjoy a glass of Singapore Sling onboard SQ again, and I did.