The Pier

The Pier is Cathay Pacific’s First Class Lounge in their Hong Kong hub… and boy is it ever. Let me preface this by saying this is probably the nicest lounge in the world, and for someone who has visited upwards of 100 lounges around the globe I do consider myself more than a travel amateur. Like the magical wardrobe that transported you to Narnia, a trip downstairs on their private escalator transports you back to a time when flying was equated with elegance, and FC was more than just a larger seat and a free not so good meal. The halls are a picture of understated elegance, a combination of marble floors and hardwood walls, quiet and serene. The serenity washes over you, I feel calm and mellow walking the corridors in this space. To maintain that serenity all the amenities are down separate corridors, minimizing foot traffic to those coming and, sadly, going. But beyond the Zen beauty of the space, it’s the amenities that really shine. Like Qantas in Sydney and LA or Emerates in Dubai, and to a small extent BA’s FC lounge in Heathrow, there is table service dining with a good selection of East meets West flavors. It should be noted that the burger does not have cheese– I don’t know why other than HK doesn’t have a dairy culture (we Koreans share that). There is a superb selection of wines and top top shelf liquor, basically all you need while waiting for your next flight. The restrooms are all private suites, again tastefully done, and filled with toiletries to make your stay more comfortable. The showers are also lovely, suite like, and obviously private. But, the really star is the «retreat» where you’re provided complementary foot massages! Yes, after flying 16.5 hours you can relax to a pressure point massage sure to get the blood flowing into your little piglets. In fact I’m typing this while enjoying that luxury. So, HK is probably my favorite airport, and CX FC lounge, The Pier, is definitely my favorite lounge.

The Pier is Cathay’s flagship lounge. It has been recently renovated and a job well done. Located opposite gate 63, it is opened a little later in the morning depending on the transfer ride. The entrance is grand with a small self serve food section to the right. The shower facilities are spacious. The dining room is located at the end of the long corridor and is decorated in the traditional dark green leather and wooden seats. There is a nice range of food. I opted for the Chinese menu which consisted of congee, char siew Pau, har gou, siew mie, noodles and Yau tiew. Service is excellent. The lounge are is very large and has multiple sections for privacy.

HKIA is like a second home — this apartment-​like lounge just adds to that feeling. The Pier is the newest addition to the fleet of nice lounges by Cathay Pacific in the HK airport. I must confess, it is fast becoming my favorite. Upon entering you are greeted with the option of a short massage treatment — foot/​shoulder-​neck/​combined. Admittedly the wait can be quite long but worthwhile. There are plenty of showers and some private spaces for relaxation. The restaurant is excellent offering 3 courses of options. There is a great bar with runway views – and Vito the excellent, proactive bartender. He anticipated my every need for pink champagne. The Pier is reserved for first class passengers and for those with One World Emerald status flying on a One World flight. This lounge has an amazing ability to never feel crowded even at peak hours and offers delicious options for food, great drinks, massage, and relaxation. What more could you ask for pre-​flight?!

Love this first class lounge!
The renovated lounge has beautiful colors with hard wood and browns along with some of the cathay green tones throughout. There is also a great free massage available, I was there at a very slow time and was fortunate enough to get to enjoy both treatments. In the future I’d just take the foot treatment.
The food is the biggest failure since there is no buffet here but the staff at the dining room are nice and the hamburger is fantastic. I just wish there was the ability to get a caesar salad as I’m able to get at The Wing.
The shower rooms are the best at HKG, better than The Wing, better than the QF lounge, and better than even the cabanas at The Wing. Why? Because the shampoo, soap, and conditioner is of a higher quality and the room still allows plenty of space. Of course if you prefer baths then you should get a Cabana at the Wing but for those who like showers you’ll enjoy the shower rooms at The Pier.
The Pier right now is only for first class passengers but a business class side will be opening up soon and will likely have the same wood and other great design features.

This is specifically for the newly opened first lounge, although I did check out The Pier prior to renovation.
TL;DR this is more lounge-​y than The Wing so budget more time (or if in a rush, just hit the buffet at the wing), much better than the previous incarnation, and is easily worth a good hour or two to check out preflight.
This is less overtly opulent compared to The Wing, and is further down around gate 60s (take the train, don’t walk from security like my idiotic self did). The shtick is that it’s more like an apartment… a fancy apartment with doormen/​women, waitstaff, shower attendants, naprooms, etc… nbd.
They offer foot massages, but we didn’t have enough time to take advantage. I immediately requested a shower room (nothing’s better than a shower pre and post longhaul flight); for this first class lounge, there were a good 6 – 10 showers, with both rainshower and handheld, supplied with Aesop amenities and some standard toiletries (with an additional list of things on request such as razors, etc). Behind the showers are day suites, for lounging/​napping, and the spa area.
The dining area is split. When you enter and go left, towards the lounge area, there’s a small area with snacks/​pastries/​fruit by the bar. If you turn right and walk down the hallway, there is an alacarte dining room similar to what’s in the Wing, but in my visit was way less crowded and had waitstaff at the ready.
Your options of the fizz include The Peninsula Brut, Veuve Cliquot, and Moet Rose (all NV). Might as well sample all of them, and compare/​contrast to the Krug served in longhaul first.
We enjoyed a buffalo mozzarella & tomato salad, crabmeat and conpoy soup with scallop and prawn toast, and wok fried beef tenderloin on crispy rice cakes. Much better than the SQ lounge ala carte, and dare I say better than the Wing’s ala carte (which is the current consensus on Flyertalk). The Pier and The Wing are definitely a premium bucket-​list lounge if you’re a travel nerd like I am.

The newly-​renovated Pier brings Cathay to the next level of luxe lounges. The massive lounge has tons of comfortable seating, cleverly hidden plugs and plenty of space to spread out and relax.
Speaking of relaxation, The Pier offers complementary massage services to lounge-​goers. You can opt for a 10 minute foot massage followed by a 10 minute neck-​shoulder-​scalp massage or, as I did, have the full 20 minute treatment focused on the neck and shoulders. The massage was quite good, and they use a towel rather than oil so you won’t be all greasy for your flight. The lounge also has a well-​stocked pantry with a variety of snacks and sweet treats and a large fridge full of many brands of beer, soft drinks and juices. The full bar offers several signature cocktails — try the Lion Rock, it’s excellent — along with a lengthy list of wines, champagnes and liquors.
I have yet to try the sit-​down restaurant, but plan on doing so soon. However, if the Peninsula-​run restaurant in The Wing is any guide I expect it to be quite tasty. 5 stars for you, Cathay — The Pier is a fantastic addition to your high-​quality lounges across HKIA! I look forward to spending many pre-​flights relaxing here.

Final stop of the HKG lounge hopping extravaganza! :D (Are we feeling tipsy yet? No? Good!)
The pier is another Cathay lounge down the opposite end of the airport which features a noodle bar just like the wing (fun fact: walking from one end to the other is at least a kilometer!).
There’s also a coffee and juice bar at this lounge too for those who want a boost or dessert (or something healthy for a change).
For those oneworld/​cathay pacific lounge hoppers who have flights at this end of the airport (like I sometimes do), this is the last stop before the gate. Otherwise maybe make this your first stop.
This lounge also has a service centre to do any last minute reservations/​ticketing enquiries as well.
And because it’s right down the opposite end it’s generally the least crowded Cathay lounge (excluding the G16 one).
However as of this writing, the first class section is nothing really special (as in theres only just a roped off area) as the first class lounge for the pier is closed for renovations.