A couple weeks ago the hubby and I went on our first without-kids airplane trip together in about 10 years. We’ve done a bunch of close to Seattle and Vancouver staycations like a couple nights at Nita Lake Lodge in Whistler or the Salish Lodge near Seattle but this was the first time we left the kids at home to fly somewhere and I was so excited to tag along on a work trip to San Francisco so I’d have a little alone time in this city too. As karma goes, this was the time our airplane broke down and we were stuck at Seatac airport for a little longer than expected. Lately we’ve been biding our time there at the Centurion lounge but we had more than 3 hours of unexpected time to hang out so these are some other things you can do at the Seattle Airport if you’re stuck there for a little while.
Get a Pedicure or a Massage at the Airport?!!
I love getting my nails done before a trip, and it’s pretty cool that you can get an actual pedicure at the airport at the Terminal Getaway Spa. I didn’t budget enough time before my trip to head to my usual place in Seattle so finding a place at the airport to get them done was such a relaxing way to spend 40-ish minutes. I didn’t think to bring any sandals so they gave me some disposable ones and it wasn’t that busy so I could have waited around longer if I was by myself. My husband tried a Swedish Massage here too and both of us agreed this was a really relaxing way to spend some airport time.
Seatac Airport Shops
I love that the Seattle airport is one of the airports you can now go to as a destination shop because if you need Seattle souvenirs, you can get them all here. I’ve visited many of the shops at Seatac before for blogging events so I stay pretty up to date with the new stores here. The Made in Washington store is perfect for visitors who don’t want to spend their whole trip shopping because it has all the lovely things that are made in Washington state all in one place. I also love any excuse to go to Fireworks because the jewelry, gifts and art at this store are perfectly curated and this store has been around forever. Seattle Chocolates/Jcoco and Lady Yum Macarons are also pretty yummy places for treats. (I walked by Seattle chocolates and they gave me a sample just when I was craving chocolate and that made me love them even more!)
Floret, a vegetarian restaurant at the Airport
It is only fitting that there is good vegetarian food at Seatac Airport. Seattle is definitely a foodie city and I love the airport is realizing more and more that it is the greatest place to showcase our local gems to the world. Floret is a sister to Cafe Flora, one of my favorite breakfast spots in Seattle and I was so excited when I heard they would be opening at the airport. Sadly there are no cheesy grits on the menu at Floret, but we ate fancy avocado toast and other tasty things and it’s nice to be able to eat beautiful food in a beautiful space at the airport.
The Club at SEA
There is a Priority Pass Lounge in Concourse A and we’ve actually never made the trek here before but because we had the time we went to check it out. We have Priority Pass with our American Express Platinum card but I think you can pay a daily fee if you want to visit as well. It’s not as fancy a lounge as the Centurion but I liked that we could pick up a few bagged snacks here like cookies and pretzels. I know if we’re ever stuck at Seatac again the snacks are a great reward to entice the kids to come here for a visit.
Capitol Hill Food Hall and other new places coming to Seattle Airport
On our trek around the airport, we rode the train (the kids could have done this all day) and saw all the art on the art walk. We also spotted another new restaurant area that will make us want to spend more time at the airport on future trips-the Capitol Hill Food Hall. I looked up some of the new restaurants and shops that will be coming to Seatac Airport and I’m excited to see Caffe D’arte, Sunset Fried Chicken, and Elliott Bay Books on the upcoming stores list. (Elliott Bay Books has since opened as well as Sam Choy Poke to the Max and Ballard Brew Hall too. I had the tofu poke at Sam Choy while trying out the SEA visitor’s pass and it was pretty delicious.)
With all our exploring we almost ran out of time before our airplane was finally ready to go and we were on our way to a fun San Francisco and Santa Cruz trip. After all this research, I know for sure that if you are going to get stuck at an airport, Seatac Airport is definitely one that is one you want to be stuck at.
(PS. another airport we love? Changi in Singapore. If you were stuck at an airport which airport would you choose?)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)