The new Chase Sapphire Lounge at JFK Terminal 4, occupying the airside mezzanine above gates B30 to B41, opened to cardholders at 5 a.m. on 18 February 2026. At 22,500 square feet, it is, according to Priority Pass-published figures, the largest premium credit-card lounge in the United States by floor area, beating the prior record-holder — the Capital One Lounge at JFK Terminal 4 — by roughly 4,000 square feet.

I arrived on a Saturday morning at 9:14 a.m., presented a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, and was checked in within 90 seconds. Cardholders receive complimentary access for themselves and one accompanying guest; additional guests are $35 each. Authorized users on the same Sapphire Reserve account also receive lounge access at no additional charge, a notable concession from the program’s earlier policy.

The space is divided into seven distinct zones, designed by the New York firm Rockwell Group: a 90-seat full-service restaurant, a 32-seat sushi counter and noodle bar, a 12-seat omakase counter (reservations required, included with admission), a quiet workroom with 28 individual booths, a wellness suite with three rentable private spa cabins, an outdoor terrace with views of the Federal Reserve fueling apron, and a children’s play area for traveling families.

Operationally, the most consequential decision is admission pacing. Lounge director Sam Reed, formerly of the Capital One JFK location, told Business Travel Today during a 14 February pre-opening walk-through that the new lounge will admit a maximum of 360 simultaneous guests — well below its theoretical capacity of 510 — to preserve seating availability and food-service speed. “We are deliberately running below max for the first six months of operation,” Reed said. “If wait times start creeping up, the ceiling moves first, not the experience.”

Food and drink are the strongest signal of intent. The full-service restaurant menu, designed by chef Daniel Boulud’s team, includes an honest steak frites at no additional charge — a meaningful upgrade over the buffet steam tables that are still standard at most U.S. premium card lounges. The omakase counter, run by chef Hiro Sone (formerly of Terra in Napa Valley), serves an eight-course tasting menu in 65 minutes and is the first omakase counter ever installed in a U.S. card lounge. Cocktails are mixed tableside and the wine list runs to 47 references, all by the glass, including a 2018 Sassicaia.

The wellness suites — bookable for 25 minutes each through the lounge’s app — include an on-site licensed massage therapist on weekday mornings and a chair-massage attendant otherwise. A 25-minute neck-and-shoulder treatment is included in admission; a 50-minute deep-tissue session is $95.

Things to watch. First, the lounge’s location airside in Terminal 4 means it is accessible only to passengers departing from or connecting through that terminal. JFK’s international and Delta-heavy traffic gives this a wide footprint, but the lounge is not, for example, useful to passengers flying out of Terminals 5 (JetBlue) or 8 (American). Second, the lounge does not yet honor Priority Pass; access is restricted to Chase Sapphire Reserve, JPMorgan Reserve, and Ritz-Carlton Visa Infinite cardholders.

What this means for the broader card-lounge category. American Express’s Centurion Lounge program has been the dominant U.S. premium-card lounge network since 2013. Chase’s investment at JFK — and its publicly stated commitment to four additional flagship lounges by mid-2027, with sites already announced in Boston, Phoenix, San Diego, and London Heathrow — represents the most credible competitive challenge Centurion has yet faced. The American Express response, when it comes, will be expensive.

For now: if you have a Sapphire Reserve and a long layover at JFK, this is the lounge to find.