I spent 5 hours in Amtrak's exclusive Chicago lounge. Take a look inside the massive space that includes private showers and a bar.

Earlier this year, I embarked on a cross-country train trip from Montana to New York City.

Jordan Parker Erb/Insider

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For $800, I booked a roomette — Amtrak's mid-tier accommodation — for my two-part journey.

Read more: I spent 32 hours in a private roomette on an Amtrak train from Montana to Chicago. Take a look inside my 20-square-foot room.

In total, I spent more than 50 hours on trains: 32 hours from Montana to Chicago, and 20 from Chicago to New York.

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What I didn't know was that my ticket also came with access to Amtrak's business-class lounge, or its "Metropolitan Lounge," for my five-hour layover in Chicago's Union Station.

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I learned of the lounge, which Amtrak dubs "a new level of luxury," while researching what to do on my layover. When I arrived in Chicago after a day and a half of travel, I headed straight there.

I found the lounge straight away, and checked in using my ticket. According to Amtrak, the lounge is free for business class and sleeping car passengers, as well as Guest Rewards Select Plus or Select Executive members. Otherwise, a day pass is $35.

I dropped off my luggage in a large closet filled with other people's things, keeping my fingers crossed that no one was interested in stealing my stuff (they weren't).

Then it came time to explore the lounge, which was filled with places to sit and work.

There were so many places to sit — most of which were empty when I visited — that I couldn't imagine a scenario in which the entire lounge could be filled.

For all the seating areas, I thought the lounge was lacking more cozy places to settle in for a nap or some privacy without being in a wide-open room.

After sufficiently exploring the lounge, I helped myself to a snack. While there were no meals served, there was a small bar with complimentary chips, cups of macaroni, tea, and coffee.

There was also a small bar, but it appeared I had arrived too late to utilize it.

Then, to do my peers a service, I decided I should probably utilize the private showers available inside the lounge. I rented a key and some towels, and went to check them out.

Spacious and clean, the shower was easily the best part of Amtrak's lounge. Afterwards, I felt rejuvenated and ready to tackle the second leg of my journey.

Afterwards, I still had time to kill before my train left, so I walked around Union Station. Looking around, I was glad to have access to the lounge, because the station's seating looked nowhere near as comfortable.

Finally, about 30 minutes before the train left for New York City, the other guests and I were ushered out to the platform.

While I wouldn't classify Amtrak's Metropolitan Lounge as luxurious, I would definitely use the lounge again to recharge during long-haul travel — even if it meant paying $35 for a day pass.