Lounges can be between $30 - $100-ish depending on location, quality, amenities etc. There are lots of really great lounges that can be had without expensive flight tickets - http://www.plaza-network.com/ it's interesting that most people don't know about independent lounge providers. These lounges have massages, showers, tasty food, etc. For people who don't travel enough to warrant a membership but still wants a nice experience it's pretty awesome.
I started using airport lounges when I joined LoungeBuddy (since I had no idea it's even a thing worth checking out before), and it's definitely is a much better experience.
(disclosure - I do iOS work at LoungeBuddy and we pretty much have all the information on all the lounges on the entire planet, including access rules and entry price of they offer walk ups etc. http://www.loungebuddy.com/ )
I started using airport lounges when I joined LoungeBuddy (since I had no idea it's even a thing worth checking out before), and it's definitely is a much better experience.
(disclosure - I do iOS work at LoungeBuddy and we pretty much have all the information on all the lounges on the entire planet, including access rules and entry price of they offer walk ups etc. http://www.loungebuddy.com/ )