I can see how you can get used to this type of thing especially if you have to go to the airport all the time. My coworker had some sort of Star Alliance voucher for the Maple Leaf Lounge that he wasn't going to use so he gave it to me. I had never used the ML lounge before because it's not something I would normally do and my company wouldn't pay for the use of it so if I did want to use it it would always be on my dime. I had to show my boarding pass in addition to giving them the voucher so I guess you need to actually be flying with them that day?
For the most part I fly only domestically and I usually take early flights so for somebody like me it doesn't really make sense to use these lounges on a regular basis if I had to pay for them each time. I believe the admission is 25 to 50 dollars or so depending on your type of booking.
I heard somewhere if you are an American Express Platinum member that the use of the ML lounges I don't know how true that is but if you can use your AMEX to bypass lines at security check points that would totally be worth it as well if you travelled that often.
The lounge itself is a really nice place to relax. There are comfortable chairs to use as well as a buffet of food and drink as well as a wide variety of magazines which you can read and bring with you when you leave.
I went in the morning before my flight so the fare was only breakfast type food and I don't know if the beer tap was working but I wasn't going drink beer that early. Normally I can see how it would make sense to come after breakfast if you since you could basically drink all you want and eat non breakfast food too. There are quiet spots that are less occupied and there are even showers to use if you felt inclined to partake.
This lounge is a really nice thing to take advantage of and if you were somehow stuck in the airport for any reason this would definitely be a choice if you didn't want to leave the airport and get a hotel if you were only going to be delayed several hours versus an entire night.