It is easy to stay indoors in air-conditioned comfort when temperatures outside are soaring. But that doesn’t have to mean just staying at home doing your best sloth impression. Plus, what if your electricity gets cut off, and there’s no AC? Where can you go? bazaar went exploring to see how to ensure that while you’re inside keeping cool, you’re also stimulated doing something sporty, creative, or extremely entertaining. These are some of our faves.
ASCEND
Back in 2022 bazaar went rock climbing with Ascend when it was just a wall face on the side of Ali Abdulkarim’s house with a thick mattress on the floor. Now, Ascend is fully indoors, with several towering walls, and hundreds of differently challenging ways to reach new heights. The space is ideal whether you’re a total beginner or a masterful climber, and the safety-conscious expert instructors with Ascend will ensure that you experience the perfect rope-climbing course to suit your level.
CRYOTHERAPY
It’s a myth that only athletes benefit from cryotherapy as a Kuwait summer can make anyone need to jump into a -140 freezer to recover! If you want to keep super cool and help your body with muscle recovery, pain relief, improved skin conditions, and overall well-being, cryotherapy is for you. Big plus – if you have FOMO from not traveling cryo can elevate your mood from anxiety and depression by triggering the release of endorphins!
ESCAPE ROOMS
Get your synapses firing on all cylinders, test your communication skills, and find out who your friends really are all in the cool comfort of an escape room. House of Evil opens soon in Al Fanar Mall but in the meantime, there are several others including: Dream Factory, Trapped Inn, Escape Land, and Mind Maze. There are often different rooms to accommodate varying group sizes and the rooms can boast different themes with interior design choices which support the narrative. Search Google Maps “escape room center” and find the closest one to you.
KARAOKE
Nothing releases endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine more quickly than a singing session and bazaar took a turn at Mele Mele for an hour. Because there are soundproofed, private rooms, you don’t feel like a hundred eyes are judging you in a room full of dining strangers, instead, only your besties will be giving you the side-eye. With discounted prices during the week, try some hump day harmonizing to keep you happy.
KUWAIT NATIONAL LIBRARY
The Kuwait National Library boasts an impressive entrance ceiling height, stunning light fixtures, cool, and spacious interiors with nearly half a million books to peruse with an English language section too. Open on weekdays from 8 am – 1 pm, and Tuesday evenings 4 pm-9 pm. You must present a Civil ID to access the library. There are some beautifully bound books and the cartography section is fascinating. Free entry.
KUWAIT NATIONAL MUSEUM & PLANETARIUM
Recently re-opened after an eight-year-long period of abeyance, the planetarium has been newly refurbished and now features one of the world’s top projection systems. There is no access on Fridays or Saturdays, and the last show on a weekday is at 6.30 pm. Nestled within the Kuwait National Museum grounds, you can also visit the main museum or venture to walk around the dhow sailing boat…but that boat is outdoors… Free entry.
MALL WALKING ROUTES
Malls like Promenade and Assima have specifically marked out mall routes, typically on the upper floors, upon which you can walk a measured distance. However, to add distance, bazaar likes to explore the quieter areas of The Avenues, making sure to go down all the side alleys which can add thousands of steps to your count. You may even find some independent retailers you didn’t know existed. Pro tip: Prestige always has fewer people in it if you want to avoid crowds. For wide open space, Al Kout – newer section, and the Warehouse malls are recommended. Free entry.
SKY DIVING
Is jumping out of a plane a little too intimidating for you? Rather stay closer to the earth while still gaining the skills to navigate the skies protected only by a jumpsuit? Learn to fly with Kuwait’s only indoor wind tunnel! O3 Ozone Indoor Skydiving in Sabeh Al Salem is focused on safety and you get a fifteen-minute ground briefing plus they supply you with goggles, a helmet, and a flight suit. There are group offers for experienced skydivers and personal training sessions for skydivers who want to improve their technique with one-on-one coaching.
TAREK RAJAB MUSEUM & TAREQ RAJAB MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY
The eponymously monikered grandson of the founder of the Tareq Rajab Museum has painstakingly overseen, and personally had his hand in, the meticulous refurbishment of the beloved and eclectic museum which is the Tareq Rajab Museum. Just around the corner, also in Jabriya, stands the calligraphy museum. The items in the exhibition will astound you; the skills required of the master calligraphists who penned these precious objects are tremendous.
YADAWI CRAFTS
An impressive array of creative skills are taught at Yadawi based in the lower ground basement of Argan Bedaya in Sabeh Al Salem. Students can learn printmaking, flameworking and glassblowing, bead making, macrame and fiber arts, jewelry making, sewing and pattern making, calligraphy, and upcycling. From single students joining set classes to large groups hosting their own class, Yadawi can accommodate all creative types!
Photo by Brendan Church on Unsplash
