Lounges, shisha, and live music are making inroads in the Kingdom, with the FinancialTimes spotlighting how these venues are becoming more popular across the country as an affordable nightlife option. These lounges, which have slowly emerged in recent years, are seen as an indicator of how everyday leisure habits are shifting, but are also controversial in some pockets of society, which view them as morally problematic.

Although the lounges are no longer banned, authorities in Jeddah and Riyadh have recently shut down a handful of them, citing “serious violations” of health and hygiene rules — a move the salmon-colored paper suggests could have been encouraged by social criticism of the venues.

(** Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links to our background and outside sources.)

Tags: