Search: “kuwait”

Kuwaiti visual artist Monira Al Qadiri just unveiled her latest work, a large-scale public sculpture in Central Park, New York. Standing nearly 5 meters tall, the piece is titled FIRST SUN and takes the form of a giant burgundy bust with a face concealed by a flat iridescent beetle. I’ve always found Monira’s work interesting and weird, and this sculpture, inspired by her research into ancient Egyptian history, is no different.

If you’re in New York anytime over the next year, the sculpture will be on display in Central Park from September until August 2, 2026. It’s a very cool achievement, and if you want to see more photos of this sculpture or her work, head over to @moniraism

Thanks Zaydoun!

Internations released their list for “The Best and Worst Countries for Expats in 2025” and Kuwait once again is at the bottom of it. They have a section dedicated to why that is and it’s for all the reasons you expect, weather, pollution, lack of a nightlife, and lack of good public transportation:

An Insular Society in Kuwait (46th)

No stranger to last place is Kuwait in 46th. Not only are the Quality of Life and Ease of Settling In Indices also in last place, but so is expats’ overall happiness with their life in Kuwait (46th). And at 10 percentage points higher than the global average, 17% of expats plan to leave the country within a year.

The majority of respondents (70%) moved to Kuwait for job-related reasons (vs. 36% globally); in fact, 93% are working full time (vs. 56% globally). Yet the Working Abroad Index is in the bottom 10 (38th). Although the state of the economy is strong (8th), expats aren’t satisfied with their job security (45th) or work–life balance (44th) and don’t agree that they’re paid fairly for their work (44th).

Indeed, 38% of expats in Kuwait don’t feel their disposable household income is enough to lead a comfortable life (vs. 31% globally). And around the same share as the global average is satisfied with their financial situation (56% vs. 54%). So although Personal Finance is Kuwait’s best-performing index, it’s in a below-average 29th place.

Expats’ biggest concern before moving was the climate & weather (43% vs. 16% globally). Once there, about half (49%) give this factor a negative rating. And there’s no pleasant natural environment (46th), urban environment (42nd), or good air quality (44th) to distract from the desert heat. Other subcategories of the Quality of Life similarly disappoint with the lack of culture & nightlife (46th), public transportation (39th), and opportunity to travel (42nd). The availability of healthcare (26th) and the dining options (24th) are at least less dire.

For the full article, click here.

The team behind the popular fried chicken brand BEAK just opened their second concept, a sliders brand called Anji.

Like with BEAK, they’ve kept the focus on sourcing the best ingredients. But, what also makes them stand out is that they’ve perfected the beef-to-bun ratio, so you get the experience of a full-size burger in slider form. And if you like your burgers meaty, you can stack up to four patties in your slider.

Anji’s branding looks pretty cool and so does the store which has indoor seating. Their first location is in Kaifan, right outside the Kuwait Sporting Club. They’re not on any delivery platform yet, just pick-up and dine-in. Check them out @anjisliders.

Yesterday while looking for photos for my baseball post, I came across a shot of the UNIQLO store we once had in Kuwait. UNIQLO is a popular and affordable Japanese clothing brand, and it’s one of my favorite stores to check out whenever I travel.

Back in 2019, someone in Kuwait decided to open a UNIQLO store. They had tried to officially bring the brand here, but UNIQLO wasn’t interested. So, the owner went ahead and opened his own unofficial store in Bida’a inside a department store. He would buy products at regular retail prices, ship them to Kuwait, and then slap a markup on them. The result was some pretty high prices. Here are a few I had written down:

Low Cut Socks
Online: KD 1.2
Kuwait: KD 2

Dry Pique Short Sleeve Polo Shirt
Online: KD 6
Kuwait: KD 17.5

Fleece Long-Sleeve Full-Zip Jacket
Online: KD 6
Kuwait: KD 24

Oxford Slim Fit Long Sleeve Shirt
Online: KD 9
Kuwait: KD 24

Women Ezy Jeans
Online: KD 12
Kuwait: KD 30

Sprz NY Basquiat Short Sleeve Graphic T-Shirt
Online: KD 4.5
Kuwait: KD 24

Only in Kuwait would we get an unofficial UNIQLO with triple the price items. It obviously didn’t last long, but it’s kind of hilarious when I think about it now.

What sucks is I couldn’t find any of my photos of the store other than the one I used for this post. But I couldn’t even find the original photo in my library, just this one which I had used for my initial post.

Baseball has been played in Kuwait since the late 70s, and the club has been around since the early 80s. I’ve always thought of it as one of Kuwait’s best-kept secrets. On Fridays when the weather was nice, I’d go with friends to watch a game with corndogs, lemonade, and the occasional small market. It was always fun, and looked even more fun for the people playing.

Since the weather is going to start improving soon (I hope), registration for the 2025/26 season is starting next week. If you’re looking for an activity for your kid, or maybe you’re an adult looking to play baseball for fun and meeting people, check out the baseball club’s instagram account for more details. @q8baseball

I’m away on vacation and wasn’t planning on posting, but this was too big not to share. Marwan Abdelhamid, AKA Saint Levant, is coming to Kuwait this December to perform live.

Marwan has Palestinian roots and is known for mixing Arabic, English, and French lyrics with hip-hop, R&B, and Arabic influences. He recently had a cool collab with Huda Beauty on a lip oil called “Kalamantina,” with proceeds supporting Palestinian agriculture and cultural preservation projects.

I don’t have more information on the concert at the moment, but everything should be clearer once it’s officially announced, including the exact dates and venue. I’m assuming he’ll be in Kuwait the first week of December since that’s right after his UK tour and before his US tour starts. For now, this is all I have.

A couple of weeks ago I posted Spinneys might be opening in Kuwait, and it’s now official. Spinneys just announced they’re entering Kuwait through a joint venture with Alshaya Group.

Kuwait will be their fourth GCC market, with ten stores planned and the first expected to open in 2026.

They don’t mention where the first store will be, but I’d previously heard Alshaya was looking to replace Carrefour in The Avenues with their own supermarket brand, so that might still be the case. Link

I just came across some interesting but bizarre news. According to a number of articles that popped up over the past few hours, 24-year-old Kuwaiti investor Saad Kassis-Mohamed is planning to resurrect the defunct Caterham Formula 1 team for the 2027 season.

The Caterham F1 Team was a Malaysian, later British owned Formula One team based in the United Kingdom. The team raced for three years between 2012 and 2014.

The reason I found the news bizarre is because, until these articles, I had no idea who Saad was. More than one publication called him a Kuwaiti investor or entrepreneur, but from what I can tell he isn’t Kuwaiti. He might be an investor in the Kuwaiti market, but I haven’t found much on that either. There is a Wikipedia entry that says he was born in Kuwait and is a Kuwaiti entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, so I am guessing that is where they are pulling the info from.

According to a couple of the articles, Saad was named last year on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in the Social Influence category. But aside from a few press releases on dodgy looking news sites, I haven’t found anything about him on Forbes itself.

Saad’s investment firm, SKM Capital, which is supposedly behind the F1 bid, also doesn’t seem to exist outside of these articles.

The whole story doesn’t add up, yet it is being published on sites like Newsweek, Motorsport Week, and Autosport. Very weird.

Update: They’ve sent over the following clarifications:

Saad was part of the Forbes Monaco 30 Under 30 class of 2022. SKM Capital is an investment vehicle intended to be formed once a committal is reached in the context of an F1 program. It is accurate to describe it as “in formation, contingent on final commitments,” not as a non-existent or misrepresented entity.

Here are my favorite things happening this weekend. As always, double check the event details with the organizers.

Thursday, August 21
Foodhall Carnival

Friday, August 22
Foodhall Carnival
Sunrise Paddle Boarding

Saturday, August 23
Foodhall Carnival
Her Wellness Journey with Lululemon
Unwind Through
Second Chance Book Sale
Color Me Brunch
DAI StoryTime Zoo
Paint & Sip Chill Edit
Escape to Qaruh Island
Korean Game Day
Girls Only Game Day

I just read that Kuwait Airways now has self check-in that includes boarding pass issuance AND baggage weighing. Previously you could on self check-in if you didn’t have any luggage just carryon but now it seems you can also drop off your bag yourself. source

If you’ve come across a photo booth in Kuwait, maybe at an event or mall, it was probably a Calling Marilyn booth. Calling Marilyn was born when popular studio photographer Salma Alessa brought her studio’s signature high-end aesthetic and attention to detail to a wider audience. A luxe photo booth where people can have fun and capture moments with friends turned out to be the perfect way to share her photography style beyond the studio.

Not only do the photos look great, but the booths themselves are just as impressive. Each one has a unique design inspired by its environment and is created locally. No two are alike, and all are built in collaboration with local artisans and creatives. They also like thinking outside the box, literally. Last year they turned a vintage Cadillac convertible into a booth just for fun, and people had a blast with it.

Another cool aspect is that the photo booths don’t store or save digital copies. It brings back the old school magic of physical copies, while also being a privacy feature. The photos you print will be the only copies that exist.

If you want to check out one of their public booths, you can find them in various spots around Kuwait, including 360 Mall, Assima, Al Andalus, Al Thuraya, Khiran Mall, Marina Mall, and more.

Check them out @callingmarilyn

I’m really surprised how many things are still taking place every weekend even through the summer. Usually it gets pretty quiet, but there are still plenty of things to do. Check out my favorite ones below and as always, double check the event details with the organizers.

Thursday, August 14
Korean Movie Night: Harbin
Story Time at PCC

Friday, August 15
8 15 Mini Market
Sunrise Paddle
The Gathering

Saturday, August 16
Girls Only Game Day
8 15 Mini Market
Sunrise Paddle
DAI Story Time Zoo
DAI Family Day
Social Game Night
Matcha Workshop with Oysa
Lumen printing
Visual Journaling

@VisitKuwait posted the 4 different categories that were recently introduced for the Kuwait tourist visa. source

The cost of the tourist visa is just KD 3 so around $10. source

I wasn’t expecting my last post to get such an emotional reaction. I knew it would spark a respons but I expected more debate and less outrage. About 99.9% of the comments strongly disagreed with the gym’s explanation for why women’s prices were higher than men’s. That was made very clear.

One thing that stood out to me, since it was mentioned multiple times by different people, was the claim that women pay three times more than men for the same gym. So I decided to contact 16 gyms in Kuwait, basically every gym I could find that offered facilities for both men and women, to see which one was charging three times more for women. Here’s what I found:

Men pay more at 6 gyms
Women pay more at 4 gyms
6 gyms have the same price for men and women.

When men pay more, it’s by 18.8% on average.
When women pay more, it’s by 25.6% on average.

I couldn’t find a gym where the women’s membership was three times more than the men’s. Maybe that comparison is being made between different gyms, like a one-year subscription at Oxygen in Mangaf for men (KD 200) versus a one year subscription for women at Platinum Sabah Al-Salem (KD 720). In this specific case, women would be paying three times more, but it’s not a fair comparison.

There were comments about Platinum’s Sabah Al-Salem branch specifically. The membership there is KD 390 a year for men and KD 720 a year for women. Oxygen has a men’s gym in Sabah Al-Salem that charges KD 440 a year, so Platinum is likely keeping the men’s price lower to compete is my guess.

In any case, if you don’t like that your gym charges a pink tax, leave the gym. If a gym charges a pink tax and women are still paying it, the gym has little incentive to reduce their prices.

Check out the list below of gyms in Kuwait that offer membership to both men and women. These are the yearly membership prices:

ARGAN Albida’a Club
Men KD 1,250
Women KD 825

C Club
Men KD 1,750
Women KD 1,350

Circuit+
Men KD 670
Women KD 828

Elite Fitness
Men KD 1,100
Women KD 1,100

ERA Members Club
Men KD 650
Women KD 650

Flare Fitness
Men KD 595
Women KD 720

Edge Fitness (Holiday Inn)
Men KD 479
Women KD 445

Inspire
Men KD 1150
Women KD 1150

Platinum
Men KD 750 (all branches)
Women KD 870 (all branches)

Privus Health Club
Men KD 1,400
Women KD 1,200

Rafa Nadal Academy
Men KD 800
Women KD 800

Spark
Men KD 670 (single branch)
Women KD 950 (single branch)

SVN
Men KD3,000
Women KD2,600

The Burrow
Men KD 1,100
Women KD 1,100

The Champion
Men KD 250
Women KD 250

Viking Club (Radisson Blu)
Men KD 1050
Women KD 825

Note: When checking the prices, keep in mind that some gyms have offers or include additional services with the membership. For more details, DM the gym or call them.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about the price difference between men’s and women’s gyms in Kuwait. Women’s memberships are often more expensive with no clear explanation to why. So, I reached out to a gym (they want to remain anonymous) that operates both men’s and women’s branches to find out why their women’s membership costs slightly more than the men’s. These are the 5 main reasons they say women’s gyms cost more:

Prime Locations
Women’s branches are in safe, central spots like malls and shopping centers. Great for comfort and accessibility, but rent in these areas is expensive.

Specialized Coaches
Finding top female coaches in Kuwait is not easy, especially those with international certifications and skills like prenatal training, yoga, and Pilates. Getting them here means covering relocation, visas, housing, and benefits, which all add to costs.

More Equipment Variety
Women’s gyms often have a wider mix of machines compared to men, from Pilates reformers to functional rigs. This means bigger investments and more frequent maintenance.

Higher Operating Costs
Women’s gyms operate in fewer peak hours while still carrying full overhead. Maintenance also has to be done after hours, often late at night, which costs more.

Maintaining Quality
Dropping prices could mean overcrowding and faster wear and tear. Keeping memberships at a certain price helps maintain a comfortable and high-quality space.

What do you think?

Photo courtesy of @trainwithg