This is Heliopolis' Newest Spot, A Self-Serve Hippie Haven

There are days where you just need to get out of the house, your friends are all busy, and you just don’t know where to go. But you know you need to go somewhere with a chill vibe where you can relax and just be.

In Zamalek, there’s Sufi, and there’s FALAK. And there's Room Art Space in Garden City. They’re places where you can go stare at art, listen to music, unwind, and just have fun while doing your own thing.

The co-founders of the newly opened Soul Lounge realised there’s nothing like their new spot in Heliopolis, or anywhere in the eastern part of Cairo like those places. Thus, their new spot was born, and as they say, it’s an “independent space to get more in touch with your SOUL.”

The new space on the first floor of an apartment building in the Korba neighbourhood was co-founded by cousins Kareem Abdelsalam and Amro Moheb, along with their friends Ahmed Hafez and Aya Adel. They began renting out the space in July of this year, and officially opened their doors to their patrons in mid-September.

“Some people study, some people work, some people jam out, people play cards, backgammon, just chat and relax,” Abdelsalam told Cairo Scene. “It’s a work space and arts space at the same time.”

The spot has a self-service philosophy, so while they have a menu, you’ll be making everything on it yourself. That includes tea in a wide variety of flavours, other kinds of herbal drinks, Nescafé in all its variations, coffee, espresso, soft drinks, red bull, and, of course, water.

They’ve also began experimenting with food, offering customers a fridge with turkey, roast beef, tuna and bread. They can put together whatever ingredients they please and heat it up in the microwave for a quick snack.

“We pretty much designed the whole place. We designed everything ourselves, including the frames and everything, it’s all handmade,” Abdelsalam said. “We have notebooks and coasters that are also handmade.”

The place’s décor also includes antique objects, like old phones and radios which people can also buy to keep. The founders have a supplier that they source more such items from.

The lounge also includes a bookstore-library, with books that are for sale and also ones that loungers can just enjoy and replace on the shelf.

“The place is very comfortable,” Abdelsalam said. “When people come, they don’t come for just an hour and leave, they stay for at least 3, 4 hours before they get up.”

There is a minimum charge of EGP 25 at Soul, and for more information, you can check out their Facebook and Instagram.