Photo: @karenwazen, Instagram

Clock out, switch off – and slip right into weekend mode. A weekend in Dubai calls for a reset, with plans that go beyond your routine work calendar. Luckily, a city as bustling as Dubai brings you everything you need for a packed social calendar.

Whether you’re in need of some well-deserved retail therapy, an ice-cold matcha or a luxurious dining spot, GRAZIA has done all the planning for you.

Experience the height of contemporary japanese cusine at nobu

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There is often no better way to mark the end of the work week than with a luxurious dining experience – and Nobu proves just that. From Saturday to Sunday, between 12:30pm and 4:30pm, the iconic dining destination by world-renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa sets the scene for a lavish afternoon. With refined interiors and an elegant ambience, the restaurant provides the perfect backdrop for an indulgent dining experience. Nobu’s signature contemporary Japanese cuisine, infused with Peruvian influences, takes centre stage, with familiar favourites including the Black Cod Miso and Yellowtail Jalapeño. If you’re looking for an exclusive dining spot this weekend that pairs refined cuisine with a sophisticated setting and a picture-perfect backdrop for your Instagram feed – Nobu is the place to be.

Explore Beauty’s Cultural Evolution with Harvey Nichols

For years, the landscape of contemporary beauty has been shaped by cultural influences – a phenomenon explored by Harvey Nichols in its latest collection. As part of the ‘Beauty Reimagined’ campaign, the luxury retailer revisits enduring codes from familiar icons, reinterpreted through ‘A Modern Nostalgia’. From September 24 to October 4, the Maison brings together new launches, coveted collections and immersive indoor experiences. Customers who spend Dhs1,500 or more will receive an exclusive gift from the likes of EX NIHILO Paris, Armani, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Dolce & Gabbana and YSL Beauty, among others. Across the beauty floor, the store will showcase the latest collections from Loewe, Guerlain, Acqua di Parma, Givenchy and more. Beyond the retail experience, the event will also feature portraiture and bespoke gift-with-purchase customisation.

Kira takes you on the journey of the Negroni

This September, KIRA brings a month-long exploration of one of the world’s most enduring cocktails – the Negroni. In collaboration with Campari and Nikka, the luxurious dining spot invites guests to experience six cocktails, each symbolising different stages of the iconic cocktail’s journey through time. The journey begins with the Americano in Milan, before taking a spirited turn in Florence, where the Negroni was born – bringing forth it’s familiar palette of gin, Campari, and vermouth. The exploration then shifts through Italy, Mexico, and ends its journey in Dubai – where The KIRA Negroni was first introduced. This weekend, enjoy an exclusive passport to the luxurious dining spot’s intimate journey through the history of a classic cocktail.

K18 brings an immersive wellness experience at Club Swell

K18 has unveiled its latest biotech innovation, ‘Future IQ’ through a takeover at Club Swell. Taking place from September 24 to September 26, the collaboration combines movement, recovery and wellness while spotlighting the connection between scalp care and healthier-looking hair. The experience will include guided movement classes, designed to encourage release, recovery and overall wellbeing while highlighting scalp care as the future of a holistic haircare routine. Closing off with a gifting session of K18 essentials for continued at-home care – designed to support long-term hair health. Spend the weekend unwinding with an unhurried wellness session, accompanied by an innovative beauty treat for nourished and enduring hair.

Give Your Skin a Much-Needed Reset at Yugen Care

Get in touch with a much-needed self-care ritual this weekend, courtesy of Yugen Care. The luxury wellness clinic brings an array of meaningful treatments, so you can revive your glow after a bustling week. Protect your skin from the infamous Dubai heat with the clinic’s advanced booster treatment, designed to leave your skin hydrated, youthful and radiant. Created from a meaningful arrangement of intricate formulas designed to boost collagen, the treatment seamlessly blends DNA therapy, PDRN, Sculptra and more for deeply nourished skin. This weekend, achieve an effortless glass-skin finish without constantly switching up the products in your beauty wardrobe. The clinic is currently offering an array of offers throughout September, available from Saturdays to Thursdays.

Connect with Dubai’s vibrant art community at Fixation

As a new season begins, Dubai’s cultural landscape is more vibrant than ever, bustling with a rich canvas of creatives. Now, the ‘Fixation’ group exhibition brings together the highest echelon of the city’s creative voices, brought to life through Dubai Culture’s Creative Space Program. Commencing on September 25 from 4pm to 8pm, the exhibition explores the intimacy of feelings that linger through the eyes of multiple artists – each shaped by their own muse. Resulting in a poetic canvas of thoughts that unfold through people, places and memories. This weekend, unwind, make space for your artistic side and reconnect with the city’s evolving creative community.

Try Rituals’ First Mind Oasis in the UAE

rituals mind oasis dubai
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If an afternoon at Mall of the Emirates has left you feeling slightly overstimulated, Rituals may have just created the perfect antidote. The brand has opened its first Mind Oasis in the UAE, bringing its immersive wellbeing concept to Dubai for the first time. Designed as a space to switch off and properly reset, it combines sound, breathwork, brainwave entrainment and sensory therapies across two signature experiences. The 30-minute Brain Massage takes place in a Zero-Gravity chair, using immersive 4D sound, haptic vibration and guided breathing to encourage a deeply meditative state, while the 25-minute Hydro Massage sees you float fully clothed on a heated waterbed as hydro-jets, red light therapy, sound and scent help release physical tension. Think of it as a mini mental and physical reset before heading back into the mall.

Celebrate Negroni Week at Shanghai Me

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Celebrate Negroni Week at Shanghai Me with a selection of exclusive cocktails created in collaboration with Roku Gin by The House of Suntory. The luxurious dining spot is offering four distinctive interpretations of the classic Negroni, bringing together Japanese-inspired flavours and a carefully curated selection of seasonal ingredients. Running from September 21 to September 27, the collection includes the Sakura Negroni, Kyoto Sunset Yuzuroni and Shiro Kuro Negroni, each priced at Dhs65 and offering a unique expression of the season as part of Shanghai Me’s autumn iteration.

Indulge in a bit of Retail Therapy at Bloomingdale’s

Bloomingdale’s brings the scents of Istanbul to the streets of Dubai with a limited-time pop-up from Turkish perfume house Atelier Rebul. Running until October 26, the experience is designed to evoke more than a simple shopping moment, bringing to life the journey of discovering your signature scent. The pop-up centres around the house’s new Istanbul Golden Hour collection, inspired by the radiant light and ambience of the city at sunset. Guests can sample the perfume house’s exclusive scents, alongside customisation opportunities including personalised charms, engraving and exclusive customer gifting. This weekend, indulge in a little well-deserved retail therapy with an array of exclusive scents to add to your fragrance wardrobe.

Pair Your Beauty Fix With a Side of Burgers

The most unexpected collaborations are often the ones we never saw coming – and Shake Shack x NYX proves just that. The beloved burger joint has teamed up with the iconic beauty house to bring together two worlds you may not typically associate with one another: beauty and bites. The collaboration pairs Shake Shack’s signature burgers with a side of NYX’s iconic lip products, serving up a playful take on the classic beauty-and-food pairing – proving that retail therapy is best accompanied by a savoury treat. This weekend, hit reset with your favourite girlfriends and indulge in an exclusive treat from the unexpected collaboration.

Enjoy an Iced Matcha with Your Next signature Scent

Often, an ice-cold cup of matcha is the perfect way to unwind for the weekend – and now it comes with a well-deserved beauty treat. KNOT Bakehouse has collaborated with Miller Harris on a fragrance pop-up, giving you the chance to enjoy an unhurried café escape alongside an exclusive scent experience. Available until September 28, spend the weekend catching up with your favourite girlfriends over a cosy matcha while discovering a new fragrance from the perfume house. Order the café’s iced fig matcha with sea salt foam and receive a free sample, a 25% voucher and the chance to win an exclusive full-sized fragrance.

Celebrate the spirit of autumn at Yù & Mì

Overlooking the panoramic views of the Dubai skyline, Yù & Mì brings the autumn season to life. Located at Mandarin Oriental Downtown, the luxurious dining spot is hosting an exclusive one-week dining experience from September 22 to September 27. In celebration of the new season, Yù & Mì brings its Mid-Autumn Festival to life – a time associated with gathering, community and the meaningful art of sharing food. The refined dining spot embodies this philosophy with a curated set menu featuring a selection of refined appetisers, including Roasted Char Siu Beef and Wagyu Beef, before moving on to mains such as Tiger Prawns with Basil and White Pepper, Hokkaido Scallops in XO Sauce and more. The experience brings together the restaurant’s signature approach to contemporary Chinese cuisine, inspired by important celebrations in the Chinese calendar.