House of Glow: The UV art studio
In a city where cafes, galleries and creative spaces are constantly evolving, a new initiative, the House of Glow, Elamkulam, brings a difference. At this immersive studio, art blooms under UV lights, colours glow in the dark. Every visitor is encouraged to shed inhibitions and play the artist.
Artist Rachna Tom, co-founder of House of Glow, the search for starting something novel and wacky in the city led to the idea of combining art, glow and play. Guided by experts, visitors are given UV glow fluorescent paint sets to unleash their creativity.
“No art background is needed to be part of this immersive experience,” says Rachna.
“Participants range from children to senior citizens.”
House of Glow offers sessions priced between `699 and `1,400, divided into daily paint play, neon stencil painting, and special themed nights. The studio is open every day from 6pm – with two sessions scheduled from 7pm to 8pm and 9pm to 10pm.
Stratosphere: All new gaming lounge
Stratosphere is the latest gaming lounge in the city. It rediscovers old-world play through thoughtful designs and a calm environment.
The space houses a range of games, including pool, snooker, foosball, air hockey, shuffleboard, retro arcade games, PS5, an immersive gaming station and a state-of-the-art car simulator. The shuffleboard table is among the first of its kind in Kerala.
“The retro arcade set up complete with joystick-controlled classics like Contra, Mario and Pac-Man, taps into nostalgia — offering ’90s kids and families a chance to relive their childhood, along with encouraging today’s youth to take the gaming experience beyond touchscreens,” says Jisha Geo, founder of Stratosphere, Kacheripady.
Muted colours, chosen visuals and the refined layout replace the usual flashing lights, making it welcoming for all. Stratosphere follows an hourly pricing model, ranging from `150 to `400 per hour.
Currently offering multiple coffee variants and drinks, Stratosphere will soon introduce light snacks as well. “Our vision is to create a space where families, college students, working professionals and gamers can have a jolly-good time and also make connections,” says Jisha.
LeSpot: The boardgame cafe
Leisure often means familiar categories — mobile scrolling, malls, restaurants, or pubs. LeSpot Boardgame Cafe smashes this ‘tradition’ with an unconventional hangout.
For Nadir Hussain, co-founder of LeSpot, Kathrikadavu, boardgames are beyond entertainment. “During the pandemic, there wasn’t much to do outdoors,” he recalls.
“Friends would come over to my place, we started playing games, and slowly I started buying more. As games multiplied, so did the people and the conversations.” Before the venture found its current address, games travelled. Session started and moved from Nadir’s home to different cafes across Kochi, then to his office spaces after work hours. Over a couple of years, a community formed, sustained entirely through word of mouth.
The steady growth demanded a larger space. Nadir, along with co-partners Aayushi Agarwal and Ram Shankar, moulded the space. At LeSpot, games are divided into four levels — easy, medium, hard and extreme, making the space inclusive of first-timers.
The cafe boasts over 200 board games, from good-old Monopoly and Ludo to complex strategy games. A ‘game master’ will guide the players, if needed. Another highlight is a library with over 1,000 comics, ranging from Marvel and DC to indie ones.
Food and beverages are kept simple, but delicious. Special arrangements will be made in case of events such as birthday parties.
Aligning the space closer to a mindfulness cafe, visitors can read, play games or simply observe. “Once people come here, they hardly touch their phone,” Nadir notes. “If they take them out, it’s mostly to click photos.”
Ivory Spoon: Experience veg fine dining
It’s good news for vegetarians in town. Ivory Spoon at Panampilly Nagar is a new fine-dining option added to your gastronomic map of the city.
Ivory Spoon aims to elevate both flavour and experience by introducing innovative veg dishes — going beyond the usual dosa, idli, roti, pulao fare — in an ambient setting.
Owner Abel Mathew says the idea stemmed from a simple observation — Kochi houses plenty of vegetarian restaurants, but not many that go beyond standard south Indian / north Indian dishes. “Why not parotta with paneer mango curry?”
Besides staples like appam, rotis and rice items, Ivory Spoon’s highlights are its signature dishes such as ‘Pumpkin Coconut Soup’, ‘Muringakol Cheriyulli Rasam’, ‘Koon Thengapal Soup’, ‘Kariveppila Paneer’, ‘Paneer Satay with Peanut Butter Sauce’, ‘Soya Varutharacha Curry’, Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Orli ‘Vegetable Mappas’, ‘Malliyila Mangachoru’, ‘Vazhapoo Cutlet’ and ‘Vazhapoo Elaneer Payasam’.
“We have just had a soft launch. We will be adding more items based on suggestions from diners,” says Abel.
The average cost per meal would start at about `299.
Girls for Girls: A community for women
Loneliness can be quite a struggle, especially in unfamiliar settings. For Navami Soman, founder of Girls for Girls, that realisation became the motivation to start a women-only community. Stressing the importance of female friendship and safety, she decided to create a space where women could connect freely, without inhibition.
“Girls for Girls is not a political or feminist initiative,” Navami clarifies. “It is a platform where women can freely share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns.”
The community functions through WhatsApp groups — a main one and themed ‘clubs’ under that. Themes include art and craft, fitness and wellness, advice and support, and safe-space conversations. The team lead for each group will organise at least one interactive event every month, each time at different locations.
The community started on Instagram around New Year. As it grew, a verification system was also introduced.
So far, the group has hosted five meetups, including creative workshops and game sessions. “Seeing women find comfort through this fellowship has shown me how simple happiness can be,” Navami smiles.To join: visit @girlsforgirls.kochi on Instagram
Core Club: City’s first Pilates studio
When wellness coach Shivani Daad moved to Kochi, she was surprised to see an absence of authentic pilates spaces in the city. This thought made her launch Kochi’s first boutique Pilates Studio — Core Club at Elamkulam.
A form of strength training, Pilates focuses more on improving muscle tone. This exercise focuses on core strength, flexibility, posture and body awareness. “Pilates is for everyone,” says Shivani.
“The studio caters to a wide range of clients, teenagers to seniors in their late 60s — including pregnant women, postpartum mothers, people recovering from injuries, beginners and fitness enthusiasts. Every client begins with an introductory session to familiarise them with the equipment and technique before moving into small group or private classes.”
At Core Club, group classes are limited to three people, while private sessions are reserved for rehabilitation, prenatal, postnatal care, or those requiring one-on-one attention. The studio has five trainers, including physiotherapists.
“There is no loud music, no phones, no distractions,” says Shivani. “Natural light, greenery, European-Japanese interiors, subtle sense and hygiene create comfort designed to relax and reset.”
Fees range from `850 per introductory package to `10,500 a month.
KochiPods: A capsule hotel
Kochi has always been a city of movement. The constant flow of people has inspired a new initiative to redefine the idea of short-stay accommodation. Kochipods at Pallimukku is a Japanese-style, affordable capsule hotel in the heart of the city.
The hotel offers a clean, comfortable pod system with varied stay options catering primarily to solo travellers, business professionals, families and transit passengers.
“Kochi is a unique city. It has ports, shipyards, container facilities, airports — everything that supports business. From ancient times to the contemporary context, there is a continuous inflow of people that inspired me to introduce this venture to the city,” says Dr Shahanas Salahudeen, managing director of Kochipods.
“Unlike traditional hotels that operate on a regular check-in check-out system, we focus on flexibility.”
Kochipods offer hour-based stays: 4-hour, 12-hour and 24-hour. Currently, the hotel has 60 pods, including double and mega ones, spread across three floors — segmenting each floor for men, women, couples and families. Prices start at `499 per pod (varies according to the type of pod and duration of stay).
Each pod measures 70 sq ft and offers facilities including laptop and phone charging points, adjustable AC, ambient lighting system, reading lights and an air ioniser.
Looking forward, Kochipods is set to expand its facilities. “A coffee shop with a co-working space will be opened in February,” says Shahanas, who is an endodontist.