While Jersey City has seen a plethora of dispensaries open since the state legalized recreational marijuana, the first consumption lounge in Hudson County will officially be launching this weekend in McGinley Square.
The Lounge at Xena is slated to launch on October 2 with a Grand Opening from noon until 11 p.m. The first day of business will feature Jadakiss as a celebrity guest “budtender” at the lounge, located in the basement of the existing Xena Dispensary at 759A Bergen Avenue.
Jersey Digs reported last summer on the dispensary’s opening, founded by owner Haytham Elgawly. He ran The Clearport out of the same storefront for about six years before pivoting to the dispensary.
Elgawly is a Jersey City lifer and graduated from William L. Dickinson High School in 2006. He went on to attend New Jersey City University and the Art Institute of NYC before working at big corporations like Hyatt, Bank of America, and Honda Motor Company.
Drawing inspiration from Xenia – the ancient Greek concept of hospitality – Xena’s mission is to provide customers with a welcoming and inclusive experience. The lounge itself, which seats about 50 guests, was designed to feel more like an upscale social venue than a traditional cannabis space.
“One of the biggest things we want people to understand is that this is about more than simply having a place to consume cannabis,” Elgawly tells Jersey Digs. “We want to create a new kind of social environment in Jersey City—somewhere people can meet, connect, watch events, listen to music, and enjoy cannabis together in a comfortable and responsible setting.”
The Lounge at Xena will feature multiple TVs, device rentals, games, music, and a full calendar of events, including puff and paint, kush and karaoke, comedy shows, and new experiences rolling out over the coming months.
While state law prohibits alcohol and food sales in consumption lounges, guests can order food from local restaurants to The Lounge at Xena and have it delivered to the space.
The Lounge at Xena will be just New Jersey’s fifth cannabis consumption lounge when it opens this Friday. The facility’s regular hours will run from noon until 11 p.m. daily, and you can follow the business on Instagram at @xena_nj for updates.
