In the corner of the parlor, 21-year-old Yehia Saada was getting his first tattoo: his mom's name on his left shoulder.

WSJ: In Cairo,Drowning Fears in Beer and Tattoo Ink

Meanwhile the people of Saada, in the north, are suffering and suffocating.

ECONOMIST: Yemen's war

Rebels of the Houthi clan hold sway in much of the north, around Saada, while a secessionist movement has gained momentum in the south.

ECONOMIST: Strife in Yemen

The powerful tribal chief Hamid al-Ahmar, who heads the Sunni Islamist Islah (Reform) party, is also reportedly boycotting the dialogue personally in protest at the decision to give Zaidi Shia rebels in northern Yemen, known as Houthis, most seats representing the province of Saada.

BBC: Yemen national dialogue conference begins