On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) confirmed that all massage services currently being offered in hotels, furnished apartments, and other tourist accommodation across the kingdom, have been banned.

The only exception to that rule applies to those hotel establishments that have a four-star rating or higher, Arab News reported.

"The commission has issued a circular for the operators of tourist accommodation facilities to ban massage services in such facilities, with the exception of five-star or four-star hotels and their spas, according to specific requirements and clear criteria in the fields of safety and discipline," said SCTH spokesman Majed Alshadeed.

Omar bin Abdul Aziz Al-Mubarak, the director general of the licensing department at the SCTH said: 

"The decision is based on tourism regulations, which stress the importance of organizing tourist facilities and services to ensure fair competition."

Furthermore, he stated that any violations of the new rule regarding massage services can be reported through the country's Tourism Communication Center and will be subject to the penalties stipulated in Saudi Arabia's tourism regulations.

A Saudi professor was recently shocked to learn all his government benefits had been stopped for three months because traffic police issued tickets against him for "recklessly riding his bike", Twasul news site reported. 

Now identified as Hossam Al Melhem, the educator, who has been an avid biker for years, was preparing travel documents when he came across the tickets.

The man had previously shared several videos of himself riding a three-wheeled bike - known as "jariya" in Saudi Arabia - on social media. He also posted several clips encouraging people to view them as a serious alternative to using cars or buses for transportation.

Tickets issued against him included ones for violations like, "reckless driving", "drifting while riding a bike", "filming while driving", "using a mobile phone while driving", "riding a bike on a public highway" and "not wearing a helmet".

"Beware, don't drift or speed, challenge cars or pass by them on your bicycle, they'll stop your services and you'll end up getting diabetes and high blood pressure, God forbid."

"Punishing Dr. Hossam Al Melhim for riding his bike and 'drifting' is extreme. Instead of rewarding him for spreading the culture of cycling you stopped his benefits!"

"He's supposed to be honored, not punished. If he's allowed to promote this bike riding culture, it'll help our society both when it comes to mental and physical health." 

"The traffic authority has the right to punish him because he wasn't abiding by any safety rules."

Amid all the social media backlash, authorities announced that tickets and fines issued against the cyclist have now been retracted. 

In a tweet he posted over the weekend, Al Melhem said officials at Dammam's traffic authority laughed when they heard why tickets were issued against him. 

They also told him not to worry about them as they'll be retracted.