Hookah Lounges.. Have you been to one?
 

This evening I was out chilling with some friends, and after getting kicked out of a local diner we opted to check out this place called The Pillar Lounge. It was a hookah bar, and we were all really impressed with it, and also surprised that something so cool was in our town.

Basically, people go there to chill and for $5 and up you can "rent" a hookah pipe and some tobbacco and then just smoke it and enjoy yourself.

Has anyone been to a hookah lounge, and if yes, what are your experiences with them?

Also, regarding the tobbacco itself, I'm curious about how it compares to cigarettes. Is it "as bad," or not as bad as smoking cigarettes? To me, the hookah hits seemed much lessened (in a good way) than a cigarette would, and I was wondering how hookah hits compare to cigarettes in terms of health?

I don' smoke cigarettes and I have no intention of starting, but I did do some hookah (tobbacco), and was wondering how it compares to cigarettes in general. What similarities do they have with cigarettes, what differences? Ultimately, what is better from a health standpoint?

Aside from answering my questions, please reply with your experiences, as I really enjoyed the place. Everyone there was very chill, the environment was quite friendly, and the whole time spent there was enjoyable. So please include your experiences if you do in fact have some to share.

Thanks!

I haven't been to a tobaccy hookah lounge.

But my cousin's got a hookah, and we "lounged" with some wacky.

I've never heard of this before but am interested in hearing more.

The whole thing was kind of surreal for me, especially considering that the "things" to do in this town are limited primarily to: the diner, the movies, mall, and/or a kid's house to chill.

The place is basically an open room with furniture. It's kind of ratty (think college apartment), but it's also cozy in a way. The furniture is set about so that it's spaced, granting the different groups of people that go privacy, but everyone there is so chill/cool, it's really not a big issue.

There is a counter (used to be a bank), that you go up to and order a flavor and size.. Generally it's about $5+ (we only got smalls, they were $5). In about ten minutes the guy brings out the hookah pipe filled with your flavored tobbacco. Then you just start inhaling and passing the pipe along, relaxing, and talking. A small lasts quite a few puffs, and we passed it around a bit before it was empty.

I don't smoke, but I have smoked a cigarette once a long time ago (I was a kid and my dad wanted to sway me from it by having me try, it worked), and smoking a hookah pipe is nothing like a cigarette at all. It doesn't feel harsh, but instead is much like breathing. In this sense, I become very curious about how bad it is for you, and how it compares to cigarette smoking from a health standpoint..

The place we went to is open 6:00 - 1:00 every night, and the guy that worked there said weekends were the busiest, as the kids are off from school, etc.

It's a very enjoyable place, even if you don't smoke, because everyone is so chill and laid back. We were playing some Super Mario and then watched Happy Gilmore. I still can't get over the fact that my boring and uneventful town has a hookah bar, but it's certainly great to have the option of going there when there is nothing else to do.

Lastly, below is a picture of a hookah pipe, so that those of you that aren't familiar are able to get an idea what I'm referring to.

http://store1.yimg.com/I/cartouches_1809_6167175

Basically, you pass the "nozzle" around and inhale. The pipes at this place also had the ability to hook up 2 nozzles to one pipe. I've never smoked weed, but I assume the idea is pretty much the same as a bong, and I wouldn't be surprised if weed was used in these things as well. In fact, sadistikdreams seems to indicate that that is indeed an option.

Personally smoking on a "rented" pipe that everyone and their brother has has their mouth on sounds less then appealing to me.

Um, things are disinfected and cleaned.
Anyway, never been to one because they are way more expensive in NYC,
but I have smoked Hookah at my friend's house.
A good flavor to try is apple. And as for the risks, it is less damaging than cigarette tobacco, a lot less stuff added to it.
I really like it, I wanna buy a Hookah. Its the best thing to chill out with your friends, have a nice talk, watch a funny movie. Its a great experience

The tobaccy is just as bad as regular tobaccy. It starts out as bad, and the water doesn't filter anything out of it. Same goes for weed water bongs (if anyone wanted to know). It's similar to smoking a pipe but inhaling, or rolling your own cigarettes. Premade smokes do have more chemicals added though, and hence are a little worse.

One of my roommates used to live in Madison, WI and he said they were big up there. There are some around in Chicago where we live now, and he's been. Tried to get me to go once but I hate cigerattes and didn't want to try it. After he and the others got back I regretted not giving it a shot, because it sounded pretty cool. Oh well.

Tabacco in all forms is bad for you, but hookah might be a little less bad for you. Either way, it's still bad for you.

I've been to a hookah bar here in the DC Metro area. In Alexandria there's a whole string of hookah bars and other southern asian stores. I personally liked it. The last time I went we got a strawberry hookah and an apple hookah. I smoke cigarettes as well, and can tell you the hookah smoke is much lighter, and easier to take in. It's pretty pleasant. I'd recommend going to anyone.

Hookah lounges are very popular in the middle east, where they smoke flavored tobacco. I've never been to one before, buy my cousin's dad, who is from Saudia Arabia, brought him a hookah and some flavored tobacco that they use in the hookah lounges over there. It was pretty cool. A couple of the flavors he had were red apple and cherry blossom. The red abble smelled and tasted like a red apple! It was crazy. Not like ciggarette smoke at all. The cherry one was very nice too. I did not get a niccotine (sp?) high off of it, but the experience itself was enjoyable. And afterwards we put some sticky icky in it. Good times. :-)

There aren't many studies, because it has only recently become popular.

The little I've read has only referred to studies that show that particular toxins pass through water filters unhindered.

On the other hand, hooka smoking isn't done as often as cigarette smoking.

Think of it as being exposed to toxic chemicals less often, not as being exposed to less toxic chemicals.

Nicotene does get through the filter, for example. Nicotene is one of the most addictive substances known to man. You can become chemically dependant on nicotene by using a hooka.

The extra material (3/4 of a hooka mix tends to be non-tobacco) is also burned. In general, inhaling the fumes of something that is burning isn't very good for you.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...ticlekey=32605
http://web.archive.org/web/200312061...s/s1003859.htm

OK, OK, but you only smoke the hookah once in a while.
Its not like cigarettes, where people light one every time they can.

Very good friend of mine just tole me last weekend that he and another friend are going to be opening one in Santa Cruz fairly soon. The Lounge itself has an extremely low overhead cost and you can earn a bundle in the business. I just might start looking into opening one myself. I have never tried the tobacco but might give it a go.

How addicting is nictotine?

If I hit the hookah one night, am I going to go into withdrawel now and need a "fix"?

I really have no intention of becoming a hookah head, but it was definitely an experience I enjoyed and don't regret.

Drugs and alcohol aren't my thing, but I would not be adverse to hittin the hookah on rare occasions.. I don't want to get addicted though, and I'm not really a fan of inhaling damaging substances into my lungs..

Thanks for the articles, they provide some great information.

Also, a question relating to the article:

This lowering of the lung capacity.. Does it happen instantly, or over time?

Nicotine is extremely addictive. Extremely. Possibly herion is more addictive, but I'm not aware of any other drug that gets close.

A classic example was Freud -- who gave up cocane when it became socially unacceptable, but was unable to give up smoking under doctor's orders (heart problems). He died a smoker after 30+ jaw-cancer operations.

If you want to enjoy drugs, pick less addictive ones.

I don't know, but I'd guess that is from habitual Hooka use.

I could imagine a study where they asked "do you smoke using a hooka" "do you smoke cigarettes" and then doing lung capacity tests.

Then again, they could have tested people's lung capacity, then had them smoke a hooka, then test their lung capacity, and seen what the change was.

I don't know. =)

I don't believe that it would be "after smoking the hooka once, your lung capacity drops by 30% forever! Bwahahahaha!"

Nicotine, in its pure form is actually quite poisonous...

Interesting, I wasn't aware it was so addictive. I hope I am not addicted after one sitting...

Hopefully not! :)

This place is a really fun place to go and hang out, and I enjoyed myself a lot there, but I don't really want to jeopardize my health, as I do take steps to eat healthily, stay active, and just generally be healthy when I can, and smoking in any form goes against everything I'm working towards.

It's just unfortunate (to me) that the place is so cool and enjoyable, but when it comes down to, it's a place to go and hit the water pipe.

It seems acceptable to go there and just hang out, and many of my friends do smoke, so I assume I could just chill there with them, because it really is a great place to hang out, and everyone there is very chill and friendly, but I really am adverse to picking up smoking in any form.

Last night was great fun, and I enjoyed myself a lot, but today I am thinking about how much damage I've done to my body as a result and how many "steps back" I've taken, given that I generally consider myself to be a healthy guy.

I have smoked a hookah(no tobacco involved, haha) but I've never even seen a hookah lounge before.

Don't go if you have asthma. Seriously. I almost died.

Smoking a little bit once is not going to get you addicted. If you went again the next night, and the next...then possibly. The thing that is addictive initially about smoking is the social aspect of it--smoking with friends repeatedly is what gets you hooked in the first place...the subsequent addiction to nicotine comes later (as you need exposure to it). So as long as you only smoke once in a great while (once every couple of months) you won't begin to crave the nicotine.

The key is moderation. Do everything in moderation and life is good. :)

I've been to a hookah lounge once. I do not smoke, and did not smoke there (entrance was free). It was in West Lafeyette, Indiana while I visited a friend at Purdue, and it seems like it must have been a pretty nice one compared to most. Imagine if a small restaurant were converted into a hookah lounge and that's sort of what this place was like. We even got menus to choose from their extensive list of flavored tobacco. Furthermore, they had regular hookahs and watermelon hookahs (if you don't know, it uses a watermelon as the main "bowl" (or whatever it's called - I don't smoke remember)). There was loud fun techno-type music playing in the background, but it was still possible for us to talk. Lots of cute girls too. ;)

Thanks for the info. Last night we puffed a lot, but there were six of us and we had about 2.5 small hookahs between us. I'm thinking I may go there with friends, but not hit the hookah every time (if at all), because it's really not what I'm there for. The experience without the smoking would be ideal for me, but I'm pretty certain it's fine to go there and just chill, as I saw quite a few people smoking cigs or not smoking at all last night.. It's one of those experiences that I'm glad I was a part of, but in the future, I'll look forward to going back, but doing (or not doing) a few things differently.

That's a good quote, and I agree. Moderation is definitely key.

i personally love hookah bars, and the hookah itself in general. i hadnt been there in a LONG time or smoked one until last night.

we've got 3 here in the area that i know of. two are middle eastern, serving middle eastern food along with hookah. the other one that i usually go to, and love, is a "new age" place with velvet couches and such and some cool indie music. they charge a $2 cover and then its $8 per bowl. last night 6 of us smoked and we only went through one.

i wouldnt say that this stuff is addicting in the least. there was a time when i would go over to a friends house and smoke every night, but that lasted for a week or two and then i just got tired of it. i dont know if you can get tired of smoking something that's supposed to be addicting. we smoked it because it was something social to do while we kicked back and watched a movie or tv. after that week or two, i didnt smoke for months, and had no real overwhelming desire to.

i've got a friend who smokes cigarrettes, and he really doesnt like smoking a hookah at all. he says that the nicotine and harshness thats in cigarettes isnt in the hookah, so therefore isnt worth smoking. go figure.

i must say that i HATE the smell, taste, and pretty much anything associated with cigarettes. but the hookah is different. the smoke is thinner and doesnt linger in the air. its not harsh and because its flavored, it actually tastes good.

i did think that it was better for you than cigarrettes though

thats my two cents.

thought everyone might get a little kick out of this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...evil83/552.jpg

Hurray for stoned spiders :lol:

I've smoked hookah twice.. it wasn't an unpleasant experience. I also heard of a few cafe where you can rent a pipe.. but hookah lounges? As in, there's nothing else to do than sit around and smoke 'em? I think I'd get bored pretty quick, even if I bring in a lot of friends.. maybe there's something I'm missing, though.

As a side note, about every home-owned hookah pipes I've seen have, well... multiple uses ;) so smoking hookah in them always have a pot "aftertaste". Assuming it's not the case for rented pipes, maybe the smell would be rather different than what I've tried.. I ought to try it.

Smoking anything is never good for you.

However, one of my friends said that he's smoked a hookah (though not at a lounge) and it was fun with friends. It's more of a social thing.

I find it funny how violently against smoking anything some people are. we're all going to die sooner or later, and i personally think a cherry-vanilla hookah with a little bit of mint is DELICIOUS (a couple times a year).

there's some cheap hookah's here in NYC... one in particular in the Lower East Side comes to mind that's not expensive.

I used to go to a hookah tapas bar on 1st Ave in the Upper East Side... but since I don't frequent that part of town I haven't hookah'd in a long time.

apple is wonderful :)

maryjane is an exportant......and actually helps my asthma quite a bit.......it opens the lungs and breaks down the mucous......makin' it able to breathe better.

...oops......sorry,the hookah with tobacco in it doesn't appeal to me.

cigarrettes suck.........*said the dickhead smoker*

I've been to hookah lounges, though none of them were in the USA, they are great places to just relax at. I have several hookahs myself, though none are used for tobacco :).

I've visited a hookah lounge over here in France without realizing the stuff in the pipes was tobacco/nicotine based. After reading this article I definitely won't be going back. Actually, this was 2 months ago and I haven't been back since even without reading this.

I have to say that the atmosphere was pretty nice and it is very relaxing. That being said, the hookah itself wasn't all that great too me. Smoking weed is atleast 10 times better if you're into that. If you're not really into smoking anything, I would stay away from the hookah too. Why develop a bad habit? Anyway, I didn't lose any lung capacity nor did I become addicted after 1 visit to answer your questions. I play basketball over here and practiced the next day so I definitely would have noticed a reduction in my ability to breath. Hope this helps.

1. I was in a legal Hookah Lounge, i.e. no mj. The smoke from tabacco induced my asthma.
2. "Exportant" isn't a word. You are referring to Taskin studies back in the 1970s. Those studies were found (by later investigation) to be tainted. No studies have conclusively proven a connection between Marijuana and bronchodilation. Sorry.

I use to go to Hookah lounges all the time, but have cut down recently. Although the most enjoyable time I ever had with a hookah was in Iran...sitting on a bed outside on top of a mountain with a river below me and a hookah and tea besides me, man that was fun.

I've heard of several people who tell me MJ helps with their asthma, especially if put in food or a vaporizer.

yup.....i believe it did.......smoke in any form is not got for anyone.


i was goin' on personal experience....what works for one,may not work for another.