Hookah lounges grow more popular in Baltimore area
Every Friday and Saturday night, in Zeeba Lounge, there are belly dancers, Middle Eastern music, crowds both inside and in line outside, and clouds of fragrant smoke.
Zeeba Lounge is, despite the nightclub atmosphere, a one-room hookah bar, one of a handful in Maryland and a rapidly growing nationwide trend despite the hookah’s history of being reserved for maharajas and sultans.
A hookah is a water pipe with a chamber at the top which, usually, holds tobacco, or, because of the state’s Clean Indoor Air act, a tobacco-free substitute, called shisha. On top of this chamber is a sheet of tin foil, upon which is placed a coal to heat the shisha.
Shisha comes in a plethora of flavors, from double apple to a combination of mint and berry to something called “blue mist,” which is the most popular flavor at Arabian Nights, a hookah bar on Light Street in Federal Hill, a block away from Zeeba Lounge.
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Two hookah bars, El Basha and the iLounge, have opened this year in Baltimore, and two more have opened in Towson over the last few years.
The secret to the growing success of hookah is the timeless demographic for trendy nightlife – college students.
“They think it’s cool,” said Mohammed Jadoo, co-owner of Arabian Nights. “A lot of people these days are finding out about it, and they’ve started liking it.”
A reason for that line of thinking may be the foreign roots of hookah. It was invented in India and has been popular there and in the Islamic world, especially among aristocrats and royalty, for hundreds of years.
However, there are always risks associated with smoking, even if it’s tobacco-free
“Any time that you’re inhaling smoke into your lungs, there’s an inherent risk there,” said Michelle Bernth of the American Lung Association. “It’s not right to think that just because you’re smoking something natural, it’s OK. Any time that you’re inhaling smoke directly into the soft tissue of your lungs, you’re putting yourself at risk.”
Despite the risks, hookah is growing in popularity among college students. Faizan Ali, a patron of Zeeba Lounge and a student at Loyola College in Maryland, said he thinks he knows why.
“White kids are introduced to it by their cool Arab friends,” said Ali. “It’s more popular among Muslims because they can’t drink, but culturally, people are interested.”
Of course, there might be a simpler explanation still.
“A lot of college kids want to see belly dancing,” Ali added.
However, the probable reason for the allure of hookah bars to young people is that one must be 18, not 21, years old to be admitted.
“It’s not a bar, it’s not a place to drink, it’s a social life outside of their dorm room or apartment,” said Kris Golshan, owner of Zeeba Lounge. “There’s really no other place to go that provides ambiance that they don’t have to be 21 to be in.”
All of the hookah bars in the area are open late – 4 a.m. – which is, according to Jadoo, designed to give the feel of an after-party, since last call at bars in Baltimore is 2 a.m.
Despite their burgeoning popularity and clear-cut target demographics, hookah bars are not cash cows, the owners say.
“I’m not making a living off of it,” Golshan said. “If I didn’t have a day job, there’s no way I’d be able to survive off of the revenue from the hookah lounge.”
Golshan is also director of business development at a Web development company.
Expenses of running a hookah bar like Zeeba Lounge include buying the shisha and hookahs. Shisha can cost up to $80 per kilogram, and a hookah can cost upwards of $50. Attractions like belly dancers are to draw people to the lounge, and don’t bring in any money themselves, Golshan said.
Zeeba Lounge, which opened five years ago, is one of five hookah bars in Baltimore. Before it opened, there were none.
“I think it helps us to have those other hookah bars around,” said Golshan. “Each one of us have different flavors, different moods. When we’re in the trenches, they’re on our side, not our enemies.”
