Saturday, December 15, 2012

Hookah and Hookah Bars

By Hookah John


Originally popularized the in the U.S. in the 1960's and 70's, hookah smoking is becoming ever more popular since the turn of the century. To explain it simply a hookah bar is the same as cocktail bar, but in a hookah bar you'll find hookah in place of cocktails. Hookah bars are usually found in urban settings and usually near college campuses and universities too.

The History of Hookah and Hookah Bars

The origin of hookah can be traced back to 500 years in what was then referred to as Subcontinent. Hookah bars are mostly associated with the middle east as it was the origin of hookah and the area from where hookah gained a lot of popularity. Hookah bars in the middle east became the place for the elite to socialize and smoke hookah.

Characteristics of Hookah Bars

Bars that are designed to imitate the place of origin of hookah have generally Arab people running them. The furnishings are in line with the Middle Eastern culture of Indian culture. A few are simple, and may not provide extra items. Several, however, offer coffee, sodas, and snacks at a minimum. Typical community lounges normally do not have liquor licenses and so do not derive profit from alcohol. However, in larger towns, many trendier establishments serve alcohol, generally with a full bar available for cocktails, wine, and beer. It isn't unusual to see belly dancers, live bands, or DJs in the more trendy urban hookah bars because they look like a "night club" more closely than a neighborhood social establishment.

Hookah bars that are close to institutions tend to be more casual and attract a large number of students. Hookah is believed to be less dangerous than smoking cigarettes, cigars or other things and therefore hookahs are gaining a great deal of popularity. Hookah bars do well near colleges as college life is a time to try new things and enjoy the independence of life. The cities which are popular for having several secondary education institutions in the U.S. have noticed a terrific boost in the popularity of hookah bars.

The Mysterious Hookah

Now that you know what a hookah bar is, you may be asking yourself about the device that has been able to spread throughout the world and spark a smoking revolution. Hookah was invented by a Persian physician in the late 1500's. The Indians referred to the device as a "huqqa", a name which has remained with it through history, although it is referred to as a number of other names for example "nargile," "shisha," and "hubble-bubble" to name a few.

The first hookah was made from coconut shells and it was not like the hookahs that are manufactured in the modern day, but the purpose of that hookah was same of purifying smoke by passing it through water. Here are the key components of a hookah:

1. Bowl - to keep the tobacco.

2. Body - the smoke passes from the body and reaches the water basin.

3. Water Basin - contains the water, where smoke is passed through to be cooled and purified. When purified, the smoke is held in a chamber above the water until it is inhaled by the smoker.

4. Hose - the smoker inhales the smoke from the chamber above the water using a hose. A hose is generally longer than one meter.

The end result is a soothing and aromatic smoke.

A patron of a hookah bar in Turkey once said:

"Company matters more than what you put in a pipe while you're smoking. It's a whole experience. You can find, good, old, interesting and all sorts of people in a bar such as this. All what people need to come to a hookah bar is a heart to socialize, meet and spend some time in the company of good friends."




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