In The United States
In the United States, establishments akin to hookah lounges first opened decades ago in the immigrant quarters of New York City and Los Angeles, California. Patrons were typically men of Middle Eastern descent.
Many hookah lounges in the United States have chic or modernistic elements such as glass tables, plasma televisions and oxygen bars. Most bars in the U.S. require patrons to be at least 18 years of age to smoke hookah and 18 years of age to purchase (exceptions are Utah and Arizona), however the laws in some other states require the patron to only be 18 years of age to purchase or possess tobacco, which in a hookah bar, the patron is doing none of these, therefore one is likely to find under age teenagers in many hookah bars in the United States.
One purveyor of hookahs and shisha claims:
"It's at its largest demand ever in this country...I don't think it's going away anytime soon. There's so much more room for the product to expand. Only a small percentage of Americans know about it."
Over the recent years hookah in general has become increasingly popular for the young-adults; those who are just at the legal age to smoke in their state. It is not uncommon now to find hookah bars within short distance of college campuses and in the surrounding towns. This younger generation has revitalized the hookah market, hookah bars are successful and remaining open despite indoor smoking bans. For private hookah smokers, many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean markets now offer hookah products for sale.
Read more about this topic: Hookah Lounge
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