What is Hookah?
A hookah (also known as a waterpipe, narghile, arghila, qalyān, shisha) is a single or multi-stemmed instrument for vaporizing and smoking flavored tobacco called shisha in which the vapor or smoke is passed through a water basin—often glass-based—before inhalation. It is usually fruit-flavored tobacco, heated with hot coals and combined with water to form a vapor that can be smoked. In the Middle East and Arab world, people smoke waterpipe as part of their culture and traditions.
What are the laws about hookah?
The hookah bars, cafes or restaurants can apply for exemption from the law only as a “tobacco specialty store” in which they have to get rid of their food license. In Michigan, roughly 200 businesses have “tobacco specialty retail store” exemptions to the smoking ban law. The tobacco specialty store means an establishment in which the primary purpose is the retail sale of tobacco products and smoking paraphernalia; it does not include any establishment with any type of liquor, food or restaurant license. Also, it prohibits entry to a person under the age of 18 during business hours.
Around town
Hookah cafes, lounges and bars have been growing in popularity. Because of its sizable Arab-American population, Dearborn has become a center for hookah cafés, which are an alternative to bars for hanging out in a city where many observant Muslims don’t drink alcohol. Popular in the Arab world, they are now a big part of Dearborn’s cultural landscape. The Dearborn City Council voted unanimously earlier this year to limit the number of smoking lounges to 15. This year, Canton Township passed a new law restricting the number of hookah lounges to five and requiring them to close at 1 a.m. In 2013, Troy mandated a midnight closing time amid complaints of crime around the cafés. Auburn Hills and Shelby Township have also recently passed restrictions on hookah cafés. Hookah lounges are a growing trend in college towns such as Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.
Is hookah smoking addictive?
Yes. Most of the shisha being smoked in hookah cafes, bars and lounges contain nicotine, which is highly addictive.
What are the dangers of smoking hookah?
The mode of smoking causes hookah smokers to absorb higher concentrations of toxins found in cigarettes because they puff more, inhale deeper and smoke for longer periods of time. The charcoal used to heat tobacco further increases health risks because charcoal produces high levels of carbon monoxide, metals and cancer-causing chemicals. Hookah smoking can cause the same diseases as smoking cigarettes – including lung, oral and esophageal cancers, heart disease, stroke and emphysema. Additionally, it’s a social and cultural activity; water pipes are passed it from one person to the other and bacteria and viruses can be passed around with the hose used for inhaling. Some common diseases include herpes, hepatitis and tuberculosis. It is estimated that in an hour-long smoking session of hookah, users consume about 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke of a cigarette.
What about nontobacco hookah products?
Some sweetened and flavored nontobacco products are sold for use in a hookah. Labels and ads for these products often claim that users can enjoy the same taste without the harmful effects or addiction risk of tobacco. Studies of tobacco-based shisha and “herbal” shisha show that smoke from both preparations contain carbon monoxide and other toxic agents known to increase the risks for smoking-related cancers, heart disease, and lung disease.
More information about the health effects of hookah smoking:
Does laser therapy help hookah smokers who want to quit?
Yes. Laser therapy to quit smoking alleviates the discomfort of withdrawing from nicotine in ANY form. Individuals dependent on smokeless tobacco products, e-cigarettes and Nicotine Replacement Therapies (patches, gum, inhalers, lozenges) are also appropriates candidates for Laser Therapy.
Where are the hookah lounges?
This is a sampling of the popular destinations for smoking hookah based on Google searches/rankings for Michigan/Metro-Detroit; locations have not been verified.
Fuego Hookah, Auburn Hills
La Java Café, Dearborn
Midnight Café, Dearborn
The Vanilla Lounge, Dearborn
Blu Café, Dearborn
La Hookah Town, Detroit
iHookah Lounge, Farmington Hills
Sparkx Hookah Lounge, Farmington Hills
O Hookah Lounge, Farmington Hills
On-Fire Hookah, Flint
Blaze Hookah, Kalamazoo
Lite Hookah Lounge, Novi
Puff Hookah Lounge, Orchard Lake Village
Hookah Joe, Royal Oak
Lava Hookah Lounge, Shelby Township
Strange Clouds Hookah Lounge, Shelby Township
Burn Hookah Bar, Southfield
Taboosh Hookah Lounge, Troy
Lux Lounge, West Bloomfield Township
Blu Hookah Lounge, West Bloomfield
Xs Hookah Lounge, West Bloomfield
La Perle Hookah, Wyandotte
And a sampling of some of the shisha flavors available at one of the establishments……..
PREMIUM
APPLE DOPIO
BLUE MIST
BLUE SURFER
CITRUS MINT
CITRUS MIST
COCO JUMBO
CODE 69
FUZZY NAVAL
GOLDEN GRAPE
IRISH PEACH
LEMON MINT
MANGO
MELON BLUE
MINT COLUSSES
PEACH QUEEN
PINA COLADA PINK
PINK LADY
PUMKIN PIE
PURPLE SAVIOR
QUEEEN OF SEX
SAFARI MELON DEW
SEX ON THE BEACH
SIMPLY MANGO
SIMPLY MINT
TANGERINE DREAM
TROPICOOL
PIRATES COVE
PINEAPPLE