Hookah.. A Fad Or Not?

[Scheetz]

Fad, it will peak in about 3 years then level off and start to die out.

[The Devils Playground]

Fad or trend/ lifestyle

Thats a popular argument here in Vegas among smoke shop owners. I keep telling them everything starts as a Fad. Its up to us to make it grow and become a lifestyle. Shops that smoke hookah, carry lots of choices, and get people with no interest involved will help the lifestyle grow. Also you want to know who else really helps Hookah grow? Forums and Lounges. Forums tell people hey this is somehting thats normal and Lounges bring us a ton of newbies. You go to the lounge with a friend see the Tab after a nights smoking and day wow that was expensive but fun. A good shop owner will not puch the most expensive Mya he has but just a basic chinese hookah to a newbie. Let them Dry hit a few and explain why Hookah a hits better then Hookah b and next thing you know you not only have a happy customer walking out the door but also you have a customer that will trust you to watch his kids for the weekend. To many shops see it as go in for the Kill and thats what they do kill the biz. I say sell them a cheap car that they like but shop them the nice car let them test drive your car in the shop and sure enough as they grow so will their Hookah collection.

So as I say we were all newbies in the begenning. I started on a Pumpkin hookah (and almost died) with the coal right on the tobacco. Stop laughing it was horrible. lol If I wouldn`t have had someone show me ( a customer at the shop I was watching) I would have never went any further with it. But because a person came in and when she stopped laughing at us showed us what she knew we got it right and I can`t count the newbies we brought in that now all see it as a daily thing.

In short if we all do our part Hookah can grow bigger then Big tobacco and be alot healthier. Oh and it will not just be a fad.

[anathema]

Pink text? Is that a way to make people take you more seriously? I mean, seriously... And yes you do have a point, it's hard for people interested in obtaining and smoking their first owned hookah, since there's so many tweaks necessary to get a good smoke.

@Anpu
Domestic hookah smoking only costs ~$2 per bowl! When you think about Starbucks, screw them and their $4 cups and go smoke.

[Anpu2]

@Anpu
Domestic hookah smoking only costs ~$2 per bowl! When you think about Starbucks, screw them and their $4 cups and go smoke.

Oh I know - I've considered starting a lounge myself after contemplating the heuge profit margins.  I go for the atmosphere I can't get at home and the fact that I'm too lazy to pack a bowl/clean up usually and don't really have the time.  I have a nice 36" Egyptian sitting at home that gets used about once a month

[Hexa]

now that you guys mention starbucks.... I still cant get the whole similarity between the word starbucks and starbuzz out of my head. They are so much the same its funny. Ive always thought this.... is starbuzz starbucks secret shisha brand? Just wondering.
Anyways i can not say i was but was anyone into hookah before it was a fad. How did it feel?
I know whenever one of my hobbies became a fad I would get really aggresive. I would make sure everyone knew i was in it before it became a fad. If it was a sport I would make sure to become reallly good at it so it would be obvious that i was not just part of the fad

[mathuv]

I was introduced to hookah by a friend. it wasnt really a fad here because we had to go to a "secluded" bar so we went to relax. after a year i started to really get into it and now its more of a hobby to me.

[Johnny_D]

It's a 'fad' to the western world. But I don't think you can seriously consider calling a 1000+ year old cultural activity as a fad. It's not like A-Line Jeans with Flares.

The fad aspect is hookah's apparent adoption into the western lifestyle.

Those with any middle eastern/turkish/ottoman/indian background will probably keep it alive. Some of us
may even adopt it into our lives [Like most of us western folks on this forum] and It's unlikely to die anytime soon.

But as a main-stream activity? No, I highly doubt it. In a world that is trying to fast move away from tobacco and smoking seen as something to be damnable and odious I can't see it's long-term popularity being a constant thing. [1]

Most likely hookah smoking will be passed from student to student, but most will be done with it by the time they hit 30.

Just my thoughts.

JD

[1] Even I screw my face up at cigarettes now. Can't stand them.

[everydayshisha]

For me it started as a fad. now its a hobby.I enjoy every single part of it. From cleaning my rigs, ordering shisha, even cutting the foil, to smoking it and relaxing. Am not saying i 'll keep smoking 2 bowls a day like i do now but i'll always come back to it. I've always enjoyed fine smoke and i dont think it will ever die.

[mathuv]

For me it started as a fad. now its a hobby.I enjoy every single part of it. From cleaning my rigs, ordering shisha, even cutting the foil, to smoking it and relaxing. Am not saying i 'll keep smoking 2 bowls a day like i do now but i'll always come back to it. I've always enjoyed fine smoke and i dont think it will ever die.

+1 to that

[RayVer]

I think comparing the amount of people at a lounge over time would not be the proper way to determine if this is a fad or not.

For example I myself and many of my friends used to go to hookahbars all the time...sometimes 2-3 times a week. This was more than a year ago...we all then got hookahs and now we smoke in our homes and just invite people over. I've noticed this trend happening more and more. People go to hookah bars and enjoy it...realize its not that expensive and get their own...and barely ever visit these bars/lounges again. Edited December 30, 2007 by RayVer

[Bulldog_916]

I think comparing the amount of people at a lounge over time would not be the proper way to determine if this is a fad or not.

For example I myself and many of my friends used to go to hookahbars all the time...sometimes 2-3 times a week. This was more than a year ago...we all then got hookahs and now we smoke in our homes and just invite people over. I've noticed this trend happening more and more. People go to hookah bars and enjoy it...realize its not that expensive and get their own...and barely ever visit these bars/lounges again.

At almost 12 bucks a bowl when you do the math, in 4-6 trips to the hookah bar, you can have a half decent hookah plus coals and some shisha. It almost doesnt make sense to go to the bar, except for the atmosphere and people watching. I dunno if atmosphere is worth the 12 bucks a session though, I could make my own atmosphere and avoid the rowdy people that cant chill out.

[boulderkid303]

Here in Boulder its 7$. For endless coals and only 4$ for a new bowl its not bad. Also I believe hookah is slightly a fad, many people just do it cause its the cool thing to do at the time, then again we got people like us who really enjoy the setting up part, and relaxation of it.

[boulderkid303]

Pink text? Is that a way to make people take you more seriously? I mean, seriously... And yes you do have a point, it's hard for people interested in obtaining and smoking their first owned hookah, since there's so many tweaks necessary to get a good smoke.

@Anpu
Domestic hookah smoking only costs ~$2 per bowl! When you think about Starbucks, screw them and their $4 cups and go smoke.

Pink text isn't a bad move if you think about it....got ur attention did it not? Last time I checked D-playground was a vendor, not a bad business move if ya ask me!

[KingMaddog]

+1

I'd call it a hobby. It's sticking with me forever

This has been brought up before a few times and it seems that most people consider it a fad. Id call it a hobby.

I agree with ray myself. It's a hobby and I'll just keep getting deeper into it.

First post w00t

[amnite]

You have to understand that shisha has been around for 100's of years, the Introduction of Flavoured shisha has been around for no more than 20 years. It began in the middle east from brands like Nakhla, and continued to grow in popularity across the middle east, it then moved on to asia. Then when middle eastern people move over to the western countrys or when western people go over for holidays in countrys such as Egypt (were naklha is, shisha is extremely popular) they came back to the western world with the thoughts of shisha in there head spreading it over to there friends. Middle eastern people began to open up cafes across the western countrys.

Because shisha flavours smells so good and that the smoke actually tastes nice and nothing like cigarettes, I'd shisha is on the rise. The only way it will go down is by bans on shisha cafes and health organisations educating/warning younger ones at schools about the dangers. But even then shisha tobacco is like a drug that produces a lot of lovely smoke, smells good from package, some people like the smell of shisha burning and shisha tastes fruity depending on the flavour. It can also give a nice calming buzz from the nicotine to some people.

The different flavours also enhances shisha, people can addapt to any flavour that they like and that can become there main flavour. Just like fizzy drinks, people usually stick with one when buying from a fast food resturant (Cola, Fanta..).

When my friends come around we all smoke together a bowl or two sometimes. But its not all the time, sometimes we get bored of the same flavours or can't be bothered to set it up because you have to go through all that cleaning process. Ever since the ban in the UK everyone has got there own shishas. I never realised before but shisha still remains popular with the asian/middle eastern youth, I thought it would of died out after the ban. Edited January 2, 2008 by amnite

[shisha fan]

it has never been a fad for me, and i`ll keep on smoking hookah for a very long time.

[monkey530]

I want to say it is a fad for me. I am trying it out to see if I like this more than cigars. If I don't like this I am going to sell my Mya when I get it and get me a humidor. I know that the way you smoke shisha and cigars is different. I am looking for an alternative to cigars during college since I don't have that much money. Figured that hookah would be the answer eh.