lazy dayz hookah bar

[SanguineSolitude]

Ive recently started occasionally going to lazy days hookah bar in
newport news virginia. this bar is one of the nicer ones ive been to in
some ways, and in some ways could use alot of improvement. lets start
with the good (and theres alot).

I enjoy the seating conditions, with nice comfy couches around low
coffee tables, and some small tables and folding chairs for when its
crowded(which it usually is). very comfortable atmosphere though they
need a ventilation system because it gets rather hazy in there.
The real high point is that they offer a whopping FIVE brands of
shisha! Al amir ($8) HookahHookah($8) Havana ($9) Starbuzz ($12) and
Tangiers ($15). and an unlimited number of people can use each hookah
(within reason i assume) each person only needs to buy a drink.
Unlike many bars ive been to, this place has excellent hookahs! they
use mainly mya hookahs and socialsmoke(i think) rotators. all very good
quality. bowlwise they use standard egyptians with aluminum foil. they
also have quite a collection of other hookahs around the bar area
though ive never seen them being used.
the lighting is nice and subdued with a couple of tv's which usually
have on a trippy(and mildly distracting) visualizer sort of like the
one on itunes. im not sure whether i like this or not, since im never
on illegal substances when i go there perhaps the full effect is lost
on me. also at one of the stations theres a lamp that is incredibly
temperamental and will often turn on when you set your drink down on
the table, and wont turn off unless you hit it a couple times. kinda
fun and quirky.
Ive had good experiences for the most part smoking there. me and a
friend usually go and will end up working throuhg 3 bowls. so far ive
had tangiers kashmir peach (oh wow!) starbuzz vanilla (very nice)
starbuzz blackberry (yuck) havana apricot (a long time favorite)
hookahhookah acai berry (very nice) and some more i cant think of right
now. ive only had one bad expereince (the blackberry) and i think it
was just a bad batch of tobacco because it absolutely wouldnt smoke
right, and i can get anything to smoke well.
coals wise they use 3kings 40mm. its acceptable, and they occasionally wander around with coals.
Oh they also have a selection of chess/checker/backgammon boards that are free to use.
refreshement selection is canned sodas, energy drinks, arizona green
tea, and water i think. they sell candy bars and some prepackaged
cookies.

now for the bad.
the clientelle, i know this isnt a fair critique since they dont
control it, but half their clientelle look and act like giant bags of
douche. lots of highschool looking kids in there as well, ive never
been ided and ive never seen anyone else get id'd either. I think they
should start.
Music is absolutely terrible, its a blend of poppy top 20ish rock and
hip hop, with a unneccessarily large percentage of old blink 182 thrown
in. now i was a big fan of blink 182
back when i was 13, but come on guys throw in some chill stuff for
once. I reccomend some dj shadow type stuff. maybe some other ambient
or world music. something that sits nicely in the background. The music
is also too loud, interefering a bit with conversation.
coals could be better, 3kings are acceptable at best, and the frequency
of new coal delivery should be increased, i often need to call for more
coals using my nifty sign language (pointing at the top of the bowl
while mouthing 'more coal'" but  three kings work ok. tough with
tangiers though since a 40mm 3kings is about twice what you need, but
thats ok i just break them apart and use them.
the ventilation would really help alot i think. as it is there are some
fans blowing, but they dont seem to clear the smoke, just prevent me
from blowing good smoke rings
a few more couches could be added and some other minor things, but none are really even worth mentioning.
OH YEAH i have a question. tangiers costs about 12 bucks for 250 grams.
starbuzz costs 20 bucks for 250g. why is a bowl of tangiers 15 bucks
when starbuzz is 12????? i dont get it

as you might have guessed, the positives outweigh the negatives which
is why i keep going back. I hope that everyone in the chesapeake bay
area will check this place out and tell me what you think. the guys are
really nice there (especially cooper) and are fairly helpful, even
though one of them didnt know what i was talking about when i requested
my kashmir peach in a mya. nice vibe about the place and great shisha
selection. price is maybe above average, and the crowd is a bit
unpleasant though not terribly so. all in all a great place!

[SanguineSolitude]

damn thats longer than i thought

[NEO_WRX]

I like your review and i agree about the majority of your posts. I can't speak for Lazy Dayz directly but they haven't even been open a year yet. It's a continuous work in progress. They have already made arrangements to procure the other property right next door and use that to extend the space of the lounge. They also just "upgraded" two of their couches that had definately seen better days. I was there last night, and i laughed when you said "blink 182" because well...there was alot of that going on.
A few of the other things that i enjoyed is the fact that at the earliest(on sundays) they close at 1AM. Usually during any other day they will be open well into 3 or 4AM. Granted, i don't stay out late all the time but it is a nice place to go to when there's nothing else open. They also are in the process of/have completed a wi-fi internet connection so now people are more than welcome to bring in their lap-top computers although i can't imagine bringing it to actually get any work done with the amount of noise(some from the music and some from the clientelle).
Now moving into the negatives. There are 4 owners of the establishment and a handful of employee's. It really seems like the atmosphere is going to be dictated by whomever is running the lounge that night. That is to say that some are more relaxed about ID checking, while others are more adament. There are also an individual there who pack some lazy bowls. I saw one of the owners just grab a chunk of shisha, literally throw it into the bowl so it was drastically over-flowing, slap the foil down onto it and bring to the table. Literally after 3 or 4 minutes we pulled the foil and half the shisha was burned onto it. When i'm spending 15$ on 1 bowl i expect it to atlest be made with a little bit of effort. In the defense of Lazy Dayz this situation was rectified by another employee who graciously gave us another bowl at no extra cost. Another personal experience that actually made me kind of irritated was a problem with their credit card machine. I usually don't carry cash so i rely on the plastic. I knew that LD had a credit card machine so it wasn't an issue. Well, after a long smoking session i go up there to pay and i'm greeted with a "oh ya, our credit card machine isn't working". I definately felt awkward because there was no sign on the door and the server failed to mention that to us before we actually started making purchases. So i left my friends standing at the register while i had to go find an ATM and get some cash out. It might not seem like a big deal but it's still always better to notify people before they make a purchase and not after. As for the expense of the Tangiers i suppose no one can really say except for Lazy Dayz. I would speculate though(and thats all this is) is that it's one of their most popular brands of tobacco. The Tangiers are served in different Hookah's and i always see the room flooded with them. With that in mind, it would make sense that they would charge the most for what sells the most.
So all in all i think it's starting out to be a great place, and despite the few negatives i'm still a frequent customer. I think just a little bit more of a "professional" atmosphere(be more attentive to the customers coals and needs and check id's) would do great things for the establishment. Yet overall i think they are on the right track and i will still enjoy going there 3 to 4 times a week. 

[Lazy Dayz]

Thank you all for your comments.  It means a lot to me.  By the way I've been on this forum for a while, I just have had an old screen name, and have never had any time to post (and I'm on vacation this week, so I probably won't have much time when I go back today either).  Neo got it right when he said there are 4 owners that mostly dictate the atmosphere, depending on who's there.  I know I hate the mix with blink 182 on it, so you're not the only one   We're making improvements all the time, we just got new furniture, rugs, and are gonna do something with our crappy tables   As we're getting more money, I'm able to spend more time hiring and training new employees, getting us owners out of the lounge.  I can promise you we will have the best trained and most knowledgable staff of any hookah lounge.  Man, talk about rambling on...If you got music you want to hear in there bring in a cd and leave it over night, I'll get it on the playlist, as long as it isn't uber sucky.  Perhaps now I can speak on why Tangiers is more expensive...There are many reasons.  First it is a kick ass tobacco, it deserves the premium status it is given.  We also sell like a "tangiers experience" for lack of something better to call it.  We use our best hookahs and hoses, so you get what you pay for.  The tobacco also lasts the longest, people can come in and smoke it easily for 4 hours, so that hurts us if it were only $8 (that table no longer makes us money after an hourish).  There is also a lot more labor involved with tangiers.  It comes in plastic paper, which we have to process into other containers, but only after I sit them out for several hours.  Packing a tangier takes a little more skill as well.  And most importantly, tangiers is really strong.  It just isn't for everyone, and we want to make sure we have something for serious smokers, and separate it from the rest, so there in lies the price difference.  (Sorry I talk a lot   And as an aside, we currently do a lot of promotions with tangiers (sundays and tuesdays) where you save a lot of money on it, so if you come those days, its not really as bad as it seems.  Also, hopefully in less than a month we're going to be launching a customer loyalty program that will make tangiers cheaper for those enrolled.  I hope that answered some questions, maybe even sparked some new ones.Also, neo, i remember that credit card incident, and apologize.  I'll be there everyday monday thru friday from 9 o'clock on, i'll make it up to you.  also, we now have our forum up on our website, so you can direct comments and complaints of a more specific nature there as well.  thanks for your comments, it'll only make us better.

[Lazy Dayz]

oh, this is jay btw

[NEO_WRX]

[quote name='Lazy Dayz']Perhaps now I can speak on why Tangiers is more expensive...[/quote]
what you said makes alot of sense. It's definately worth the money. I can personally attest to the quality of the Hookah's used with the Tangier products(not to say the others are a inferior quality).
Concerning the credit card incident don't even worry about it. You especially don't need to "make anything up to me" a simple apology was good enough. Besides, there's alot that goes into running a business, especially considering the amount of time you guys have been open(not long at all), so compared to all the other great service i've experienced there it's really not a big deal at all.

[SanguineSolitude]

dude i think i was there that night as well. when they were out of
credit card tape. if thats the case, isnt this just a small world.


love what youre doing jay! keep it up. and please could you
"accidentally" destroy the blink182 mix and whatever computer it came
from.


ill be back soon you can be sure of that.

[Sonthert]

Hi Jay. This is a GREAT conversation. Don't let me interrupt...something about wonderful Tangiers or how wonderful Tangiers is...

[The Dude Abides]

Does it seem like they clean their pipes regularly?  Does it actually taste like the flavor you ordered, or is there anise present?  Those would be my biggest questions concerning any shisha cafe.  Out of the 6 or 7 shisha cafes I've tried, the ever-present-anise problem has been my biggest gripe in the majority of the establishments.  Nothing is more disappointing to me than ordering melon and getting stale anise instead.  Its happened more times than I can count, and means I never give them my business again.  I've only found 2 places that are worth returning to.Beyond cleaning the pipes all the time, if I could get shisha cafes to do ONE thing it would be to have dedicated hoses for double apple.  I hate anise, and I want nothing to do with it.  Especially when I'm paying upwards of $15 for a hookah.

[Lazy Dayz]

[quote name='Tangiers']something about wonderful Tangiers or how wonderful Tangiers is...[/quote]hey man, i'm just keepin it real.  tangiers is amazing, anyone that smokes it knows whats up.  oh, and the caffinated flavors are pretty unreal.  i remember you talkin about caffine fairies a while back, and let me tell you they get the job done.  and all the discussion about the best tangiers flavors, i gotta tell you, black thorn is awesome.  however orange soda, melon blend, and passion fruit sell the best at lazy dayz, so there you go.  speaking of which, you need to get those caffinated fairies on orange soda, the people are clamoring for it.as far as how often we clean our hookahs, we have two types of cleaning.  technically we clean our hookahs after every use, however its not a "deep" cleaning with the brushes and lemon juice.  the "deep cleaning" we do twice a week, and we clean the hoses 2-3 times a week depending on how busy we are.  i'll let the other guys answer as to if our hookahs taste crusty or not.  i try and smoke out of our serving hookahs and hoses once every couple days to see what's going on with them, but you can't catch them all i guess.

[SanguineSolitude]

ive never gotten an anise taste out of the lazy dayz hookahs. i think washable mya hoses are a large reason for this. the hookahs always seem clean

[biglandy71]

I would like to clean my hookahs to keep them without an anise taste like you lounge is doing.
What do you do for your clean after every use?andWhat is your deep clean technique?

[Scheetz]

hmmm, im a resident of NOVA but go to school at ODU. ill have to check
out LD some time this semester. I only go to hookah lounges in
arlington and at school i smoke my own.


Im curious though, with 4 owners how is your money flow. I guess this
isnt your only job because you said you come in at 9. Just curious if
anyone of the owners is living off the profits? You can pm me your
reply if you want.

Im looking at moving to florida and I am tempted to open a hookah
lounge myself. Ive been smoking now for 4 1/2 years and want to run my
own business once I graduate.  Thats another story as to what I
have going, but opening a hookah lounge has crossed my mind.

[Lazy Dayz]

The cleaning we do after use is nothing too intensive-running water through the stem until clear water comes out, and rinsing the base, nothing really jedi about the whole process.The secret to the deep clean is lemon juice.  A little lemon and some water slushed back in forth in the hoses works like a champ.  A mixture of lemon juice and water to soak the bases in for about 15-20 min (or however long it takes to clean the stems).  For the stems, run some water, start brushing, rinse, add lemon juice and water, brush again (be sure its from both ends of the stem), and rinse.  There you have it sir.

[Lazy Dayz]

Scheetz-where in NOVA?  I'm originally from Arlington, so I'm sure we frequented the same lounges back in the day (Oasis, Prince's, Aladdin's, etc).  Anyway...Money flow is good, money flow to me, not so good.  We pay ourselves little so the business can expand.This is my only job.  Believe the hype-owning your own business is quite the time consuming process.  There is so much more to do than showing up at 9.But definately check us out in the fall, we need to get the ODU people informed and coming to our place

[Scheetz]

Im in Prince William now. I started in Alexandria then Fairfax now PW.
Went to school at Marymount Univ. so it was a 3 minute driver for me.
Got bitched at a few times for smoking my hookah in the dorms.
Oasis and Aladdin are my choices. Both know me by face, I prefer
Aladdin though because its not as crowded. I need to find out what tea
Aladdin serves, I drink about 3 cups every time I am there and wouldnt
mind having it at my apartment. Now i just frequent them when im home
for summer. Just use my own for ODU these past years.

Are you guys each living on your own or spliting rent for house? 
Norfolk area is pretty cheap for rent compared to Arlington. Im not to
familiar with how long you have been open so I am assuming after the
first couple years your expansion will stop and your own cash will
increase drastically.

I have been pretty set on doing a franchise, I have narrowed my choices
to less than 5 now but havent decided which one.  Everything I
need is in order but my mom has ben telling me to just open a hookah
lounge instead since I am there 3-4 times a week. They are moving to
Florida here soon probably Tampa area so I will probably follow them
down and either do the franchise there or the hookah lounge.

Oh well think i have said enough, its nice talking to an owner though.
Last thing i expected on this forum. Ive spoken to an owner of each
franchise I was looking at so its nice to get insight on my back up
plan.

[Lazy Dayz]

It's a small world after all as they say...We all have roommates and what not, its too expensive living anywhere on your own.  I mean come on, $115 for cable a month drains the very life out of you (yeah yeah who needs cable right?  but i counter who doesn't need a dvr?)  Anyway, I digress.If you want to do a franchise, and want to do a hookah lounge, why not a hookah franchise?  Stay tuned, and keep in touch.