Hookah is the smoking of a special type of tobacco (occasionally with flavoring) from a water pipe. It has its origins in India,from where it spread throughout Muslim world. Ohio residents have a number of places where they can partake of this exotic practice. Despite the state's smoking ban, these bars stay open because the gain at least 80 percent of their revenue from tobacco sales, a loophole in the law. Still, hookah smoking is as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than cigarette smoking.
The Leen O' Caffe hookah bar is located in Columbus,close to the Ohio State University campus. It has more than ten different flavors of tobacco, in addition to special pipes that use a fruit, such as an orange, apple, or pineapple, as the head rather than the traditional clay. Other items on the menu include vegetarian fare such as a spinach pie, and various caffeinated beverages like tea and espresso. Every Monday, the Leen O' Caffe shows a movie. Every Thursday, the hookah bar features live poetry and hip-hop.
Leen O' Caffe
2498 Summit St.
Columbus, OH 43202
614-262-9212
leenocaffe.com
Near the campus of Kent State University, in northeastern Ohio, you can find the friendly confines of the Firefly Hookah Bar. Here, guests step into a warm, candlelit atmosphere and sit down to a menu with a selection of more than 25 different varieties of flavored tobacco. With the tobacco, guests can order coffee and tazo teas, and follow that with a much-needed dessert, such as cherry cheesecake, tiramisu, or chocolate lava cake. The bar stays open until 1 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, and until 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Firefly Hookah Bar
124 South Water Street
Kent, OH 44240
330-673-0011
fireflybar.com
You can also get your hookah bar fix in Ohio's lake-side city, Cleveland. The Blue Fig Hookah Bar is close to the campus of Case Western Reserve University. At the Blue Fig, guests choose from more than 30 different flavors of shisha. Cocktail flavors are the specialty, with tobaccos that taste like a cosmopolitan or a strawberry margarita on the menu. Also, guests at this hookah bar can replace the head with fruit for an extra charge. Beyond this, the Blue Fig offers a "hookah on wheels" service, which will cater events around Cleveland.
Blue Fig Hookah Bar
11621 Euclid Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-229-4747
bluefighookah.com
