Since a smoking ban went into effect in St. Louis and St. Louis County at the beginning of this year, numerous hookah lounges and cafés have found various ways to continue lighting up, resulting in a confusing mix of services that some — even hookah lounge owners — say is unfair.
The Middle Eastern restaurant Ranoush, located in the Delmar Loop, spun off into a separate business a few blocks east and into St. Louis, selling only hookah, soft drinks and coffee.
At Al Waha on South Grand, the owner moved hookah smoking to the patio.
Nara Café downtown closed its doors to those younger than 21 to allow hookah smoking inside.
Woman Smoking a Hookah
Other restaurants limited their hours or food sales so they could sell hookah inside to customers, including those under 21.
Some hookah café owners argue for exceptions or even the creation of a special hookah license, saying that hookah smoking is a unique service — a deep-rooted Middle Eastern tradition tied to socializing, relaxing and meditating that dates to the 16th century.
“It’s ethnic. It’s different,” says Riyad Alwadi, owner of Al Waha. “It’s not like smoking cigarettes.”
Hookah is a water pipe used to hold tobacco soaked in flavorings such as apple, coconut, cherry and mint. Charcoal is used to burn the tobacco, and users inhale the water-cooled smoke through a hose.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hookah smoke delivers the addictive drug nicotine and is at least as toxic as cigarette smoke. Hookah smokers are at risk for the same kinds of diseases caused by cigarette smoking, including cancers and decreased fertility. The charcoal used to heat tobacco produces high levels of carbon monoxide, metals and cancer-causing chemicals.
Hookah smoking is also communal; each person uses his or her own replaceable and disposable hose tip. One hookah session costs about $12 for the group and lasts 45 minutes to an hour.
Arguments over whether hookah lounges (as well as a downtown cigar bar) are considered a restaurant, bar or retail tobacco store have led Pam Walker, the director of the St. Louis Department of Health, to refer the issue to the city’s legal counsel for interpretation.
Hookah Lounge
“These hookah bars and cigar bars are a new phenomenon, and there’s a question over where they fall,” Walker said. “As you can see it’s kind of complex, and I need a lawyer to figure it out.”
An exemption in the law was meant to be applied narrowly — to bars serving patrons 21 and older with food sales less than 25 percent of total food and alcohol sales. The city also requires that serving areas be less than 2,000 square feet.
Retail tobacco stores earning more than half their revenue from tobacco and tobacco products are also exempt under the ordinance.
The St. Louis County Department of Health has taken a stance that businesses “where they only hookah” are not regulated in any way as a restaurant or a retail store, said Gerrin Butler, the food and environmental program manager. These business do not sell food or alcohol. “The ones that decided just to open up a hookah bar, we don’t regulate them,” Butler said. “We recognize that that’s an establishment that doesn’t meet any of those clear definitions.”
Because many states and cities have enacted smoking bans, hookah lounges have been growing in popularity in the U.S., especially around college campuses.
