Tuesday, March 19, 2013

La Jolla Hookah Lounge Review: Just Look Up!



As promised I took a trek back to The Living Room Café and Hookah Lounge. The establishment is located on the second floor of the café. Upon arrival you will notice the open patio sitting that overhangs the street or the indoor arrangements with a back window view. If you are seeking to watch the street traffic and happenings of people making their ways to bars and clubs you might want to make your way to the patio.  On a Friday night it may take a while to find a place to sit in this popular destination. 

The available options of shisha (flavored tobacco) flavors are plentiful with everything from your non-traditional mixtures to your more common types like spearmint. At a price of $35 for the hookah and a bottle of wine you will not be disappointed.  Do not expect the wine to be vintage or the seats to be sparkling new for the price. However, the atmosphere offers plenty of opportunities for people to socialize and get to know each other.  The hookah is a natural talisman for conversation, theorizing and debate. 

The general ranges of ages are under forty with a few mature individuals dotted within the crowd-mature meaning those who are not forty five and older. Yet it would seem to me that such wisdom oriented people might like to attend the lively affair every once in a while. It didn’t take long to strike up a conversation with a couple of similar age range.  After a few minutes of conversation it became apparent they were on their first date and both were starting over. What a great place to start a conversation!

The hookah bar has grown in popularity within the U.S. over the past decade. Its origins date back to the doctor Abul-Fath Gilani in 1588 who invented the pipe as a mechanism for purifying smoke. As the smoke moves through the pipe and into the water it creates a cooling and smoothing effect on the flavored tobacco (shisha).  The hookah is seen as a status symbol in many countries ranging from Persia to India. Today it still maintains its status as a “trendy” activity in the upscale recreational areas of the U.S. 

The hookah was used in the 60’s and 70’s as a pipe for smoking tobacco and other things. In today’s world it has popular crave with hookah lounges and bars becoming common. People who attend a hookah lounge typically can also order food, wine, or other alcoholic beverages. The common patrons to such establishments are relatively young and familiar with Middle Eastern cultures. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have created greater cultural awareness and adaptation of some cultural activities. 

La Jolla
1010 Prospect Street
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858)459-1187
Hours for the Hookah establishment do not appear to be posted. It appears to become busy around 7:00 PM and full around 9:00 PM.

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