Healthy or Not, the Hookah Habit Is Hot

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Young patrons of the lounges agree that part of the hookah's charm lies in its illicit associations. "It looks illegal," says Gypsy customer Armen Piskoulian, 18, with a grin, sucking on his hookah with the insouciance of the blue caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland, "but it's not." Others say it's not just stoner chic that has made the hookah a hit with the collegiate crowd. Post-9/11 headlines have also played a part. "They're hearing about Middle East this and Middle East that," says the Habibi's Mickey Fathi. "They can come here and see the culture. They see it's not like they make it out on TV, like we're all terrorists. Here they see everyone joined together, dancing, having fun. They see there's nothing to be scared of." Except, of course, for all that secondhand smoke.