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At one table, 18-year-olds fresh out of high school are smoking double-apple from a quadruple hose hookah. At another table, four students are enjoying the orange flavor before heading to a nearby bar. At a third table, a couple is taking turns trying an interfusion. The Ice Hookah Lounge, located between the Recher Theatre and The Kent on York Road, is drawing crowds for a first-of-its-kind experience in Towson. Hookah smoking originated in the Middle East. Josh Schmerling said it is becoming trendy in the west, especially among college students. Schmerling, a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park, is now pursuing a law degree at University of Baltimore. He's a partner in the new venture along with Ben Supowit and co-owners Adam Fauer and Ryan Sochol. Schmerling's friends came up with the hookah lounge idea in Chicago, and now it's arrived in Towson. Ice opened in mid-November, and the place has been pretty crowded ever since, especially late in the evening. "Every Friday and Saturday we have a wait list, and sometimes on Wednesday and Thursday too," Schmerling said. He advises would-be patrons to call ahead and reserve a table. Ice is open until 4 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The owners are thinking about staying open late on Tuesday as well. Patrons must be 18 years old to enter. "A lot of people have friends who are under 21, especially in college. This is a place they can all come," Schmerling said. At Ice, patrons order a single, double, or quadruple hose hookah, then select a "basic" flavored tobacco for $5 per person or an "exotic" flavor for $6 per person. They can also choose from "interfusions" of tobacco and juices for $7 per person. "We put the flavored tobacco in the bowl in the top. The flavored tobacco goes down through the pipe, gets filtered out through the water or whatever else we have in the base, and comes out through the hose," Schmerling said. He said the interfusions, featuring juices like apple or berry along with water in the base, add a lot more taste. Some of the most popular flavors are mint, strawberry, double apple, and orange. Schmerling said the lounge will introduce a few new flavors and mixes in a few weeks. The hookah trend seems to be catching on in Towson. On Saturday night, every table was taken, and a few people were standing by the door waiting to sit. Near the back of the room, freshman mass communication major Layla Maine and two friends shared a double hookah with a strawberry flavored tobacco. She said they were attracted to the lounge because it looked relaxing and comfortable. "We wanted to see what it was like because everyone was coming here," she said. Nearby, freshman religious studies major Alisa Nathan and freshman art major Alex Howell sat with a group of friends on their first night back in Towson. "We had to go to Baltimore to go to a hookah bar before," Nathan said. "Now we can just walk here," Powell added. Nathan and Powell said the lounge is addicting - in a social, not literal, sense. Some critics say smoking hookah, like smoking cigarettes, can lead to health problems. The lounge's menu includes a health warning that "smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy."
For more info: Ice Hookah Lounge is open Wednesday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., and Sunday through Tuesday from 6 p.m. to midnight. For reservations, call 1-888-9HOOKAH.
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