Hookahs in Eastern Europe

The popularity of hookahs in Russian cities (especially Moscow) and all across Eastern Europe has grown tremendously in a short period of time. Quite a few bars and night clubs have a “hookah man” working on premises. The hookah man will likely be of Middle Eastern descent and will wear a typical Arab or Turkish costume. The hookah man is responsible for bringing the hookahs to tables and providing wrappings for everyone at the table wrappings to keep the session clean and hygienic.

Popularity

Hookahs were already well established in Eastern Europe but the popularity and attention on them grew a lot within the last few decades. Now hookahs are used for various reasons and can be found relatively anywhere in Eastern Europe whether it be inside cafes, bars, or clubs, or even outside at beaches. Hookahs are also commonly stored at home for personal use as well. In Kiev and other Ukrainian cities hookahs are very commonly used.

Lithuania has a lot of younger adult and middle age people who go to hookah bars. In Lithuania these hookah bars are usually called “kaljanas” and in the larger cities there are quite a few of them to choose from. In Hungary and Estonia hookahs are also starting to become more widely used. Various coffee shops are open in Eastern European cities which also have hookahs available for their customers and with the popularity growth of hookahs it’s just a matter of time before more open up.