 Russia is home to a large population of Armenians, Georgians, and Azerbaijanis. The population of these Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures is equivalent to the large Hispanic population in the United States. The migration of these cultures, to large cities in Russia (ie: St. Petersburg, Moscow, etc.), has also graced Mother Russia with the fine cuisine of the Mediterranean and the hookah craze that the whole world seems to be experiencing!
Like most new trends, the youth carried the movement in Russia. Hookahs started appearing at cafés and some of the Mediterranean restaurants (affectionately referred to, by Russians, as “Eastern” restaurants). Given that cafés were already a popular pastime of Russia’s youth, it’s no surprise that the habit of de-stressing and/or socializing over a hookah rapidly grew to be all the rage. From the street corner cafés, hookahs quickly built their own niche by inspiring lounges. Unlike many of the lounges found in the United States, Russian lounges tend not to have the bohemian décor and may not always play traditional lounge music, but the ambiance is still designed for comfort.  While there are a large number of universities in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, the success of hookahs can not be exclusively attributed to their presence. Instead, the large population, population density, and tourism traffic of St. Petersburg and Moscow are responsible for the rising trend of hookahs. Moscow has a population of roughly 10 million, and St. Petersburg of approximately 9 million: Both cities have lower densities than New York, but are comparable. While many of the lounges in Russia maintain a different ambiance than those found here in the US, it is clear that the hookah industry is evolving all over the world. Stay tuned to IH every month to find out what the hookah scene outside of the US looks like next month! | |
The Scene
