Hookah bar is popular with all ages

Nick Patel, 21, smokes from a hookah at the Sahra Hookah Lounge in south Fort Myers while his friends Dennis Karbowski, 28, of south Fort Myers and Teanna Timmons, 20, of south Fort Myers play cards at the lounge.

The hookah, or water pipe, is gaining popularity among the young and old at the Sahra Hookah Lounge in south Fort Myers.

Owner Amir Mansour has seen a growth in people interested in smoking from the water pipes that are filled with flavored tobacco and inhaled using a hose.

“It’s part of my culture and my friends, we’d all get together at my house and make hookah’s and chill,” said Mansour, who got the idea for the shop after realizing there were no hookah style bars in the area. “It was fun and people come from all over to hang out.”

Mansour named the shop that is nestled on McGregor Boulevard Sahra which means “late hang out” in Arabic.

“I come here for inner peace,” said Dennis Karbowski, 28, of south Fort Myers.

He was playing cards at the lounge recently with Nick Patel, 21, who visits so often there is a flavor named after him on the menu.

“It’s a good place to hang out because when you are under 21, it minimizes where you can go,” said Patel, whose mix is called the Nick Mix. “We play games and it’s like a sports bar for us.”

The lounge has been open since February and Mansour said it’s usually hectic on the weekends.

“I open late so people can come and chill and they have a late night option,” said Mansour, who offers a live band on Thursday nights and a belly dancer on Saturday nights. “People come from Naples and as far as Port Charlotte when they hear about us.”

The word is spreading, said Mansour, who attracts people of all ages and offers teas and desserts for those not interested in smoking the hookah.

“We are the only people here and they just love this place,” said Mansour, whose shop is decorated with leather couches and colorful pillows and rugs. “I don’t advertise because people just hear about it and come in and keep coming.”

Teanna Timmons, 20, spends a lot of time at the lounge playing cards and spending time with friends.

“It’s somewhere different to go than your typical club,” said Timmons, of south Fort Myers. “We like being here. We are here all the time playing cards.”