by Mary T.
With a name like "Stratosphere Lounge", my expectations for this place were pretty low. I had envisioned some sort of over-hyped undergraduate hangout . . . kind of like Tantra but with more neon lights and Madonna blaring on the speakers. However, after a long night at the bars, a little hookah sounded like just the thing to mellow out with before heading home so we decided to give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised by what Stratosphere is actually like. The atmosphere inside is very chill. The lighting is subdued but not too dark and the seating ranges from tables and chairs to lounging sofas with tables next to them. We ordered our shisha from a pretty impressive menu with prices ranging from $10 to $15, depending on the flavor. They also had all the bells and whistles like extra hoses, adding ice to the water, etc., for moderate fees. The guy working behind the counter really seemed to know his shisha, let us smell the flavors we were interested in, and made a few recommendations for us. The BF and I settled on a single-hose double apple with ice in the water and waited on a couch for our hookah to arrive. The wait was not long and the other patrons were friendly when approached (we had to ask where to order the shisha when we first came in) but relatively quiet and unobtrusive. We were lucky to get a couch as those seem to fill up the fastest, but the tables and chairs didn't look uncomfortable. The shisha itself seemed pretty quality, and the guy working there was also attentive with making sure everyone's coals stayed hot. Altogether, this was a great hookah experience and, though I am not a habitual hookah smoker, the next time the urge for a little flavored smoke hits I know San Marcos has a great option to satisfy it.
