By SCOTT HARRISON

s.harrison@krdo.com

COLORADO SPRINGS - In four years, the area has increased from one to a dozen Hookah bars.  It's a craze that's sweeping the nation, including southern Colorado.

The Hookah is a traditional smoking device from the Middle East.  Many historians say the practice began centuries ago in Egypt, and spread from there.  The decorative pipes use water to cool the smoke from flavored tobacco heated by hot coals.  Users smoke from long hoses.  The cost of a "bowl" of the tobacco--also called shisha--ranges from $10 to $15.  Smokers say they enjoy the social atmosphere of the bars, which have a variety of styles.

The first Hookah bar, Hooked on Hookah, opened in 2005 near the intersection of Cheyenne Road and South Nevada Avenue.  That location has since been sold to another Hookah owner.  Hooked on Hookah has a new location on North Academy near Dublin Boulevard.

Bar owners say they must constantly deal with negative perceptions that Hookahs actually are water pipes for marijuana.  Customers say once they tried Hookah, they enjoyed it and smoke it instead of regular tobacco.  They also say Hookah smoke is less harmful than regular tobacco, although that subject continues to be a source of debate.

Hookahs appeal to young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 who legally are not old enough to drink alcohol.  Whether Hookahs are a fad or a lasting trend remains to be seen.  Hookah bars also are open in Fountain, Manitou Springs and Pueblo.