Hookah lounges thriving, three years after smoking ban

Three years after the state banned indoor smoking in public places, Chicago-area hookah lounges are hotter than ever, packing in a new crop of aficionados to puff on ancient communal water pipes.

Employing a loophole that allows patrons to light up inside tobacco shops, dozens of the exotic smoking dens have sprung up in the city and suburbs since the Smoke Free Illinois Act became law in 2008, much to the frustration of some health officials.