Shisha lounges

If you own or run a café, bar or restaurant that sells or supplies shisha, you need to comply with certain legal requirements. 

Shisha and the law

Smoke-free legislation classes shisha-smoking the same as cigarette-smoking. 

The legislation is designed to protect workers and members of the public from the serious health risks of second-hand smoke. 

Smoking, including shisha products, is only permitted in shelters and outdoor areas that are not enclosed or substantially enclosed. 

Smoking shelters

You may have a premises license or planning permission to build a smoking shelter or shisha area. This does not mean the structure complies with smoke-free legislation. 

A smoking shelter must be at least 50% open all of the time. 

Doors, windows and side panels for tent or marquee are classed as part of the wall if they can be shut or rolled down. 

Using rugs, carpets or sheeting to cover up spaces so they are no longer at least 50% open, breaches smoke-free legislation. 

Read our shisha guidance to find out how to make your business compliant:

About shisha

Shisha is specially prepared tobacco. 

When heated, it produces smoke that bubbles through a bowl of water into a long hose-like pipe and is inhaled through a mouthpiece. 

It’s usually heated by burning wood, coal or charcoal. 

Shisha comes in different flavours and is sometimes mixed with dark brown molasses sugar. This often makes the smoke smell sweet. 

According to the British Heart Foundation, shisha can increase your risk of heart and circulatory diseases. This is because it usually contains harmful chemicals. 

In a shisha session of 20 to 80 minutes, a shisha smoker can inhale the same amount of smoke as a cigarette smoker consuming over 100 cigarettes. 

Like smoking cigarettes, the toxins from tobacco-based shisha puts smokers at risk of developing: 

• heart and circulatory diseases
• cancers
• nicotine addiction
• respiratory infections and conditions 

Even if you use tobacco-free shisha, the smoke still produces harmful toxins. These can be at least as harmful for you as smoke tobacco-based shisha and cigarettes, if not worse.